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Indigenous & Ancient Wisdom

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Chief Nixiwaka Talk

Chief Nixiwaka

In the Present Storm, Indigenous Wisdom Points the Way

Wisdom Talk by Chief Nixiwaka

The current wars and the profound environmental crisis are not unexpected events for indigenous ancestral wisdom. Their worldviews, intrinsically linked to the balance of nature and the interconnection of all beings, have long warned of the consequences of exploitation and greed.

Now, in the midst of turmoil, their voices become even more crucial. They not only foresaw this scenario, but they carry with them the paths to healing: respect for the Earth, the appreciation of community and the search for peaceful coexistence. Listening carefully to indigenous perspectives is therefore essential to understand the depth of the crisis and, above all, to find the paths to a future of peace and harmony for all humanity.

Chief Nixiwaka Yawanawa, one of the most relevant indigenous voices of our time, brings us his optimistic perspective for this new time we are entering.

About Chief Nixiwaka

One of the most relevant indigenous leaders of our time. He has dedicated his life to reclaiming his people’s ancient way of life and powerful spirituality; reconquering the rights over their ancestral territory, and opening their culture to the outside world. Nixiwaka created the Yawa Festival, which was considered the most significant element of this cultural rebirth. As the first major indigenous festival held in the Amazon, it has inspired a “renaissance” among Indigenous Peoples throughout Brazil to spread their traditional knowledge.

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Eskawatã Kayawai

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Eskawatã Kayawai

Ninawa Pai Da Mata

In this special talk, Ninawa Pai da Mata will share powerful insights into the importance of Huni Kuin tradition and the transmission of ancestral knowledge. He will explore how traditional singing and the musical movement within the villages have empowered the youth and helped preserve the Huni Kuin culture, keeping it alive by reconnecting younger generations to their roots through music. This session offers a deep reflection on cultural resistance, the value of tradition, and the continued honoring of ancestral wisdom.

About Ninawa Pai Da Mata

Ninawa Pai da Mata is a respected leader, healer, and spiritual guide of the Huni Kuin (Kaxinawá) people, an Indigenous group from the Amazon rainforest in Brazil and Peru. His work bridges ancestral traditions with contemporary global awareness, sharing his tribe’s spiritual teachings, philosophy, and sacred medicinal practices.

In addition to being a spiritual leader, he is a great *Txana* (singer) and artist, making a significant impact on the preservation and innovation of his people’s culture. He was one of the pioneers in introducing musical instruments into Huni Kuin chants, expanding the traditional forms of musical expression. 

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Rora Varinawa

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Rora Varinawa

Rora Varinawa is Paka’s wife and the mother of two children. She comes from the Varinawa clan, known as the People of the Sun. Alongside Paka, she travels and assists him in his healing work, offering her beautiful voice, humble presence, and deep knowledge of traditional chants and their guitar renditions. She embodies the feminine force in a graceful yet powerful way.

Rora has a strong affinity for the medicine of Kambo and has undergone intense initiations, receiving over 30 points per session.

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Paka Kamãnawa

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Paka Kamãnawa

Paka Kamãnawa is a gifted medicine man, musician, and spiritual leader. Despite his young age, he has served as Cacique (chief) of his village, Timbauba, in the Rio Gregório region of Acre, Brazil, for several years.

Beginning his work with sacred medicine at the age of seven and assisting in ceremonies by fourteen, Paka has spent over seven years fully dedicating himself to the daily study of medicinal plants under the guidance of his teacher, Paje Kochti, the oldest healer of the Noke Koi people. His learning continues through prolonged initiations (diets) in the forest.

Paka is a descendant of the Kamãnawa clan, known as the “Jaguar People.” During one of his diets, he received the healing power of the jaguar, which he now channels in his healing practices.

As the founder of the Kamãyura group, Paka is dedicated to preserving and adapting traditional Noke Koi sacred songs, incorporating instruments into their performance. He also teaches these sacred songs to the youth of the Noke Koi tribe.

Paka is supported in his work by his wife, Rora Varinawa.

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Mãnã Yube

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Mãnã Yube

Mãnã Yube is a young Txana (sacred singer) and composer, born into the spiritual lineage of the Huni Kuin people. From an early age, he began composing his own songs — guided by an intuitive connection to the ancestral melodies and teachings that surround him.

