Kaxinawa retreat in the Amazon

Among the transformative trips we offer, visits to the Amazon region are the most suitable for those who really want a revolution in their lives. The possibilities are broad the size of the forest itself. There, you can also deepen your knowledge about the indigenous natural lifestyle, as well as their diet, habits, art, culture and music.

The warm welcome full of meaning by the pajés and inhabitants of the Pinuya tribe will lift your spirit and make you feel at home. They are our longtime partners and provide unforgettable experiences and excursions inside the largest forest of our continent.

The Kaxinawa are an indigenous ethnic group located on the Brazilian / Peruvian border, in the states of Acre and southern Amazonas and in eastern Peru, and speak the language of the “Pano” family, with slight variations in culture and language among different tribes. 

The first reports of contacts with travellers consider the Muru, Humaitá and Iboiçu rivers, tributaries of the Envira, which in turn is tributary of the river Juruá, as the region of origin of the Kaxinawa. Since the seventeenth century, colonizers had already made incursions in these regions in search of slaves. At the end of the 19th century, the invasions became frequent as a result of the exploitation of rubber, intensifying in the early twentieth century, bringing changes of customs, diseases and, consequently, conflicts. Some groups decided over the years to remain prisoners in the virgin forest, isolated from contact with the “white man”, while others ended up enjoying this time and using resources such as axes and shotguns in their daily lives. 

The productive activities revolve around hunting, fishing, planting and harvesting. They plant bananas, manioc, beans, peanuts and cotton in brush strokes. Hunting is done exclusively by man, being learned from childhood, and surrounded by techniques and rituals, such as observing the habits of each type of animal, recognizing its traces and imitating its sounds. The fishing is done by both men and women, using mainly the timbó, poisonous vine, that when diluted in the water, kills the fish and causes them to jump on the surface, making it easier to catch them. 

Kaxinawa art revolves around Kene Kuin, a drawing style which, using jenipapo paint, adorns the bodies of community members on festive dates. This type of painting is also applied to objects of everyday use, such as baskets and mats. 

The Kaxinawa base their shamanic vision on the concept of yuxin. They do not see spirituality (yuxin) as something superhuman or supernatural but incorporated into plants and animals, in short, the nature that surrounds them. This spirial presence permeates all the living phenomenon on earth, in the water and in the heavens, according to the Kaxinawa conception. The long solitary walks of some old people without the goal of hunting or seeking medicinal herbs, a generally given explanation, show an active desire to establish intense contact with “yuxindade.” 

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Nixi Pae