Over the course of several immersive journeys into the Amazon, I’ve had the deep honor of spending time with the Shanenawá people—an Indigenous tribe from the state of Acre in Brazil, known for their profound connection to the forest and their ancestral healing traditions. During our time together, I’ve witnessed miraculous physical and emotional healings, elders over 100 years old with the vitality of someone decades younger, and a way of life rooted in spiritual wisdom, reverence for nature, and communal care.
This ongoing relationship has transformed me. Through studying their medicines, participating in ceremony, and learning about life within the tribal system, I’ve come to understand the forest as a living, breathing intelligence—one the Shanenawá protect with immense courage and love, despite generations of violence, oppression, and erasure.
As shared by Pajé Maná, a spiritual leader of the tribe:
“Nature is the source of everything that provides our existence. Everything that feeds us comes from nature. Nature is alive, it has eyes, it has feelings, it has ears, and is aware of everything that happens. But nature has no hands—it needs us, human beings, to collaborate with the preservation and regeneration of life.”
Their traditions offer powerful tools for healing from addiction, depression, trauma, and disconnection—offering not just medicine for the individual, but for the Earth.This body of work is offered in deep respect and reciprocity, with the hope that greater visibility may support the preservation of their culture, land, and way of life.
