In the lowlands of Amazonia, notably in central Brazil, the shaping of pottery is an essentially female activity, which confers a special power upon the potters, women with hands of clay. If we refer to the primordial narratives, through their creative gesture repeated almost daily, changing clay into vessels capable of channelling natural forces like water, women exercise control over the balance of the world and prevent its destruction. Each stage of creation engages the body and vital energy of the ceramicist, and requires dexterity, physical endurance, concentration, and the observance of a certain number of taboos (such as drinking and eating).