“The Amazonian culture supports our life ” by Federico Wardal

Claudia M. Costa, with Latin and North American and Italian roots, through her travels, in the Amazon forest and indigenous populations of fundamental importance, has been combining for years deep spirituality, nature and health and visual and poetic art in a very strong and beneficial synergy. 

Here are some comprehensive answers from Claudia Costa, which deeply tell her very interesting Amazonian experience from 2019 to August 2024, with my comments on the synergies between spirit, art and nature, lost for millennia in our world and which it is time to integrate, in the total interest of our health, culture and better quality of life. 

Claudia Costa introduces for us: Yawanawa Dietas in the Brazilian Amazon

Acre is a state located in the North West region of Brazil where some of the most dense jungles of the Amazon forest are found. Along the Rio Gregorio lives an ancient Tribe known as the Yawanawa which means People of the wild boar. I’ve had the privilege of visiting them since fall of 2019 when I first went with a group during the inauguration of Sacred Village or Aldea Sagrada. This is where Chief Biraci Nixiwaka and his wife the first woman Paje Putanny reside along with their children and a few other members of their extended family. It’s a relatively smaller village with fewer than a hundred residents, all relatives of the Chief who carry the Shamanic lineage inherited by blood. They are descended from the best hunters, woodworkers, herbal foragers and healers and they take this work very seriously while still maintaining a playful nature. “ 

Here Claudia Costa, did her first Kambo diet or Kapü diet in Sacred Village where she asked Nixiwaka permission to work with his nephew who became her teacher and their frog medicine. She also had the honor more recently of doing her Mama dieta in Nova Esperança village which is an hour downstream from Aldea Sagrada.

An experience that Claudia says changed her life, regenerating it also from a spiritual point of view.

“The tribe’s signature phrase is “So Alegria” or “Only joy” which they yell at the peak of the effects of the medicine during their Ayahuasca or Uni ceremonies. When the “Força” or mind-altering peak gets very strong they yell, “Segura Firme” or “Hold on tight” a phrase coined by the chief of “Nova Esperança” or “New Hope” Village named Iskukua. He’s one of Nixiwaka’s thirty-six children, eighteen boys and eighteen girls. Putanny is the mother of four of his youngest children. Their youngest son Mukaveine is also known as Caçiquiño or Little Chief as he is next in succession for leadership. In addition to Sacred Village Nixiwaka is also the Main Caçique for all ten Villages though each also has their own leadership, such as Rasu in Mutum Village about two hours downstream and Shaneihu Chief of Yawarani Village. “

Mutum, Claudia says, is a popular place for celebrities and entrepreneurs to visit but she has found the sister villages of Nova Esperança and Aldea Sagrada to be exceptionally traditional and therefore more aligned with her needs. 

In these two villages they place more emphasis on their ancestral language and herbal healing, both of which pique her interest. 

And here the musical dimension joins the rest to enhance the healthy aspect.

Their wisdom is said to be handed down through music especially when these songs are learned during their ritual rites of passage known as Dietas or Samakei in their language. During this time one doesn’t drink water, have sex or sensual thoughts, there’s no eating salt, sweets, fruit or oil. There are exceptions with fruits that aren’t sweet such as Açai berry known here as Panaiça or a tart fleshy relative of the cacao called Cupuaçou. Lemon and lime are ok too along with Passion Fruit. Each dieta is different and they are considered a spiritual sacrifice allowing one time to self reflect in isolated introspection without the distractions of life’s carnal pleasures. When embarking on most of these one has to have some period of isolation with the exception of the Kambo dieta. The others vary and the teacher or teachers are always checking in on the student so it’s not really complete isolation, more a time for a concentrated one on one study.

Diets serve to purify the body and here are some:

Kambo or Kapü – is a frog medicine used for cleansing the body, mind and soul especially in preparation for other dietas. It can range anywhere from two weeks to a month long depending on how many applications were received during a moon cycle.

No fruits or sweets are consumed and primarily lemon water is drunk. It does not require any isolation and tests one’s will power by resisting the sweet temptations of the world around you. 

