The rapé of the Nukini tribe 🌿

In the Nukini tradition, Rapé is a tool of presence, focus and connection where rainforest, prayer, song and community form a single living weave.

Nukini

Sansara

Nukini

Nukini Onça

Nukini

Elixir

Nukini

Rapé White Rose

Rapé accompanies the spiritual life of the community and belongs to a tradition where presence, transmission between generations and ancestral wisdom form a unity. It is used in moments of ceremony, concentration, song and inner work, to help centre and align, and to open a space of clarity and connection.

Nukini Rapé is born from a deep relationship with the rainforest of the Alto Juruá. It is prepared with mapacho, carefully chosen vegetable ashes and other plants that bring spirit, strength and character to each variety. Every preparation reflects botanical knowledge, ancestral heritage and a deep understanding of the master plants.

The Amazonian Nukini tribe

The Nukini people belong to the great family of Pano-speaking peoples of the Juruá valley, in the western Amazon. They live in deep harmony with the rainforest, the rivers, the memory of the elders and the master plants. At the same time, they preserve a distinct identity linked to their history, their territory and the way they recognise themselves as a people.

Their Indigenous Land is situated in a region of dense rainforest crossed by rivers and streams that form part of the surroundings of the Serra do Divisor National Park, one of the most biodiverse areas of the western Amazon.

The Nukini language reached the present day greatly weakened, as for decades it ceased to be transmitted to new generations; today the community is working on its recovery.

The Nukini People

The Nukini belong to the family of Pano-speaking peoples of the Juruá valley, in the western Amazon — communities that for generations have lived in harmony with the rainforest, the rivers, hunting, agriculture and the master plants. Today the community numbers approximately 750 to 900 people, distributed along small streams and tributaries of the river Môa, in the Alto Juruá, state of Acre, near the border with Peru.

The Nukini are traditionally organised into four patrilineal clans, each linked to a being of the rainforest: Inubakëvu (people of the onça pintada, the jaguar), Panabakëvu (people of the açaí), Itsãbakëvu (people of the patoá) and Shãnumbakëvu (people of the serpent). Each clan marks a belonging within the community and places each person within the web of generations. Among the four, the jaguar holds the central place, and it is its strength that gives the entire people their name.

For a long time, outsiders recorded Amazonian peoples under different names or spellings. That is why historical documents contain several ways of referring to the Nukini: Inucuini, Nucuiny, Nukuini, Nucuini and Remo. This diversity of names reflects the external gaze of travellers, administrators or rubber traders who attempted to register peoples whose culture they knew little about. In particular, “Remo” was a name given by the rubber traders, possibly in reference to some mark, sign or ornament of its members.

One of the oldest recorded names is “Inocú-inins”, documented in 1913 by inspector Máximo Linhares, who translated it as “venomous and aromatic jaguareté.” In the Amazonian context, “venomous” means spiritual power, transformative strength; and “aromatic” connects directly with the Nukini tradition of creating rapé blends with specific aromas — a practice that this ancient name suggests has been part of their identity long before any written record.

The Nukini are known for their aromatic blends (Sansara has a sweet aroma, Rosa Blanca a floral aroma). That the ancient name already included “aromatic” suggests that the tradition of creating blends with specific aromas is very old among this people.

Thus “Inocú-inins” could be more faithfully translated as: “the people of the jaguar with aromatic power” — a people whose identity unites the jaguar (strength, protection) with aromatic plants (medicine, rapé).

Nukini: The Jaguar Tribe

The Nukini recognise themselves as a people linked to the onça pintada, the great Amazonian jaguar. In their worldview, the jaguar, besides being the most powerful animal in the territory, is a guardian of thresholds — a being that sees in the darkness and moves between the visible world and the world of the ancestors. Its power resides in presence: a silent strength that inhabits the thicket without seeking to show itself.

In the Amazonian tradition, the relationship between the jaguar and master plants has a dimension that goes beyond the symbolic. It has been documented that jaguars deliberately seek out the leaves of the liana Banisteriopsis caapi, the same plant that forms the base of ayahuasca, and consume them until their behaviour is visibly altered. The scene was recorded by the BBC documentary Weird Nature and cited in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (Downer, 2002).

The jaguar knows the caapi plant, consumes it and travels with it between worlds; according to Amazonian worldview, the shaman, by doing the same, meets the jaguar at that threshold.

For the Nukini, this connection is fundamental: rapé, ayahuasca and the presence of the jaguar form a single weave where plant, animal and community recognise one another.

