Once upon a time, there was a girl named Tiris who belonged to the Shuar Community and who used to collect seeds of different fruits. One day she went out into the jungle and found a bush full of dark reddish-brown fruits. When Tiris tried to pick one of these fruits, it detached itself from a branch and began to jump from side to side. Ping-pong! Ping-pong! Tiris smiled and followed, Ping-Pong! Ping-pong! They continued the tour of the jungle together until Ping Pong found a large tree trunk that fell on the road, then it went through this trunk with a great leap and finally it fell to the ground. When Tiris picked up Ping Pong with her hands, it suddenly broke in half and red seeds came out. Afterwards, Tiris arrived home and her mother observed the seeds that she had collected, told her that these were from a bush called achiote and that she used them as a spice in meals, while her brother Unup used them as a remedy. Tiris, on the other hand, mixed these seeds with water and then they were transformed into a red dye, with which she began to draw symbols such as points and lines both on people's faces and on the pots. Each person who came to her community was welcomed with her art and became one more friend, as was Ping Pong.

Written by Nathali Murillo