A skilled multi-instrumentalist, Mãnã has dedicated himself to the path of music and spirituality, walking alongside his father, Ninawa Pai da Mata. Through his voice and compositions, he weaves traditional wisdom with his own creative expression, carrying forward the sacred songs of his people while shaping a unique and powerful voice of his own.

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Shane Kayawei

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Shane Kayawei

Shane Kayawei is a young Txana (sacred singer), and the son of Ninawa Pai da Mata, spiritual leader of the Huni Kuin people. From an early age, he has walked alongside his father in deep spiritual study, rooted in the ancestral knowledge and sacred traditions of his lineage.

A dedicated guitarist and musician, Shane brings heart, precision, and humility to the family’s musical path. Through his voice and strings, he carries forward the spiritual force of his people with grace — honoring the teachings passed down to him while shaping a path of his own.

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Ninawa Pai da Mata

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Ninawa Pai da Mata

Ninawa Pai da Mata is a respected leader, healer, and spiritual guide of the Huni Kuin (Kaxinawá) people, an Indigenous group from the Amazon rainforest in Brazil and Peru. His work bridges ancestral traditions with contemporary global awareness, sharing his tribe’s spiritual teachings, philosophy, and sacred medicinal practices.

Ninawa Pai da Mata is a highly recognized leader among the Huni Kuin people. In addition to being a spiritual leader, he is a great *Txana* (singer) and artist, making a significant impact on the preservation and innovation of his people’s culture. He was one of the pioneers in introducing musical instruments into Huni Kuin chants, expanding the traditional forms of musical expression. 

The legendary Pai da Mata has released two albums: *Transformando a Tradição* (2012) and his most recent work, *Benimashū Shushawei* (2023), which means *”Joy that Heals.”*

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Tuikuru Yawanawá

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Tuikuru YAWANAWá

TuiKuru is the son of Matsini, chief of the Mutum Village. TuiKuru is a young leader of the Yawanawá and has been representing his people leading ceremonies around the world pursuant to his deep study of the Yawanawá tradition. Tuikuru has a very powerful voice, also an excellent guitar player, and marks a strong presence in the ceremonies.

He has just finished the Muká diet, the highest initiation of the Yawanawá people, which takes one year to complete. During the last Mariri gathering at Mutum Village participants said TuiKuru’s singing of chant of creation was the highlight of the event. He also already speaks with the wisdom of an elder and is destined to be one of the future leaders of the Yawanawá.

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The Yawanawá & Marubo Leaders

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The Yawanawá Tribe & Marubo Leaders Saku & Isku Ushu

Group Healing Session

We are delighted and honored to announce a special group healing session led by the esteemed members of the Yawanawá Tribe, joined by representatives from the Marubo people.

The entire Yawanawá delegation, consisting of six respected members, will be present, alongside two distinguished Marubo spiritual leaders, Saku and Isku Ushu. This convergence of tribal knowledge and spiritual practice promises to be a transformative experience for all participants.

The session will commence with opening words from Chief Nixiwaka, whose presence and guidance will set the tone for the healing journey. Following this, Saku and Isku Ushu will lead a collective blessing and healing ceremony. Their deep spiritual connection and ancestral knowledge will create a powerful atmosphere of unity and renewal.  This act of coming together will amplify the healing energy, allowing everyone to connect deeply with the spiritual essence of the Yawanawá and Marubo traditions.

Join us at the Colibri Spirit Festival for this extraordinary opportunity to experience the profound healing and spiritual richness of the Yawanawá and Marubo tribes. It’s a unique chance to immerse yourself in ancient traditions, receive powerful blessings, and contribute to a shared journey of healing and transformation.

Colibri Spirit Festival 2022 Putanny Yawanawa

Isku Ushu

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Isku Ushu

Spiritual Leader Marubo Tribe

Isku Ushu is an important spiritual leader of the Marubo people and also chief of Aldeia Vida Nova located in the Vale do Javari Indigenous Land in the State of Amazonas in the Brazilian Amazon. He is a great and renowned Medicine Man – Pajé of his people who comes from an extraordinary healing lineage. He manifested his healing gifts from the age of 15. He is an exceptional healer who can greatly help people with extreme needs, curing a variety of illnesses, some that we don’t even understand.

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