Mama – is corn or yucca blended slurry also known as Caiçuma that is the main thick nourishing liquid consumed. The ancestral yellow corn (Sheke), or in the autumn the mandioca or yucca root (Atsa) are boiled to make the Caiçuma beverage. It’s meant to prepare one for other dietas, connect you to the dream realm and with the plants. This dieta lasts one month during which time minimal food is eaten. It requires three days of isolation in the beginning. No water can be drunk for two weeks after which açai juice, lemon water and cinnamon tea are ok.

Nanna or Genipapo – is a dark bluish black skin paint which can also be drunk to achieve a mind altering and cleansing process. It’s a form of deep spiritual protection. It comes from a palm fruit which is grated then pressed to produce the dark dye. It’s applied all over the body except the pelvic area and reapplied during the entirety of the dieta. It turns darker with time until almost black then fades to a dark blue. During the other dietas Nanna is also used to paint ornate patterns on the face or body which are meant to guard the participant from negative forces. This dieta is a minimum of three months and isolation is required in the beginning.

Muka – Their most sacred plant which is a long brown root. Its tall bush produces a long pod. The name Muka means bitter and provides connection with the world of the Yuxin or spirits. It is meant to show the energy in the environment and people’s bodies when doing their healing prayers. It’s the longest of the dietas after which one is considered a Paje or spiritual elder. This plant teaches the Paje how to work with the Vukush or prayers blown on the back of the head and over the heart along other parts of the body as well depending on the healing needed. This dieta lasts a minimum of one year and usually requires complete isolation in the initial stages. 

Runa – Is the snake dieta where the saliva from a water Boa is extracted after which it’s consumed by the Paje. The serpent is then released and the Paje remains connected to it through the spirit world. The snake then guides them for the rest of their lives through the physical and ethereal realms. This dieta is at least one year long and requires isolation. 

Claudia continues: “ Mama – is corn or yucca blended slurry also known as Caiçuma that is the main thick nourishing liquid consumed. The ancestral yellow corn (Sheke), or in the autumn the mandioca or yucca root (Atsa) are boiled to make the Caiçuma beverage. It’s meant to prepare one for other dietas, connect you to the dream realm and with the plants. This dieta lasts one month during which time minimal food is eaten. It requires three days of isolation in the beginning. No water can be drunk for two weeks after which açai juice, lemon water and cinnamon tea are ok.

Xinaya , Claudia says ,  is a person with knowledge and another name for Paje. Even after the completion of these dietas one is not truly considered a Xinaya until after years or decades of practice and proving one’s humility and healing abilities. 

Here clearly the concept of humility in connection with healing is introduced.

And then : “ Egos are kept in check and it’s considered distasteful to be boastful or use one’s power in the wrong way. “ 

Therefore if non-humility does not satisfy healing, an excessive EGO uses power in a wrong way: the combination of the two aspects, therefore, leads to disease .

In the following Claudia’s paragraph, the basic themes of catharsis, of the purification of encounters, of the action of tobacco, as a masculine value, which helps in prayer since ancient times, to recall upon oneself, healthy and positive energy, are discussed.

Claudia tells  : “ There are also specialized shorter dietas recommended after drinking Uni which is their name for Ayahuasca and even Rapeh to help connect one more to those sacred plants. Uni is consumed frequently during all of the dietas above to connect one to the spirit world, their environment and their own intuition. Rapeh is a tobacco snuff which is made by mixing dry and powdered tobacco leaf with the ash of a tree called Tsunu. It’s used to focus and cleanse as well as to pray by placing an intention before blowing the tobacco in the nose. This is done with a Kuripe or self blower or sometimes with a Tepi or two person blower where one receives the fine powder on one end as another person blows on the mouthpiece. This is one way to share the essence and knowledge of the person blowing it by the recipient so ideally it’s done by someone whom you have a very strong connection with. The process is only slightly mind altering or more accurately described can make one dizzy. Spitting or blowing your nose after provides a sense of release both spiritually and physically. The intention is made before each nostril is blown by communicating with the tobacco silently. After a brief period of lightheadedness one feels focused and overall lighter.

