Imagine you are sailing in a narrow boat on a brown river. On both sides, the forest stands like a green wall. You hear birds you do not recognize. You smell damp earth and smoke from a fire. A village lies along the riverbank. People live there who have known this forest for centuries.
Perhaps you know the Huni Kuin from our rapé. Or you read about Kambo and wondered where it comes from. Many indigenous peoples live in the western Amazon. In this blog, we introduce four of them: the Huni Kuin, the Yawanawá, the Noke Koî, and the Matsés. They all speak a language from the same family: Pano.
We share what reliable sources write about them, such as the Brazilian Instituto Socioambiental (ISA). No fairy tales. Real people with their own history.
In brief: four peoples on the map
| People | Other name | Where | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huni Kuin | Kaxinawá | Acre (Brazil) and Peru, along rivers including the Jordão and the Purus | Pano |
| Yawanawá | Jawanaua, Iawanawa | Rio Gregório, Acre | Pano |
| Noke Koî | Katukina (do Acre) | Campinas and Rio Gregório, Acre | Pano |
| Matsés | Mayoruna | Javari Valley, Brazil-Peru border | Pano |
The Huni Kuin: the true people
Name and land
Huni Kuin means "true people" or "people with known customs". They received the name Kaxinawá from outsiders. That name was actually an insult. That is why we always use Huni Kuin.
They live in the state of Acre, along the Tarauacá, Jordão, Breu, Muru, Envira, Humaitá, and Purus rivers. A smaller group lives in Peru, along the Purus and Curanja rivers. In Acre, there are over 11,700 people (Siasi/Sesai, 2020). In Peru, over 2,400 were counted in 2007. They are the largest indigenous people in Acre.
Kene: patterns with meaning
Kene kuin means "true pattern". They are geometric lines. You see them on fabrics, baskets, and the skin. Women paint them with jenipapo, a fruit that produces a dark color. The patterns are part of who they are.
A group of Huni Kuin artists, MAHKU, paints the songs of their ceremonies. In 2024, they painted the facade of the main building of the Venice Biennale. The work tells the myth of Kapewë Pukeni, the caiman bridge.
Songs, plants, and festivals
Nixi pae is their name for ayahuasca. Adults drink it together, accompanied by songs. Rapé has traditionally been part of daily life and ceremonies. Men, for example, took it before starting hard work in the forest. A major festival is Nixpupimá. Then children are welcomed into the world of adults.
Huni Kuin in a robe with kene patterns. Photo: Ilex Duca, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
You can read more about their history in our blog The Huni Kuin.
The Yawanawá: the people of the wild boar
Name and land
Yawa is a wild boar that lives in large groups. Nawa means people. Those animals always stay together. That is also how the Yawanawá see themselves: as a people that move together.
They live in the southern part of the Terra Indígena Rio Gregório, in the municipality of Tarauacá. They share this area with the Noke Koî. In 2020, 849 Yawanawá lived in Acre (Siasi/Sesai).
Standing up for their land
For a long time, the Yawanawá worked for rubber barons. In the early 1980s, young leaders chose a different path. With support from FUNAI and the CPI-Acre organization, they had their land recognized. Rio Gregório became the first demarcated indigenous area in Acre. A company that had bought the land for timber and cattle had to leave. Missionaries who rejected their ceremonies and dances also had to go.
The Yawa Festival
Since the early 2000s, the village of Nova Esperança has held the Yawa Festival every year in late October. For a few days, there are songs, dances, and ceremonies. People wear palm-leaf skirts, feather headdresses, and kene body paint. The village can only be reached by boat. The festival began as part of a plan to bring ancient customs back to life. Uni is their word for ayahuasca. Rapé, too, has traditionally been part of their way of life.
Yawanawá in Acre. Photo: SeCom/Agência de Notícias do Acre, CC BY 2.5 BR, via Wikimedia Commons
The Noke Koî: true people on the road
Name and land
Noke Koî also means "true people". For a long time, they were called Katukina, a name given to them by others. Since 2013, they have asked to be called by their own name. In books, you may still find Katukina do Acre or Katukina Pano.
They live in two areas: Campinas/Katukina, on the border of Acre and Amazonas, and Rio Gregório, next to the Yawanawá. In 2014, the Brazilian health service counted 1,154 Noke Koî (Siasi/Sesai).
Life along the BR-364
The BR-364 highway runs through Campinas. It was built in the 1970s. The Noke Koî had to move to the edge of the road. In the early 2000s, asphalt arrived. Since then, there has been less wildlife. Many families now buy food in the town of Cruzeiro do Sul. And strangers pass through their land more often.
Kampô: their knowledge of the frog
The Noke Koî are known for kampô, which we call Kambo. It is a substance from the skin of the giant leaf frog. According to their tradition, kampô removes tikish (laziness) and panema (bad luck in hunting). Men receive it on their arms and chests, women on their legs.
