Bawan Jisbe
Founding voice of AMAABJ. Married to Walter López López — Panshin Nima. Mother of 3. Artisan specialising in jewellery, textiles, and ceramics. Herbalist practising traditional medicine.
For our president, the path of the artist was not a choice but an inheritance. Born into the Shipibo-Konibo tradition, Isabel embodies a matrilineal lineage, and her life has been intertwined with the world of medicinal plants since her very first breath.
Her destiny began with a sacred ritual. When the physical bond with her mother was severed at birth, a spiritual one was formed. Her grandfather, an ancestral healer, treated her navel with the Piriri plant. Through sacred medicinal chants, he planted the seeds of her artistic gift, ensuring that one day her hands would honour the craft of the women who came before her.
In the Shipibo-Konibo worldview, mastery begins with vision. At the age of three, Isabel underwent a second ritual. Potent plant essences were applied to her eyes, opening a gateway to the unseen. Through this ceremony, the intricate geometries of Kené first appeared in her dreams. Guided by her mother and grandmother, Isabel’s apprenticeship unfolded where the rainforest meets the spirit world.
Isabel’s journey is not hers alone; it echoes in the hands of every woman in AMAABJ. The association was born of two essential needs: to safeguard our living heritage of ancestral art and to provide a lifeline for the women who carry it forward. This knowledge is not passed down through formal instruction, but through shared presence and lived experience.
Our organisation advocates for the women of the community, especially single mothers who shoulder the responsibility of being their families’ sole providers. For these artisans, the intricate geometric patterns of Kené are more than cultural symbols; they are also a pathway to independence.
Today, these women come together as a community. Every thread they weave strengthens the bonds of solidarity and shared purpose that bind them. Yet their vision extends far beyond their own circle. Looking to the future, AMAABJ seeks to welcome more Shipibo-Konibo women into the association, ensuring that this legacy of knowledge and craftsmanship strengthens the wider community and turns the preservation of ancestral traditions into opportunities for future generations.