There is sometimes a purge after depending on the quantity consumed and the strength of the blow. It can stimulate bowels or make one sweat profusely often invoking an emotional release. Spiritually tobacco is considered a gateway towards communicating with other plants therefore talking with the tobacco is also a guide in teaching one to pray with this ancient masculine spirit. Rapeh is said to be one of the oldest ways to pray or sit with tobacco long before it was smoked. It makes much more sense to consume it frequently in the humid climate of the Amazon where bacteria and respiratory conditions can be more prevalent in the sinuses. It is also used to make one’s awareness more keen which is extremely necessary in the high risk environment of the Amazon jungle . “ 

Let’s talk about Kambo again, a medicine of which Claudia Costa is a special expert

Kambo is a frog medicine extracted from Waxy or Monkey tree frog, Phyllomedusa bicolor.

This substance contains peptides which are an incredible healing tool against cancer, dementia, immune deficiencies, hormone imbalance, inflammation, infertility, viruses, bacteria, fungus and lethargy among other ailments. 

Claudia tells : “ The Chief’s descendants are the only ones allowed to apply Kambo or Kapü in Yawanawa territory. Knowing all of this I humbly asked permission to work with his nephew who is the current Kambo elder. In Yawanawa tradition your teacher is kept secret so I won’t reveal his name here. Chief Nixiwaka granted it to me under the condition that I do everything exactly as taught to me. 

In indigenous bureaucracy, it is difficult to get permission before undertaking any serious work or collaborating with anyone in the tribe.

The Brazilian mining and logging industry has a bad reputation of trespassing indigenous territories and taking resources without permission so the tribal leaders are the guardians in charge of making sure that doesn’t happen on their watch. “ 

The Healing Value of Music and the Sugar-Free Diet : Claudia says in this last paragraph confirms some aspects of our cultural knowledge, but certainly broadens it .

“Through my teacher I have learned not just Kambo but basically got an immersion of their entire culture including the language. His son is teaching me their chants or Saitis as they’re known here along with the guitar which is a new instrument for me. I picked it up while trying to heal my wrist fracture to build back my finger and hand strength. During my Mama dieta I had alternating language and music lessons every day where I was taught the complex pronunciation of their phrases and chants. I immersed myself in this while abstaining from life’s subtle pleasures. The most difficult part I thought would be not being able to drink water but I was wrong. It was actually being surrounded by fruit trees at peak season without being able to eat any of the nature’s bounty that surrounded me. It makes total sense to abstain from sugars, even natural ones. The bacteria in the body feeds off of it therefore not consuming them for an extended period resets your body on a cellular level. Though I tend to go down this more scientific way of thinking, the truth is it’s a spiritual sacrifice which is just as important as doing it for health reasons. It’s aligned with the indigenous concept of reciprocity where one has to give in order to receive. The last day of my dieta my teacher’s daughter prepared and gave me my plant bath. Afterwards I received the Vukush prayer from him which felt very powerful. 

Thank you Yawanawa tribe! Haux Haux.

Poem by Claudia Costa 

Tributaries of the Amazon 

Rio Gregorio leads me towards the ancient 

wisdom of the Yawanawa tribe

upon its clay-colored waters

The air fills my lungs with its thick humid breath

We slowly snake down the river 

mimicking the Anaconda’s slithering patterns

Drops splash us from above and below 

as we avoid the driftwood and sandbars

Vultures soar showing off their majestic wingspan

while gliding in resonance with the earth’s magnetic field

Tall grass grows on layers of sand and clay 

Bird nests resemble baskets hanging from the tallest trees

The rain stops and the sun beats down its warm rays upon my skin

Small palm frond thatch roofed huts peek from behind the foliage every so often

as the children wave at us

Fluffy nebular sky scape ahead of us and above

We descend upon the warm sand.