 

The Nukini language: a culture in reconstruction

Today few people speak the Nukini language fluently. During the rubber boom, many indigenous communities faced intense pressures, and since speaking the indigenous language could provoke mockery or discrimination, many families prioritised Portuguese.

When a language weakens, so does the worldview. In recent years, initiatives have emerged to recover words, stories and knowledge transmitted by the elders. The language has begun to be taught in schools, as part of the process of strengthening cultural identity.

Today, the Nukini are a people who gather the memories of the elders, reactivate teachings and reconnect with their ancestral worldview.

Nukini Territory

The territory of the Nukini people lies in the far southwest of the Brazilian Amazon, in the state of Acre, within the Alto Juruá region. Their Indigenous Land sits alongside the river Môa and extends into the Serra do Divisor, an area where deep rainforest merges with hills, slopes and winding watercourses that give the landscape a very distinctive character. This position makes the Nukini territory an important piece within the great Amazonian corridor on the border between Brazil and Peru.

The presence of the Serra do Divisor breaks the image of a completely flat Amazon and opens up a landscape of more varied relief, with primary forests, gorges, mountain rivers and an enormous diversity of Amazonian plants and animals, making it one of the richest areas in biodiversity in the entire western Amazon.

Nukini families live distributed along small streams and tributaries of the river Môa, including Timbaúba, Meia Dúzia, República and Capanawa, as well as the left bank of the river itself.

Mapa ilustrado del territorio sagrado Nukini en la selva amazónica con el río Moa y Serra do Divisor

Within this river system there also appear numerous Amazonian streams known as igarapés, which connect the villages, fishing grounds, cultivation sites and forest paths. These watercourses form a natural network that structures mobility, daily work and the Nukini people’s relationship with the rainforest.

To the west of the Nukini territory lies the Serra do Divisor National Park, one of the most biodiverse areas of the western Amazon. This mountainous region marks the meeting point between Brazil and Peru and harbours primary forests and mountain rivers.

The Nukini people’s territory is surrounded by other territories such as the Huni Kuin, Katukina, Yawanawá (Rio Gregório), Kaxinawá, Shanenawa, Poyanawa and Jaminawa-Arara lands.

Today, the Nukini territory faces external pressures. Neighbouring settlements harbour commercial hunters whose activity displaces animals from traditional hunting areas. In some nearby zones, oil exploration has been carried out, adding a direct threat to the balance of the ecosystem that the Nukini inhabit and protect.

📜 Nukini history and memory

Before the rubber boom, the Nukini were part of the broad indigenous world of the Juruá valley. They lived organised in clans distributed across the territories between the rivers Môa and Juruá, practised hunting, fishing and subsistence agriculture, and maintained exchange relationships with other Pano peoples of the region. The rivers guided their movements, forest paths connected cultivation sites and gatherings between communities, and the plants of the territory sustained medicine, food and daily life.

Nukini life was deeply tied to the rainforest and water; the rivers guided their movements, forest paths connected cultivation sites and gatherings between communities, and the plants of the territory sustained medicine, food and daily life.

At the end of the nineteenth century, the worldwide demand for rubber attracted entrepreneurs, merchants and workers to the rivers of Acre. “Seringales” (rubber estates) were established along the rivers, controlled by bosses who organised the extraction of latex. The indigenous peoples of the region were incorporated into this system as labourers, often under conditions of exploitation that profoundly altered traditional rhythms of life.

The Nukini worked for decades in the seringales of the Alto Môa under the boss system. Epidemics of diseases brought by settlers significantly reduced the population. Despite everything, the people maintained their bond with the region of the river Môa.

Before the rubber expansion, the Nukini were located east of the Ucayali river, near the hills of Canchahuaya. At the beginning of the twentieth century, references appear to their presence in the upper Juruá Mirim and upper Tapiche river. In Peru they were even handed over as payment for a debt between rubber traders. Faced with this situation, they fled and returned to their territory in the seringal Gibraltar, already in Brazil.

For many years, speaking the Nukini language was a cause for discrimination; many families chose to adopt Portuguese to protect their children and ease their adaptation to the new social landscape. Over time, the language lost presence in daily life.

The history of the rubber period recalls the capacity of communities to sustain life amid great transformations and keep alive their relationship with the rainforest of the Alto Juruá.

Over time, through these historical transformations, the Nukini people maintained their bond with the region of the upper river Môa, reorganising their life around the river, the forest paths and the spaces where the teachings of the elders are transmitted.

This territorial continuity is one of the most significant features of their history; the people traversed periods of profound transformation and, at the same time, remained bound to the territory where their ancestors had lived.

