An Evening with the Huni Kuin

From the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, Indigenous leaders Biruany, Bixku, and Nawa Sia of the Huni Kuin People have journeyed to the Bay Area to share their rich culture and ancestral wisdom. Join us for an evening of celebration with a talk and Q+A, followed by music, song, and dance. We will close out the night with a traditional indigenous jewelry market.

The Huni Kuin will be bringing with them hand-made jewelry and crafts to share with the community! The jewelry is embedded with the cultural cosmologies of the Huni Kuin People and their sacred symbols. They are a form of adornment and protection for those who wear them. Each piece is made by the men and women from the village and each purchase goes directly to supporting the families. Please bring cash to particpate in this mercado experience.

Tickets:

Members: $50 (tickets available in your Member Portal)

Non-members: $80

About The Huni Kuin

The Huni Kuin people live in the lush Western Amazon of Brazil and Peru, and their culture is filled with ancient wisdom on medicinal plants, spiritual practices, music, and crafts. Though they've faced immense challenges, like being forced from their land, they've secured their rights and territorial heritage. They're now dedicated to preserving and reviving their rich heritage with festivals, gatherings, and the passing of wisdom from elders to the youth. The world recognizes their contribution to Amazon conservation and their invaluable traditional knowledge. They're renowned for their plant medicine expertise and have inspired interest in its use worldwide.

Pinuya Village is a community of the Huni Kuin people in the state of Acre, Brazil. With a population of over 200 people, the village hosts annual festivals and retreats, welcoming visitors from around the world to experience its rich cultural and spiritual heritage. Despite facing significant challenges, including a lack of land and being surrounded by cattle farms, the community has launched initiatives to reforest the area and preserve its natural resources.

Biruany, the leader of Mawa Isa, a collective of women from Pinuya Village, is known for her contributions to facilitating spiritual works and pioneering studies. She is regarded as a messenger of the feminine force of the forest and has overcome the male-dominated territory to unite and empower the Huni Kuin women. Biruany is a renowned figure who has traveled abroad, inspiring women with her powerful voice that reflects the beauty, charm, and strength of the forest.

Bixku, one of the primary leaders of Pinuya Village, has been at the forefront of organizing retreats and medicine festivals in his community. He currently serves as the vice president of OAKAT27, an indigenous NGO from Colônia 27 Indigenous Land that focuses on implementing projects for the betterment of local families. Bixku is a key member of the Pinu Huya Keneya group, which shares the culture and spirituality of the Huni Kuin people within and outside of Brazil. Together with his wife Biruany, Bixku carries the trust and responsibility of his village and elders.

Nawá Siã is a young leader from Pinuya Village, recognized for his exceptional dedication to studying medicine chants (Huni Meka) and healing prayers (Pakarin) and creating unique songs and melodies. Since the age of 17, he has been traveling across Brazil, and now at the age of 26, his work can be found on digital platforms such as Spotify and Bandcamp. Siã brings the strength and energy of the new generation and is an inspiration for younger generations to follow the path of medicine and learn from the teachings of their elder, Kupi Huni Kuin.

This event is a collaboration with Nawabu Culture.

About the Nawabu Organization:

The word “Nawabu” is an Indigenous Brazilian (Hátxa Kuin) word that means “All of the People”. Our mission is to be a vehicle and bridge for transformative social change through Indigeneity, arts & culture, community, and spirituality.

We produce cultural events for communities in Northern California with Indigenous leaders from the Brazilian Amazon to share their music and culture and facilitate healing. These events support the Indigenous communities with cultural preservation, creating economic opportunities, and amplifying their environmental stewardship.

Nawabu gatherings also support our communities here at home in accessing transformative healing experiences and reconnecting to Ancestral and Earth-Based traditions and practices. We seek to weave networks of solidarity and connection between artists, healers, activists, entrepreneurs, and change-makers, and inspire people to reconnect with their ancestral roots.

We believe that it is culture that is the driving force for collective change and liberation and seek to re-connect with and co-create a transformative culture.
Follow us on Instagram @NawabuCulture
Sign up for our newsletter at www.nawabuculture.co

Video of Biruany

Video of Nawa Sia

Nawa Sia on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/album/39ErT9Ha0joIWEjEbzLSlj?si=RIEJEp33SqC76l9iD0Z9OQ

Nawa Sia on Bandcamp - https://nawasiahunikuin.bandcamp.com/album/nawa-si-huni-kuin-vol-2

Winter Jendayi is a musician, mentor, ceremonialist and doula whose path and work is rooted in earth-based wisdom traditions. As a singer and songwriter, Winter offers her music in devotion to healing, prayer and ancestral remembrance. Her music holds the worldly medicines of the Four Directions and the sounds and energies of the Earth and Stars, which all meet within the Heart.=

Winter's Music:

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/2QD3IQn3sftJwkP97ms1OX?si=oY8pKDkJRaitsEGyvuFk_Q

Bandcamp - https://winterjendayi.bandcamp.com/album/hilos-sagrados

Website: www.altardekoskatlan.com

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