INVITATION TO THE NUKUN DEWE FESTIVAL OF HUNI KUIN PEOPLE IN BRAZILIAN JUNGLE WITH SACRED MEDICINE AYAHUASCA
22. 4. - 2. 5. 2018
WHAT: Nukun Dewe Festival with Huni Kuin Indegious people with sacred medicines
PRICE: R$ 3800 (app. 950 EUR, app. 1180 $ ) ... festival only
INFO AND APPLICATIONS: kaxinawa.si@gmail.com
In the middle of the Amazon Rainforest in Acre, Brasil, surrounded by huge trees, winding rivers, animals, spirits and enchanted nature, live the Huni Kuin people. They are true, strong, resilient people, connected with the Earth and the Divine through music, dance, songs, plants and knowledge passed down through the generations in community life.
In the middle of the Amazon Rainforest in Acre, Brasil, surrounded by huge trees, winding rivers, animals, spirits and enchanted nature, live the Huni Kuin people. They are true, strong, resilient people, connected with the Earth and the Divine through music, dance, songs, plants and knowledge passed down through the generations in community life.
We are inviting you to join the Huni Kuin and participate in celebration in the 'Nukun Dewe' Festival that will take place in the 'Boa Vista' Village in the state of Acre, Brazil on the Jordan River April 22-May 2, 2018.
The Festival is a 10 day celebration and deep study of cultural and spiritual practices of the Huni Kuin people guided by the Pajés ("shamans"), Mestras ("wise women") and cultural collectives from local neighboring villages.
Traditional Medicines:
The ancestral connection of the Huni Kuin people with nature has made them acquainted with an incredible living pharmacy, which is the forest. Traditional knowledge of plants and how to use them for physical, mental and spiritual healing makes traditional people the true owners of these medicines. Besides academic scientific knowledge, knowing the use of plants is connecting with their essence and spirit, knowing how to recognize them in the middle of the forest and knowing the prayers and methods of administering them.
Included in the festival are the use of the following Tradition Plant Medicines :
<>The Nixi Pae (Ayahuasca), used in ceremonies guided by Pajés and Txanas (singers) that lead energy with their songs and prayers.
<>The Dume Deshke (Rahpe) prepared with tobacco, ashes of Yapa (murici) and sometimes medicinal herbs, which is blown into the nostrils to bring cleansing, healing and concentration.
<>Shane Tsamati (Sananga), eye drops used to lighten the vision for hunting and ward off panema (bad spirits, bad luck).
<>The Bawe, eye drops usually used at the beginning of the crescent moon, used to improve memory and learn the kene (sacred designs).
<>Kãpũ (Kambô), the "frog vaccine", medicine that purifies the body, builds the immune system and strengthens the body and the spirit.
<>Medicinal Plant Baths- with several perfumed plants of the forest, taking place the morning after the ceremonies of Nixi Pae, to take away "nisũ" (weakness, bad thoughts, dizziness).
Besides these medicines, we also have the opportunity to be in the presence of Pajés (Shamans) from several villages, walking through the forest with them is an indescribable lesson, in which we can experience the harvest and use of several other medicinal plants.
<<>>Women's Songs- During the event we have the opportunity to enjoy the singing of Huni Kuin women who have been deeply practicing the singing of traditional songs. When the voice of the united women crosses the night, it accompanies them with an energy of magic, strength and union; the mystery of the transformations of life is felt in the air. This space increases women's self-esteem and strengthens their positions in the community.
<<>>Cultural Handicrafts Workshops
To know well we must live and through experience we understand the value of things. With this idea the event gives the visitor the opportunity to get to know some of Huni Kuin's handcrafted practices, which can be pottery, straw braiding or other craft that they want to teach. These experiences increase the esteem of artisans, create links between visitors and the community, and raise awareness of the challenges of manual labor.
<<>>Handicrafts Market-At the festival the Huni Kuin artisans and craftsmen display their various arts. The fair is filled with the beauty, found in necklaces, bracelets, rings, bands, bags, clothes, bead earrings, feathers, seeds and cotton weavings. We also have bows and arrows, ceramic ware, baskets and braided straw crafts.