In 1977 the official demarcation of the Nukini Indigenous Land began, based on a report by anthropologist Delvair Montagner that estimated its extent at some 23,000 hectares. Later, in 1984, a team coordinated by anthropologist José Carlos Levinho proposed an area of approximately 30,900 hectares.

Since then, the territory has been demarcated and protected. From the year 2000, the Nukini began to claim a portion of the Serra do Divisor National Park as part of their ancestral territory.

Nukini community life

The life of the Nukini people rests upon deep family bonds that connect each person with their ancestors, with the territory and with the memory of the people. Among the elders, the custom of patrilineal clans remains alive — a way of recognising each family’s belonging within the community and placing it within the web of generations.

Some of these clans preserve names linked to presences of the forest, such as the jaguar, the açaí, the patoá or the serpent.

The elders still clearly remember the lineage of many families and their relationship with these clans. Among the young, this knowledge is beginning to reawaken, driven by the desire to strengthen the people’s identity.

 

Houses, villages and daily life

Nukini families live in small villages situated near the rivers and streams that cross their territory. Water guides their movements, facilitates fishing and connects the different spaces where community life unfolds.

In these residential clusters, several houses are grouped in relative proximity, forming a landscape where dirt paths, gardens, fruit trees and open spaces intertwine. Frequently, a main house keeps nearby other dwellings raised by children who have started their own family, thus maintaining closeness between generations.

Traditional dwellings are built with materials from the rainforest: resistant woods, plant fibres and palms that protect from the rain and the humid heat of the Alto Juruá. Some houses preserve palm roofs and traditional structures; others incorporate more recent elements that reflect the changes experienced by the region.

Work, cultivation and cooperation

The life of the Nukini people is sustained by shared work and knowledge of the territory. Agriculture, fishing, hunting, gathering and craftsmanship form part of their daily routine.

They cultivate manioc, maize, rice, beans, sugarcane, mapacho and yam. Manioc holds a particularly important place, as the flour obtained from it accompanies many meals of the community.

Among the fruits they cultivate are mango, coconut, cashew, jackfruit, pineapple, lemon, acerola, guava, avocado, cupuaçu and papaya.

Fishing is concentrated in the dry season, in lakes such as Timbaúba, Montevidéu and Capanawa, using nets and hooks. Hunting follows two modalities: mobile hunting, in which the hunter ventures for hours into the deep forest, and ambush hunting, near the plantations. Among the animals that form part of the Nukini diet are the paca, the agouti, the deer, the turtle, the coatí, the armadillo, the tapir, the jacú, the mutum and several species of monkeys.

Tasks are organised according to each person’s experience and knowledge. Men tend to dedicate themselves more to fishing, hunting and some agricultural work; women play an essential role in caring for the home, in craftsmanship, in food preparation and in various forms of cultivation and gathering.

These activities are always carried out cooperatively: opening a path in the forest, planting a plot, building a house or preparing food brings families and neighbours together in a shared effort.

Leadership, elders and the transmission of knowledge

Within Nukini life, leadership takes various forms. The cacique represents the community in collective matters and in dialogue with the outside world. Alongside this figure coexist associations and organisational spaces linked to the management of the territory and to participation in regional initiatives.

Alongside this organisational dimension exists another deeply respected authority: that of the elders. They preserve stories, songs, memories of the clans and knowledge related to the rainforest. In their words come together memory, experience and guidance for the new generations.

Through the elders, many teachings are transmitted: the language, the ancient stories, the respect for the animals of the forest, the ways of cultivating the land and the knowledge of medicinal plants.

The pajé holds a special place as guardian of spiritual knowledge, master plants and ceremonies.

🌿 The Nukini Rainforest

The rainforest region inhabited by the Nukini people is one of the richest and most diverse in the western Amazon. Around the river Môa, the igarapés, the deep forest and the surroundings of the Serra do Divisor create a landscape of water channels, biodiversity and interconnection, where the community maintains a deep relationship with the life of the territory.

🌿 The rainforest and Nukini biodiversity

The rainforest where the Nukini people live is organised around water. The river Môa and the network of igarapés that cross the territory create a living structure that shapes the landscape and accompanies the life of the community. In this part of the Alto Juruá, the forest harbours watercourses, humid banks, paths and areas of dense vegetation that connect houses, fishing grounds, cultivation areas and spaces of daily transit.

The igarapés and smaller watercourses also fulfil an essential function within the territory. They mark routes, facilitate movements and help distribute life across the space. Thus, the Nukini rainforest appears as a network of water channels, vegetation and inhabited clearings, where each stretch of landscape links to the next.