Around 2000, kampô became known in the cities. This also brought concerns. The Noke Koî saw that others were selling their knowledge. The Brazilian government therefore started the Projeto Kampô to protect their knowledge.
The Matsés: the people of the Javari
Name and land
Matsés means "people". In Brazil, they are often called Mayoruna, a Quechua word for "river people". They live in the Javari Valley. That river forms the border between Brazil and Peru. Families often cross that border.
In Brazil, their land is located in the Terra Indígena Vale do Javari, recognized since 2001. In Peru, they have had their own area of over 450,000 hectares since 1993. According to the CTI (2016), there are about 1,700 Matsés in Brazil and 2,500 in Peru.
Their own book about plants
It was not until 1969 that they had sustained contact with the outside world. In 2015, five Matsés plant experts wrote a book of about 500 pages about their plants. It is only in their own language and remains in their villages. This is how they protect their knowledge from theft.
The Matsés have also known kambo for a very long time. For them, it has traditionally been part of hunting. And the men use rapé together in the community house after eating.
No to oil
In 2007, Peru issued two oil concessions, together covering almost 1.5 million hectares. One of them lay over almost half of the Matsés land. Matsés from Peru and Brazil rejected them together. No one had asked them beforehand, they say. In Brazil, they keep watch over their border themselves.
What the indigenous peoples of the western Amazon share
Four peoples, four unique stories. Yet you can see much that they share:
- Language. All four speak a Pano language. They are related, just like Dutch and German.
- The river. Villages lie along the water. The river is a path, a source of food, and a meeting place.
- Patterns on the skin. With jenipapo and urucum (a red dye from seeds), they paint who they are.
- Knowledge of plants. Elders pass it on, often through songs. Think of rapé, ayahuasca, and kambo. Also sananga, eye drops from a shrub, is known in this region.
- A difficult history. Rubber barons, diseases, and missionaries pushed their culture aside.
- Their own voice. Today they choose their own name, celebrate their festivals, and defend their land.
Respect: how we treat this knowledge
Purity Healing works with a Huni Kuin village in Acre. Kevin, our ceremony leader, met Huni Kuin from that village about eight years ago. Since then, they have been in daily contact. He learns from them how rapé is made and how to recognize the plants. Going to the village is at the top of his list.
We have no connection with the Yawanawá, the Noke Koî, or the Matsés. We only share what the sources at the bottom say about them.
This is how we treat this knowledge:
- Fair payment. Kevin puts it this way: "They get the price they ask. I never haggle." And a portion of the proceeds goes back to the village.
- No names. We do not name the village or the people. This is how we protect them.
- No promises. We share how these peoples have traditionally used plants. That is tradition, not medical advice. Purity Healing is not therapy.
- Kambo with care. At Purity Healing, you only receive Kambo after an intake and screening. Read how to prepare for a Kambo ceremony.
Would you like to learn about the Huni Kuin tradition yourself? Then take a look at our rapé collection, handmade in a Huni Kuin village in Acre.
Frequently asked questions
Are the Kaxinawá and Huni Kuin the same people?
Yes. Kaxinawá is a name given to them by others. They call themselves Huni Kuin, "true people". That is why we only use Huni Kuin.
Which people does Kambo come from?
Kambo is used by several Pano peoples. The Noke Koî and the Matsés are best known for it. At Purity Healing, you only receive Kambo after an intake and screening. See the Book a Kambo Ceremony page.
Does Purity Healing work with all four of these peoples?
No. We work with a Huni Kuin village in Acre. We have no connection with the Yawanawá, the Noke Koî, or the Matsés.
What is kene?
Kene are geometric patterns of the Huni Kuin. You see them on fabric, baskets, and the skin. Other Pano peoples, such as the Yawanawá, also paint kene.
Sources
- Instituto Socioambiental (ISA), Povos Indígenas no Brasil: Huni Kuin (Kaxinawá)
- ISA, Povos Indígenas no Brasil: Yawanawá
- ISA, Povos Indígenas no Brasil: Katukina Pano (Noke Koî)
- ISA, Terras Indígenas: TI Campinas/Katukina
- ISA, Povos Indígenas no Brasil: Matsés
- Revista de Estudos Brasileiros (USP): Culture in our hands (Noke Koî name)
- La Biennale di Venezia: MAHKU, Biennale Arte 2024
- Catraca Livre: Na arena com os índios yawanawá no Acre (Yawa Festival)
- Mongabay (2015): Amazon tribe creates 500-page traditional medicine encyclopedia
- The Ecologist (2014): 'It's war!' Peru-Brazil indigenous people pledge to fight Amazon oil exploration
- Wikipedia: Matsés
Cover photo: Cacique Isaka Huni Kuin in prayer. Photo: Ilex Duca, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
