Biomimicry.     Runa art seeks to evoke the patterns of nature directing the viewers thoughts away from the human creation to the species they evoke.  In the words of Colombian indigenous leader Manuel Quintin Lame this is “ because the true artists are out there in the rivers and forests.”   Many of these patterns come from frogs.  Below a ceramic mucagua by Clara Santi is painted with the design of a tree frog laying its eggs in a circular pattern.  Below right a photograph of a related species.   The art of Runa women is often inspired by dreams or visions induced by ayawaska or wanduj.  Unlike the Mestizo ayawaska art of the Iquitos area, however, Runa ayahwaska art is not “psychedelic.  Rather the ayawaska is used to reflect on the patterns of nature.   In the narrative below Clara says that she is painting the “sombra” (shadow or spirit of this frog).  Clara associates the frog who came to her in the dream with her friend Curina Santi who has passed away.  The frog comes out of the mountain to lay its eggs.  Curina, she says is a woman who worked in the mountains.  By this Clara appears to mean that Curina was a shaman who worked with the mountains and now comes to her in a dream in the form of this mountain spirit frog woman.  Tod Swanson, 2012.

Photo: Tod Swanson, Iyarina Reserve

Original Kichwa version of the narrative.
“Caimara sapu warmi tiarishca  urcu manda lucshic sapu mana yanga sapu.   Chi warmimi tiarishcara pai espumungawa caibi chi sapu mara quiruyuc ,caran urcu supai warmi sapu pai wachangawa llulunda wachangawa tiarishca. Chimanda chaita awashcaman cai

mucawa,chita pintashcaman cai mucawa.  Caita tucuita paiba sombrata pintashcama an cai chaita ñuca mushcurani.  Ayacta upisha ñuca mashtita ayawashcata upisha upirani caita awangarausha ayawashcata upirani. Wayusawa misquiladuta upirani wayusa ayawashcata upisha awai niwara.  Shu mucawata atun mucawata urcu saputa awai,urcu saputa awai  Pai llulunwa espumasha tiarishca saputa awai.   Clara niwara chaibimi mushcurani mashtita ñuca amiga Curina Santi, Curina Santi wanushcaman.  Chimanda paita mushcusha awashca man pai agara urcui tarabasha causac warmi.  P aita mushcusha awashca man cai mushcuyuc mi an.”  (Cuento 56).

Clara Santi,  “Ayawaska Muscui of a Frog Woman Laying Eggs.”  Narrative in Pastaza Kichwa recorded  and translated by Tod Swanson. Clara describes how the pattern of the frog laying eggs which she painted on the mucagua (right) came to her in an ayawaska “muscui” or vision.


This is a frog woman sitting.  This a frog that comes out of the mountain, not an ordinary frog.  This is the frog that I saw sitting to push out its foam here.  That frog had teeth.  It is the the spirit woman frog that comes out of each mountain to lay her eggs, she sits down to lay her eggs.  That is what is woven on this mucawa, painted on this mucawa.  All of this, its spirit is painted here.  That is what i dreamed.  Drinking bitter,drinking ayawaska in order to weave (the coils of this bowl) I drank ayawaska.  Mixed with wayusa I drank it....  A mountain frog was on top of a mucawa, a large mucawa..  It was sitting above it  pushing out its foam of eggs.   “Clara” it said to me.  Then I dreamed of my friend Curina Santi.  Curina Santi is dead. This (mucawa) was woven dreaming of her.  She was a woman who worked within the mountains.  Dreaming of her this was made.  This bowl is made with a vision.