Home to thousands of beautiful fauna, the Amazon is a thriving ecosystem of plants, animals, and the rhythms of nature.
For the Indigenous tribes of Putumayo, Colombia, this sacred connection between creature and plant is embodied by the beautiful artwork they create from the seeds of the cascabel tree. When woven together, the seeds create a unique sound, similar to that of a rattlesnake’s tail, which is how the tree got its name.
The cascabel tree requires heavy rain and warm temperatures in order to thrive and hosts a variety of creatures throughout its life (including monkeys, toucans, eagles, and chorongos that live off of its fleshy fruit). This support of the Amazon’s creatures is a reflection of the connection between all living beings, and part of the reason that the Amazonian tribes hold the cascabel ritual in such high regard.
As the tree drops its fruits, the Putumayo gatherers collect the fallen fruits while giving thanks to the Mother and the tree for their generosity. They move deep into the forest, offering prayer and gratitude to the many creatures that allow them to collect the ceremonial fruits. The harvest can only occur once every year, so the Putumayo approach each harvest with deep reverence and gratitude for the Mother’s blessings.
The seeds of the cascabel are then extracted from the yellow fruit and laid out to dry for 15 days. During this time, they are blessed with the spirit of protection and vitality from Father Sun, and infused with prayers of strength by the weavers. Only a couple hundred seeds are extracted with each harvest, making them a rare and valuable tool for the weavers to turn to. Because of their rare availability, the cascabel seeds are considered highly sacred.
Once the seeds are dry, their sharp ends are gently removed and the pulp from inside each seed is extracted. These are then given back to the Mother as spiritual payment, thanking Her for the gift of food and the materials for the Putumayo art.
The seeds are then carefully woven together by the abuelas and abuelitas of the tribe, who sing prayer songs and infuse the seeds further with their blessings of protection and the spirit of nature.
The result of these hours and hours of work are beautiful, handwoven cascabel necklaces. Traditionally worn by Shamans during ceremonies, these necklaces provide spiritual protection and powerful energetic healing. Each necklace carries more than 250 seeds, making them powerful tools for protection.
Like the shake of a rattlesnake’s tail, the unique sound of the cascabels wards off negative energies and spiritual predators, signaling to the spiritual world that your being is guarded by the Creator.
Our new batch of these seed necklaces come to us from Taita Juanito’s Aunt, Pastora, and her family. They are from the Ingano tribe of the Sibundoy Region of Putumayo, Colombia.
For the indigenous Amazon tribes, seeds represent creation and the bringing forth of blessings, dreams, and good things. Through them, we plant our hopes and prayers for the future. This is why these necklaces are so special and powerful. Within the cascabel seed represents abundance, the universe, and all of Creation. To wear these ceremonial necklaces is to enter into the world of prosperity and hope.
These necklaces call forth the strength of the Mother. They knock on the door and unlock the key to all of this information. The prayer woven into them is to ask the Creator to prepare your mind to receive divine consciousness. This is why these seeds are so important for the Ingano people, the sounds they make resonate with all of Creation so that this primordial energy may come and bless our lives.
These necklaces are traditionally worn in pairs. Due to the time-intensive nature of preparing these pieces, we limited pairs available. We won’t be able to get more for a few months. If you feel called to connect with these sacred seeds, set aside your necklaces today.
Discover our cascabel collection here.
