Fatima and Iri Nukini
Fatima Nukini is the daughter of Eva de Almeida and João Dias Cardoso. Her family resides in Aldeia Recanto Verde, Nukini territory in Acre, Brasil. She is an artist and medicine maker. Through the sharing of her medicines, she is able to sustain her family and community. The funds from this partnership help support the infrastructure development happening in their community. Her work is dedicated to the cultural and spiritual fortification of her people, and through this sharing, the Nukini identity and culture are preserved and amplified.
Iri Nukini is Fatima’s husband. He shares that through these sacred medicines, they are grateful to be able to contribute to the healing of the planet for all those who are needing these plant allies at this time. While at the same time, fortifying the spiritual identity of their people. He is the Vice Presidency of the Cultural Association of Aldeia Recanto Verde, and one of the main leaders of the community. He dedicates his life to the recuperation of their culture, the protection of their endangered language, and the resurrection of their ancestral prayers. In his words, “I am a defender of the forest and an eternal apprentice. Thank you for your support in helping us recover our culture.”
Giving Back April:
We are honored to highlight the Nukini people of Aldeia Recanto Verde this month for our giving back initiative. At the end of 2023, they inaugurated their cultural center, Xanû Vakevu, dedicated to the safeguarding and recuperation of the culture and traditions of their people. They are busy continuing to build and develop infrastructure to support ceremonial encounters, festivals, and cultural sharing initiatives that will take place in their territory. This month, we are donating a percentage of all sales towards the development of this beautiful vision and project. It is so inspiring to see indigenous communities rising up and taking their cultural inheritance into their own hands, rather than leaving it for the government who has failed them so many times. We are humbled to have the great blessing and opportunity to support this warrior family and their community.
Hapé is a very sacred snuff, made by the indigenous tribes of the Amazon. Hapé, or rapé,’ is pronounced ‘haa-pay’ in English. It is used for deep connection to the spirits, animals and Mother Nature, it is very cleansing and powerfully healing for the body, mind, and soul. Hapé is made with small leaves NOT grown for commercialization or genetically hybridized with high amounts of nicotine, thus it has none of the negative properties that commercial cigarettes have. Instead, it is grown and made in deep reverence for the and for Mother Earth. It is a very powerful plant, that has the power to heal, and when abused and not treated with respect, can cause harm. In this way it is a plant that is very revered by the Native people, and is said to be a Grandfather medicine, full of ancient wisdom and the ability to carry our prayers to Creator.
This sacred medicine takes days to make and is a very labor intensive process made in a ceremonial way, out of various Amazonian healing medicinal plants, leaves, trees and seeds from native lands.
This medicine can be be self-administered using a V-shaped self-applicator pipe, known as a ‘Kuripe’ pipe which connects the mouth to the nostrils. It can also be administered by another person using a large blow pipe, called a ‘Tepi’, which connects the blower’s mouth to the other person’s nostrils.
