Dear Bone Tepi

Dear Bone Tepi

The technique used to connect the bone to the wood is excellently executed.  The connection between the bone and wood is beautifully crafted. Various pins on one side that connect to the other part make a strong connection. This is then glued together with the wood. This makes these pieces very solid when treated well. Paco uses a carpenter technique called marquetry to inlay the pieces of wood in the bone.

Without a doubt, these are very precious pieces made with all attention focused on simplicity and quality. These are ceremonial types of tepi that require skill to work with. Paco does not kill any animals to obtain these bones. He told me that getting hold of dear bones is too complicated at this moment. This series of four is probably the last one he has made.

The presented piece is the work of my dear friend Paco. He lives in the South of Brazil near Porto Alegre. I visited Paco at his house in the South and spent some time together to learn more about him and his work. Paco’s work ethic is rather special. The wood he uses comes from demolished houses or is taken from dead trees in nature. The bones he uses are from roadkill animals or animals that died in a natural way. Paco nor others had to directly sacrifice a tree or animal to make any of his art. And every piece he makes is unique. Paco’s work is an integral part of Orisha Ossain.

Craftmanship

The Tepi and Kuripe that Paco makes all have a very organic feel to it. All pieces have their own character. He uses various techniques to make very clean and solid connections between the sections of his shamanic instruments. A common problem with a V-shaped Kuripe is that some Snuff gets trapped in the bottom of the V. Paco solution is to create a bottom inside the Kuripe that has a curved shape. In this way, you will always blow all snuff out of your blowpipe. His pieces are very powerful. In general, the blow strength of his blowpipes is quite high and assures a deep entering of the Rapé. These are all high-quality pieces that will last a very long time.

Outstanding !

In the week I spent with Paco I enjoyed the time as was sitting next to him and watching him while he was working. Together we made my new personal Kuripe. I enjoyed our time together a lot. To help Paco a bit I bought him some new basic tools like a wood file and rasp. Some of his tools were just too old and slowed him down a lot. Paco uses various types of wood. From a local pine variety, cinnamon wood to an Amazonian wood called “Roxinho”. All pieces have their specific unique look/frequency. The high level of craftsmanship makes his pieces outstanding.  Simple, organic, beautiful, and powerful are some words that express what I feel from watching and holding his art.

Custom made

Paco used to work as a car mechanic but he felt called to change his life completely. Living in the countryside together with his wonderful wife and daughter he has managed to find another way to support his family. His only income comes from his artwork and this does not mean he is producing in an assembly line. Paco loves to have personal contact. To get a close relationship with his clients so he can translate that energy/wishes into the piece he will be making. If you have any specific wishes for a Tepi or Kuripe you would like to have made by him, please contact me.