<<>>Dance, Games - In the forest the joy and music reign, the enthusiasm of celebrating in union during the festival takes care of all those present. Together we sang and danced the Katxa Nawa (prayers of abundance and fertility of the earth) on wheels that bring together different generations, in addition to the Jiboia Ballet during the nightly ceremonies. We participate in games and games such as bow and arrow, the game of ripping up macaxeira, among others, where laughter and fun are always present.
<<>>Story Telling- The Huni Kuin culture is rich in myths and stories that reveal the imagery and nature of this people. During the Nukun Dewe, we can experience the narration of some of these tales, surrounded by the sounds of the forest and plunging into the voice of the accountant, which transports us to times when men and animals were still talking.
<<>>Cuisine- The Huni Kuin cuisine is rich in flavor and diversity, the typical dishes are based on several types of cassava, banana, peanuts, corn, potatoes and yams. We are also having the opportunity to taste some leaves, hearts of palm, mushrooms, fish and fruits. With these ingredients they make pamonhas, tapiocas, porridges and several other foods and drinks. All traditional staple foods are grown in the brush or collected in the woods and prepared by the village women.
In order to provide a greater diversity of leaves and vegetables, we partner with a small farmer in the municipality of Jordan, encouraging the continuity of his work with family and organic agriculture in the region.
The festival includes the participation of several other villages, during the ceremonies. Cultural presentations will take place where the groups share their songs, prayers and knowledge, creating a space that exhibits diverse facets of the culture. The meeting of the groups, besides providing a broad view of the Huni Kuin culture, also encourages the union between different communities
The festival includes the participation of several other villages, during the ceremonies. Cultural presentations will take place where the groups share their songs, prayers and knowledge, creating a space that exhibits diverse facets of the culture. The meeting of the groups, besides providing a broad view of the Huni Kuin culture, also encourages the union between different communities
The Festival celebrates the strength of the union of all tribes, the valuing and preserving of their cultural heritage, and the force of the Huni Kuin tribe. It is a gathering of communities from the three local indigenous lands, which broaden individual and collective knowledge through the exchange of experiences and wisdom among the generations, strengthening ties and promoting cultural revival, celebrating culture, as a living element, in constant transformation. It is a synergy that both incorporates new elements and preserves ancestral traditions.
Culture festivals are one of the few spaces that build and anchor a positive view of the individual and collective identity of the people, especially the youth, and directly contribute to creating paths of harmonious interaction between different cultures and visions, breaking down history and creating a bridge that unites knowledge and worlds and opens a path to a multiethnic future with more love and respect among all beings.
Amid all the joy and sacredness surrounding this moment of fusion, these magical keys that open the doors of many dimensions of human culture, the event also brings tangible changes in physical, spiritual and psychosocial health and brings innovations through new forms of economics.
The community is delighted this year with the foundation of the Institute Yube Inu, their non-profit indigenous organization, which is organizing the festival this year. Thanks Txana Ikakuru Huni Kuin, Bunke Inani Huni Kuin, Txana Tuin Hunikuin, Isaka Menegildo Rosália Sales, Shane Davi, Chief Elias Siã and his family, as well as everyone from the local communities.
The Huni Kuin live in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, in the border regions between Brazil and Peru. The Huni Kuin are authentic, strong and resistant people. They connect with the Earth and the Divine through their traditional songs and dances in ancient ceremonial rites. Their traditional knowledge is marked by a deep reverence of the natural world. They are the last and true guardians of the forest.
Not so long ago the Huni Kuin have been forcefully driven of their lands into slavery, yet today their culture is slowly regaining ground as the Huni Kuin are more and more recognized for their immense and invaluable knowledge of the medicinal plants of the rainforest.
The Nukun Dewe Festival is a time where villagers of the three indigenous lands near the city of Jordão (Acre) come together to revive and strengthen their ancient cultural heritage. The festival provides a space to exchange experience and knowledge among varying generations, thus securing the preservation of their rich cultural heritage. Such a convergence of the today largely dispersed Huni Kuin people is like putting together pieces of a larger puzzle. A puzzle that as one reveals the magnificent history of a culture of humans deeply interrelated with the natural kingdom of the amazon.
