Yawanawa Live Music Concert, Education, Rapeh Ceremony & Art Market

San Francisco Psychedelic Society is excited to host Rasu Yawanawá for an unforgettable night of music, sacred rapeh ceremony, indigenous art, ayahuasca and visionary plant education, and Amazonian culture. 🌍🎶

Join us for a remarkable evening that transcends geographical borders and immerses you in the vibrant spirit of the Brazilian Amazon. This is a unique, multi-faceted event in Berkeley, California, where we come together to support and celebrate the Yawanawa people, welcoming in a leader of an indigenous community from the heart of the Brazilian jungle. This is a special and unique opportunity to learn directly from the tribe about their wisdom and traditions. Rasu will guide a sacred Rapeh medicine ceremony, filled with their beautiful prayers and blessings. This event is an entry point to establish a profound connection with the world of visionary plants, allowing you to sit in the presence of knowledgeable teachers who hold the wisdom of these sacred medicines directly from the jungle. Our evening will begin with an exclusive educational talk, followed by a rapeh ceremony and live music concert.

🎤 Educational talk

You will expand your understanding of the Yawanawa peoples, an indigenous community from the heart of the Amazon rainforest. This talk will provide valuable insights into their traditions, sacred visionary plant medicines, and the challenges the community faces in preserving their rich cultural heritage. Learn about the rituals and ceremonies that surround sacred medicines in the Yawanawa culture.

🎸Live Music Concert

Let the rhythms and prayers of the rainforest enchant your soul as we present an extraordinary lineup of musicians, each bringing a piece of the Amazon to Berkeley. Experience the traditional sounds of the Yawanawa, in a concert that promises to transport you to the heart of the jungle.

🌿 Rapeh Ceremony

Participate in a profound and ancient ritual known as rapeh, led by an indigenous shamanic practitioner. This sacred ceremony, utilizing a traditional Amazonian snuff, offers a unique opportunity for personal growth, healing, and spiritual connection. It's a chance to experience the wisdom of the forest in a profound way. The rapeh ceremony is completely optional.

🎨 Indigenous Art Market

Explore a curated art market featuring exquisite creations from indigenous artists and artisans. Explore sacred geometry designs and ancient art from the jungle. You can support these talented artists while taking home a piece of the Amazon's rich cultural heritage by acquiring jewelry, rapeh and handcrafted exquisite pieces.

🎙️ Q&A Session

Ask your burning questions and engage in an interactive dialogue with our teachers. Gain a deep understanding of the spiritual ancient wisdom of this community.

⭐ Supporting Indigenous Communities

By attending this event, you're not only immersing yourself in an evening of cultural expansion, but also actively contributing to the well-being and empowerment of the Yawanawa Tribe and honoring reciprocity of indigenous peoples. A significant portion of the proceeds will be directed towards the preservation of indigenous culture in the Brazilian rainforest.

Experience the magic of the Amazon right here in the bay area, where we come together as a community to celebrate the force and vitality of the forest and its indigenous guardians. Let's stand together in solidarity, recognizing the importance of preserving these vital cultures and their natural habitats. Together, we can make a difference and support these indigenous communities as they share their traditions and wisdom with the world.

**Tickets are limited, so reserve your spot now and be part of this incredible celebration of indigenous culture!**

Interested in volunteering with us? We are looking for volunteers to help us at this event. Email us: [email protected] to volunteer. Volunteers receive a free ticket to the event.

By purchasing a ticket to this event, you agree to join our mailing list of psychedelic offerings

About the Yawanawa :

The Yawanawa people live along the banks of the Gregorio River, in the Brazilian state of Acre. They are the guardians of some 200,000 hectares of Amazonian rainforest, of which about 95% is kept intact. In the most biodiverse biome on the planet, their ancestors developed a vast knowledge of the healing plants of the forest and a cosmovision of great spiritual wisdom.

The Yawanawa's first contact with the non-indigenous world happened a little over a hundred years ago. The initial conflicts reduced the Yawanawa family to less than 100 people. For decades they endured the presence of the rubber industry and the missionaries who invaded their lands and tried to forbid Yawanawá language, culture and spirituality. In the 1980s, their fight for the recognition of their ancestral territory led the Yawanawá to become the first indigenous people to obtain the official rights to their lands in the state of Acre.

Under the guidance and teachings of pajés Tata and Yawa, the last living elders and medicine men of their people, the Yawanawa have been on a profound journey of cultural and spiritual revival. Their sacred rituals, prayers, songs and art are now celebrated all year round. In the last 20 years, the Yawanawa leaders have been dedicated to developing a model of sustainability that allows them to engage with the outside world on their own terms, without compromising their cultural and spiritual identity. Nowadays, the Yawanawa population is estimated at over 1000 people, 80% of which are children and youth. The new generations carry their identity with pride and are committed to the continuation of the legacy of their ancestors.

In the last decade the Yawanawa youth introduced instruments such as guitars, flutes and drums into their traditional ceremonies and prayers, and an exceptional musical culture has been rising from deep in the Amazon rainforest. Combined with their powerful voices, Yawanawa music is now known around the world and the new generation of Yawanawa leaders travel the world to share the message of the forest through their ancestral prayers and phenomenal music.

Rasu is the grandson of the great medicine man and xinaya Tata Txanu Natasheini, who was one of the most respected elders and wise men of the Yawanawa people. When he was born, Rasu was chosen and raised by Tata to be his successor, and was one of his closest students until Tata passed away a few years back at 103 years old. Rasu speaks his native language fluently and was the youngest Yawanawa to complete the highest spiritual initiation of his people, at only 17 years old. He is currently one of the chiefs of Mutum village, leading the ceremonies and taking care of tribal affairs alongside Chief Matsini. Rasu carries his grandfather’s lineage in his powerful voice and prayers, and he is a very talented multiinstrumentalist musician and composer.

Turuyume Yawanawa, daughter of the great student and artisan Nainawa, wise men of the medicinal plants and medicines of the forest. From an early age she was guided in the path of the medicines of the forest as this is the tradition of her people. Married for 10 years with the leader Pekarasu Yawanawa, she is a dedicated mother of four children and brings her beautiful voice within the Saitis.

The San Francisco Psychedelic Society is a global community devoted to empowering global psychedelic culture through accessible education, integration and connection. We activate our mission by providing educational courses, classes and a variety of weekly integration circles where people can learn how to use psychedelics safely and integrate them into their lives to steward deep transformation. We honor native medicines and the lineages that they come from. Our executive director Danielle Nova was on the founding team of Decriminalize Nature Oakland, passing the first historic resolution in the United States to deprioritize all entheogenic plants and fungi. We have provided education and integration services to over 20K individuals worldwide. We have a specialty of helping people recover from addiction through our Psychedelic Recovery program where we are creating a new model of how to understand, treat and heal addiction. We have been featured in notable news outlets such as CBS News Bay Area and MAPS Psychedelic Science Conference.

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