Hand Embroidered Kurus Kene Shipibo Dress

In the Shipibo language, this is called a Chitonti, the traditional dress of Shipibo women. They often hand-embroider their own Chitontis, saving pieces like this for special occasions because of the immense time required to create them.

This specific Chitonti features what they call Kurus or Cross Kené, named because it resembles a cross. I’ve asked many Shipibo people about it, and they told me this design actually predates Christianity in their culture. No idea if that’s true or not, but if it is, that’s sick! Kurus Kené is also not usually found on Chitontis, which makes this piece truly unique.

This Chitonti was sold to me by a woman who flagged me down on the street because she needed money for a boat ride back to her community.