In short
- The Huni Kuin ("the True People") are the largest indigenous people of the state of Acre in the Brazilian Amazon.
- They live along the Tarauacá, Jordão, Breu, Muru and Purus rivers.
- Their knowledge of plants is passed down from parent to child.
- Our rapé is made by hand by them. They receive the price they ask for.
By Kevin Lorenzini | Reading time: approximately 8 minutes
Imagine. It is an ordinary Tuesday evening. You are sitting on the couch and your head is still spinning from the day. Far away, in the state of Acre in the Brazilian Amazon, lives a people who have worked with the plants of the forest for generations. Without haste. With knowledge that goes from parent to child.
These are the Huni Kuin. This article does not want to convince you. It wants to introduce you.
1. Who are the Huni Kuin?
In Acre, the Huni Kuin live along the Tarauacá, Jordão, Breu, Muru and Purus rivers. They are the largest indigenous population group of the state, with more than 10,000 people in about a hundred villages. The villages are located in recognized indigenous territories. (Source: SIASI/SESAI, 2014)
In their own language, Huni Kuin means: the True People. Not as assertions about others, but as a designation of a way of life: in harmony with nature, the ancestors and the spirit of the forest.
You sometimes also read the name Kaxinawá. That name was imposed on them by others. They choose Huni Kuin for themselves. That makes a difference, and that is why we only use that name.
The Huni Kuin belong to the Pano language family, a group of related peoples in the western Amazon region, on both sides of the border between Brazil and Peru. Each people has its own language, traditions and knowledge.
2. A history they almost broke
To understand the Huni Kuin, it helps to know their history.
Centuries in the forest. Before the arrival of the Europeans, the Huni Kuin moved with the seasons, along the rivers. They knew the plants of the forest, their properties and their names. Everything was passed down orally.
The rubber wars. In the second half of the 19th century, the world needed rubber. Rubber barons came to the region, with violence and disease. The Huni Kuin were driven from their land and forced to work in rubber extraction. Families were torn apart.
Disease and missionaries. In the 1950s, a measles epidemic killed a large part of the adults. Then came missionaries who suppressed the traditional ceremonies and the language.
The return. But the Huni Kuin survived, thanks to their tradition. At the end of the 20th century, a cultural revival began. Young leaders wrote down their language, recorded the plant knowledge and fought for their rights. Recognized indigenous territories were established. Now they also share their knowledge with the world, on their own terms.
3. How they see the world
This part sounds the strangest to many people. It is also the most beautiful part.
Yuxin. At the heart of Huni Kuin thinking is yuxin: the life force that is in everything. In people, animals, plants, trees and rivers. You cannot translate it exactly. "Soul" is too narrow, "spirit" too vague. Everything has yuxin and everything is connected. In the thinking of the Huni Kuin, your balance is disturbed by heavy energy, by unprocessed experiences and by a lack of respect for nature. This is what we tell as their worldview, not as a medical fact.
Kené. The visual language of the Huni Kuin is called kené: intricate geometric patterns in weaving, body paint, pottery and modern art. Kené is not just decoration. It belongs to their stories and their view of the world. According to the Huni Kuin, the anaconda taught them these patterns. Contemporary Huni Kuin artists show their work in museums around the world.
4. Rapé in the Huni Kuin tradition
Rapé is a living part of their life. It belongs to daily life and to ceremonies, and it is always used for a conscious reason, with intention. The Huni Kuin do not know "just taking". It is a moment of tuning in, with the plant, the ancestors and the forest.
They make dozens of varieties, each with its own plant and its own character. At Purity Healing you will find fifteen varieties. Here you can briefly read what they stand for.
- Tsunu. Made from the ash of the bark and branches of the Tsunu tree (Platycyamus regnellii), a tree that is very common in Acre. Tsunu means ash. As an image: letting go of the old and welcoming the new.
- Caneleiro. Tsunu as a base, with the ash of Canela de Velho, the tree that is named after cinnamon.
- Samaúma. The queen of the jungle. In tradition, the Samaúma connects heaven and earth.
- Mulateiro. The tree that sheds its bark (Calycophyllum spruceanum).
- Rosa. With dried rose petals and flowers from the tradition.
- Cacau. With the ash of the bark of wild cacao.
- Murici, Katsarau, 7 Eva's, Cumaru, Veia de Pajé, Parika, Buna Rao and Murú. Each with its own plant and its own story. Read it on the product page.
Which one suits you? Take the selection guide.
5. What threatens the Huni Kuin
The forest is their home, their pharmacy and their knowledge. If the forest disappears, that knowledge disappears with it. Deforestation therefore directly affects them. Indigenous territories belong to the best protected parts of the Amazon rainforest. A people who have lived there for generations knows the forest and takes care of it.
Knowledge of plants that we do not yet know cannot come back once it is gone.
6. Your role in this story
You do not need to be a Huni Kuin to support their work. How do you do that?
- Buy fairly. They receive the price they ask for. I never cut out the middleman.
- A part of the proceeds goes back to the village.
- The contact is personal. I have contact every day with a Huni Kuin village in Acre, via WhatsApp and video calls. I deliberately do not mention the village and the people by name, to protect their privacy.
- Be honest about your own knowledge. I myself have not yet been to Acre. That is at the top of my list.
- Use rapé with respect. Read Using Rapé Safely.
7. In conclusion
The Huni Kuin are not a story from another time. They live now. They have something to tell about being present, about nature and about how you interact with each other. If you order rapé from them, you receive more than a product. You support a tradition.
View the collection · What is rapé? · Send Kevin a message
About the author: Kevin Lorenzini is a ceremonial leader and founder of Purity Healing. He guides Kambo and Sananga ceremonies in Nuenen and Eindhoven.
Also read: all rapé varieties explained · my story
