Ancient Shipibo Plant Medicine
Nu-Nu or Rapé is a sacred plant medicine used by traditional tribal cultures and healers of the Peruvian Amazon. It has been used by curanderos and tribes indigenous to South America for thousands of years, including the Matses, Kaxinawa, Yawanawa and Katukina peoples.
Rapé is a unique blend of carefully selected plants that are then pulverised and combined with a tobacco that is up to 20 times stronger than its Western equivalent. Cinnamon, Tonka bean, clover and mint are also occasionally added during the ritualistic preparation of the Rapé that involves drying the blend over a slow burning fire. It is common for the blend to be kept a secret by the curanderos whose task it is to craft it.
The sacred administration of Nu-Nu is one characterised by great courage, intention and authenticity sharing little in common with the irreverent use of tobacco in the West. Rapé has been used in indigenous tribes for over centuries in rites of passage and initiation, to cure disease and to obtain the mental clarity needed to undertake a vision quest or deep spiritual journey.
A Rapé or Nu-Nu ritual usually involves two people helping each another to administer the blend. The Rapé is blown high up into the nostrils traditionally with a pipe made form bone, wood or bamboo. The two people are intimately connected by nose, mouth and breath and therefore their heart need to remain open to giving and receiving healing intentions between each other. This ritual involves trust, courage and a deep commitment to giving and receiving. It is itself a vital component in the healing potential of the Rapé.
The intensity of the blow can help to clear the mind of any unnecessary mental chatter and help to clarify our intentions. Rapé also has the capacity to increase the healing potentiality of Ayahuasca and other sacred medicinal plants, thereby opening us up to experience profound spiritual transformation when taken together.
The unique antibacterial effects of Rapé can help to rid the body of unwanted toxins and congestion. If the body is overrun with bacteria and excess mucus it is common to experience vomiting, sneezing and coughing this however can be an extremely relieving and positive experience that restores the body to excellent health.
In scientific studies, Rapé has also been shown to act as an anti-depressant and stimulant increasing blood flow to the brain and helping to ease negativity, confusion, sadness and psychological distress.
Tribespeople also use Rapé as a gateway to access their higher self, renew their strength and cultivate their healing potentialities.
References
Lattanzi, Giovanni. “Kambô: Scientific Research and Healing Treatments”
Bolshaw Gomes, Marcelo. “Kambo, The spirit of the Shaman”
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The Shipibo people have a population of between 35,000 and 40,000 people and are one of the largest and most resilient tribes in the Peruvian Amazon. Today, the Shipibo live in approximately 150 small communities nestled along the Ucayali River. Around 1600, Spanish missionaries first began to flood the Amazon rainforest, looking to convert the Shipibo to Christianity and to colonise the region. The Shipibo resisted and it wasn’t until 1950’s that Christian missionaries attempted once more, with varying degrees of success to convert the Shipibo people. The Shipibo people are a resilient tribe, and despite numerous attacks on their culture and traditions, they have retained their traditional knowledge and customs.
The Shipibo people are deeply respected for their knowledge of the sacred plant medicines, ceremony and their spiritual connection to the rainforest environment. Traditionally, the Shipibo women, or Shipiba’s are artisans and are responsible for creating intricate and beautiful pottery, textiles and jewellery. The ceremonial songs, or Icaros and the energy that the songs produce is used to inspire the visual aesthetics of the Shipibo’s textiles, resulting in designs that are truly unique and hypnotic.
Several terrible political policies in the past have led to widespread degradation of the Shipibo’s natural environment. Increasing pollution of the waterways, unsustainable palm oil plantations, oil spills and the predominance of multinational oil and timber companies is an unrelenting threat to the Shipibo people. With this is mind, AYA Healing Retreats is committed to not contributing to the devastation of the Shipibo people that has been legislated by the Peruvian government for decades. We are committed to supporting the Shipibo people’s right to self-determination and to contributing what we can to restoring the vitality of the Amazon Rainforest.
