Help Yawanawa Prepare for Historic World Medicine Conference

Team fundraiser

Hernan Savastano and 2 others are organizing this fundraiser.

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Summary: Our campaign raises funds to support the Yawanawa tribe's effort scale the infrastructure of their Sacred Village to prepare to host the historic World Indigenous Medicine Conference in Jan 2025 to realize their vision to unite humanity.

The Yawanawa, an indigenous tribe in the Brazilian Amazon committed to protecting and living in harmony with Mother Earth, are spreading their message of unity as the official host of the inaugural World Indigenous Medicine Conference in January 2025. Bringing together over 300 spiritual leaders and Western world political leaders, this first-annual conference will advance the global conversation for healing the environment and creating a sustainable global economy.

Architectural plans have been finalized and construction in support of the Conference has begun, thanks to some generous NGO grants. However, this ambitious project will require the significant scaling of the Yawanawa’s Aldeia Sagrada (sacred village), including a larger new ceremonial temple, a commercial kitchen and lodging facilities to accomodate 400 guests.

Our campaign goal is to raise $50,000 USD in financial support through this campaign to meet the Yawanawa’s need to complete the project.

Our Story

For years, the Yawanawa have opened their original sacred village (Aldeia Sagrada) to those interested in learning their ways. As many of you know, Drew Youngspring and I have worked closely with the tribe for the past 7 years. We’ve received deep healing, and our spiritual and life paths have been profoundly guided by their traditional prayers, chants, knowledge of medicinal plants, and connection to the natural world. We’re grateful for the Yawanawa’s generosity of spirit, which has not only survived historical oppression, but is thriving and inspiring the Western world. Fighting many battles over their land, today the Yawanawa lovingly protect over 500,000 acres of Amazon rainforest. We are honored to be among those blessed to help spread their message of planetary unity to our PNW communities and around the world.

After an especially potent experience at Aldeia Sagrada in November 2019 , we were inspired to raise funds from our work here in the US to install a solar infrastructure to provide a more sustainable source of power in the village and reduce the tribe’s reliance on generators and fossil fuels. With this renewable resource, they finally obtained reliable access to the Internet during the critical time of the pandemic to join the global conversation around collective healing and transformation. In January 2024, Chief Nixiwaka and his wife Putanny were invited to represent indigenous wisdom and traditions from the Amazon and the Yawanawa at the 2024 World Economic Forum in Davos.

When Drew and I returned to Aldeia Sagrada in February 2024 to participate in traditional “dietas,” challenging fasting rituals intended to continue our growth on the traditional medicine path, we learned about Chief Nixiwaka’s vision for hosting a World Indigenous Medicine Conference and were immediately inspired to help once again.

If you have ever been inspired by the Yawanawa and their vision of unity, healed by one of their ceremonies, or simply want to support indigenous wisdom and Earth-based ways of knowing, please consider contributing to our campaign. EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR HELPS and will go directly to support the Yawanawa people, so please give what you can. As they sing in the jungle Kano Kano. "In unity, we can do it all" Yihuuu!!!

In gratitude,

Hernan, Drew and Chief Biraci Nixiwaka

Visual Storytelling

Fundraiser plea from Chief Nixiwaka

Aldeia Sagrada (Sacred Village) - Much of what you see will be rebuilt this year to prepare for the historic World Indigenous Medicine Conference planned for November 2024...