As a Brazilian living in the US most of my life, I’ve long felt a calling to reconnect with my roots — especially with the Amazon and its native peoples. That calling became loud during a Buddhist ceremony, when I felt Mother Gaia in every cell of my body – conveying to me that the Amazon is the heart of the world. It’s wounded, but still beats strong. I must go meet it.
After celebrating my mom’s 90th birthday in Rio, I travelled to the Huni Kuin peoples of the Pinuya village, where I was deeply honored to be welcomed into the home of Cacique Assis (the village Chief), his wife Rogéria, and their family.
Warmth of family, making me feel at home in Pinuya village. Gratidão! 🙏🏼
Sunrise from Cacique Assis’ family patio
The room they offered me held sacred beauty
Having sat with two of the Huni Kuin people in California – Biruany and Bixku – I already had a sense that my time in Pinuya would be powerful. But what I found there was way beyond what I had imagined…
Their prayers and chants were profoundly resonant, carrying the voices of their ancestors across millennia. Their ceremonies were rich with colorful artistry, exquisite music, and devotion to forces of the forest by people of all ages. And they shared a deep sense of trust, belonging, mutual support, and healing with all of us present. 
Holding each other isn’t just cool… it’s the way
Ancient chants with a modern twist
Some of the rituals felt scary and challenged every bit of my Western logic. I wasn’t exactly excited about the idea of having my skin burnt or my eyes sting… I admit I prefer the kind of healing that comes wrapped in rose petals. So one night I went to bed thinking, “No thank you, I’ll sit this one out.”
Majés’ helpers prepping medicinal plants
That night I had a vivid dream. My Majé (medicine woman) Biruany appeared beside me, resting her hand on my shoulder and showering me with affection – encouraging me to take heart and join the ritual. In the dream, I agreed and in the next scene, I rescued a man from drowning. He thanked me for saving his life.
I woke up at 3am wide-eyed, knowing I received the clearest call to do the ritual. At dawn, I joined in. And sure enough, in my most intense moments, Biruany appeared and had my back, joined by another Majé, Samē, and their helpers who carried me through the hardest part of the experience.
Once the ritual was over, I felt grounded and energized, and with a deeper bond with my Majés – powerful, caring, and devoted healers – and all others in the forest, human and beyond.
Sometimes trust is saying yes, even when every part of you wants to say no.
What inspired me most was not only the beauty, the community, and the healing of the ceremonies, but the deeper truth behind it all: gratitude, joy, music, community, and communion with the Sacred are the medicines we need in these times of personal and collective madness.
The Jibóia (anaconda) dance
Kids holding strong at dawn after a night of ceremony
“We shake but we don’t fall”
And just as I had to trust the medicine through fear, the Huni Kuin continue to trust life itself — even though they were forced off their ancestral lands and relocated to a small territory now hemmed in by cattle ranches – the scars of colonization and ongoing exploitation.
Much of the Amazon forest is being illegally burnt for cattle ranching – beef from these supply chains have been linked to US grocery chains like Walmart, Costco, and Kroger
Yet, like the forest, they continue interbeing: healing, restoring, and teaching us what resilience looks like, all the while staying on constant alert. Their warriors surrounded us during ceremonies and kept vigil at night, radios crackling in the dark – protecting their village and us visitors from threats all too real, from those who still seek to erase them.
As their sign in the forest says “We shake but we don’t fall.”
I feel immense gratitude to the Huni Kuin people – for their courage and for opening their homes and lives with such generosity of heart, despite their struggles. Their caring humbled me and already fills me with “saudade“, that sweet longing that wears a smile of joy.
Little Kari pierces hearts, offering her chocolate to anyone who comes her way
My deepest prayer: May we and our civilization root ourselves in the ancient knowledge of Indigenous peoples like the Huni Kuin. And may we protect, support, and empower their leadership in the world.
Next time you reach for your journal, I invite you to ponder…
– What qualities of being spark your sense of resilience?
– In what ways are you welcoming the forces of Nature, ancestral wisdom, and the Sacred into your life?
– How do you (or would like to) share the medicine you receive with your more-than-human community?
I am myself in deep contemplation about how to weave the wisdom from the Amazon into the medicine that “Yuxibu” (Great Spirit) wants me to share. More to come…
Thank you for journeying with me through this sharing. Though I may not see you, I feel you, I honor you, and I send sacred blessings your way.
Blessings of fire, protection, and more-than-human community under the stars