By participating in the festival we are also directly contributing to the development of local projects, such as ecological sanitation, the promotion of craft production. Much more than cultural tourism, we propose a collaborative program and a lifelong friendship.
In Nukun Dewe 2018 about 400 indigenous people will share their songs, dances, their traditional stories, prayers and their immense ecological knowledge.To receive the natives in a responsible and secure way we will invest the income to:
1 Improve local infrastructure.
2 Build ecological toilets in accordance with basic health standards.
3 Build a kitchen area to cater food for over 500 people.
4 Build a traditional community hut for lodging.
5 Subsidize transport and food logistics for indigenous participants.
6 Support elders in their travel from distant communities.
After the festival, the new spaces and facilities will bring benefits to the local community, which can now use them for school classes and to host meetings, councils and cultural events.
Logistic directions fot the festival participation :
Date and location
We meet in Rio Branco and from there take a flight to Jordão (380 reais, app. 95 EUR, app.120 $). There is flights available in the 19 (Tuesday) and 21 (Saturday) of April. The flight leaves Rio Branco at 9am.
We need to arrive at Jordão until the 21 April, so we can leave to the community with the boats on the same day at 1pm. The festival starts in the 22th after lunch. The closing ceremony happens on 1st of May and we leave the community in the 2nd.
You can book your flight back to Rio Branco in the 03 (Thursday) or 05 (Saturday) May.
# Flight into and from Jordão are not covered by the festival. The same for any hotel room and food expenses outside the festival site.
Contribution
We ask for a 3800 reais/per person contribution. That includes all the logistics, boat travel, medicine, acommodation and food... etc. For that to happen many good people work very hard, lots of food and logistics are neededand with this income we also help other Huni Kuin people from other communities to get there.
Costs to be added: your flight to Brazil to Rio Branco, 1 night Rio Branco ( 70 BR) , flight to Jordan 370 BR , 2 nights hotel room Jordan (100 BR) ( on the way there and back), flight to Rio Branco, 370 BR, 1 night Rio Branco (70 BR) = app. 1000 BR, app. 250 EUR, 300 $.
For us money is a energy and we like to be very aware of where we put ours and we invite the visitors to experiance this, so we are very open to explain details about where the money goes.
The most important part is that we are not selling a cultural product, we are helping people to connect with each other and develop a relationship, to exchange energy, culture and experience. When someone comes is very important to show to this person is helping the community needs (their institute is being stablished) and improving their well-being. For the culture, we see that it is important for them to have a space where they can express their traditional culture freely and it helps them reconsider their role, the importance of diversity and their relationship with nature and medicines in this new world that we are building.
Accommodation, food, what to bring
We know that in Amazon people usually sleeps in hammocks, so we will have a place for that. Some people don't sleep well in hammock so for we also encourage visitors to bring their tents and camp in the site we are preparing for it.
The community has a water well. Participantes can also bring 20lt bottles from the neighbor city and we can get water from other villages with water systems.
We like good and healthy food. The Huni Kuin are so rich and we really appreciate their more than 25 traditional dishes. We ask people to not bring any industrial food, snacks or anything that is not local or organic. We are hoping to get a lot of Açaí this year!!!
We will send you a list of important items for a good experience, like tents, hammock, water bottle with good filter, flashlight, spoon knife fork, biodegradable products, etc.
We ask the visitors to bring BIODEGRADABLE PRODUCTS ONLY. We love water and we honor mother Earth years of love to make everything friendly for life development so that it very important.
Conduct agreement
We are going to be in the middle of the forest so we need to be very respectful with the people, the place and ourselves. The conduct agreements are made for the benefit of everyone attending the festival.
We are environmental friendly as we can. Not producing trash and bringing everything back with us, we are responsible for your own garbage. Remember that we can be a very good example for the village as we are representers of western culture :)
filip
Hearing the call the jungle call in your heart pelase to contact us :
Price R$ 3800 (app. 950 EUR, app. 1180 $ )
For more info and application please write to kaxinawa.si@gmail.com
or contact us via Whatsup : +3641603444
Enjoy some music and videos from the tribe :
Peace love health wisdom
Haux Haux
YUXIBU team