This environment combines dense tropical forest and open tropical forest — two forms of rainforest that coexist within a single region and give the territory a great richness of textures, light and natural rhythms. The constant presence of water maintains humidity, feeds the vegetation and sustains an enormous variety of life forms.

 

🏔 The Serra do Divisor and one of the richest regions of the Amazon

The Nukini rainforest extends into the Serra do Divisor, one of the ecologically most important regions of the western Amazon. This mountain range modifies the relief of the area and breaks the image of a completely flat forest; hills, slopes, winding watercourses and vegetation that adapts to them appear.

The surroundings of the Serra do Divisor form part of one of the great mosaics of protected areas in the southwest Amazon, where indigenous lands, extractive reserves and the Serra do Divisor National Park itself converge. This combination makes the Nukini territory a zone of enormous ecological value, where the richness of the forest interweaves with the historical presence of native peoples who have lived there for generations.

 

🐒 Fauna, water and the balance of the territory

The richness of the Nukini rainforest is also expressed in the diversity of its fauna. The surroundings of the Alto Juruá and the Serra do Divisor harbour a great variety of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians and insects, forming one of the most complex biological landscapes of the Brazilian Amazon. In this region one can find animals such as the tapir, the white-lipped peccary, the collared peccary, the agouti, various species of monkeys, forest birds and a rich aquatic life linked to rivers, lakes and streams.

Water plays a decisive role in this balance. The rivers, lakes and igarapés sustain fish, attract animals, feed the vegetation and keep an essential part of the ecosystem in motion. In a territory like the Nukini’s, fauna and the hydrographic network are linked in a continuous way: where there is water, there is also circulation of life, food, shade, humidity and refuge.

This animal richness becomes clearer when one observes the relationship between all the forms of life that inhabit the forest. The deep forest, the water, the relief and the fauna form a system where each element influences the other.

 

🌱 Biodiversity as the foundation of Nukini life

For the Nukini people, the biodiversity of the territory holds a value that goes far beyond a general idea of natural wealth. The forest, the rivers and the variety of life forms sustain fishing, hunting, gathering, agriculture and the daily knowledge of the environment. In this sense, biodiversity forms part of the material foundation of the community and directly accompanies their way of inhabiting the rainforest.

This relationship also has a deep cultural dimension. The continuity of the people depends to a great extent on the territory preserving its balance, because in the rainforest are found the animals, the plants, the waterways and the knowledge that shape Nukini life. The forest offers sustenance, orientation and memory, and transmits a form of knowledge that passes from generation to generation.

For this reason, in the Nukini case, to speak of biodiversity is also to speak of territory, continuity and shared life. The rainforest forms an inseparable part of the community. In the water, in the animals, in the density of the forest and in the diversity of the landscape one recognises one of the firmest foundations of Nukini life in the Alto Juruá.

 

The rainforest during the day 🌿

When day breaks over the Nukini territory, light pierces the canopy of the Amazonian forest in oblique beams that illuminate giant leaves, moss-covered trunks and humid paths connecting the villages to the rivers. The air brims with humidity and tropical heat, and every movement within the forest reveals a presence: the flight of a scarlet macaw, the silent leap of a monkey between the branches or the slow movement of an iguana seeking the sun on a fallen trunk.

The paths walked by the Nukini traverse a plant landscape of extraordinary complexity. Lianas descending from the canopy, palms laden with fruit, roots emerging from the ground like natural sculptures and giant trees that sustain the entire forest system. Between these layers of vegetation flow small streams that eventually feed the river Môa, the main artery of the territory.

In this green, humid world, every step forms part of a continuous relationship with the rainforest. The forest provides food, fibres, resins, medicines and spaces for hunting or fishing, and at the same time sets the rhythm of daily life.

Choca do Acre, a rare bird species discovered in 2004 that inhabits the Serra do Divisor National Park.

The Nukini rainforest at night 🌙

When the sun disappears behind the forest, the Nukini territory changes character. The temperature drops slightly, the humidity becomes more perceptible and the sounds of the forest begin to reorganise. Insects, frogs and nocturnal birds create a continuous soundscape that extends along rivers, gorges and forest clearings.

In the Amazonian darkness, many species that remain discreet during the day begin their activity. The jaguar silently roams the forest paths, night monkeys move between the branches and small mammals explore the leaf-covered ground. At this moment, the rainforest reveals another dimension of its life: quieter, more attentive and profoundly active.

The Nukini villages then remain surrounded by this nocturnal world where every sound carries meaning. The crack of a branch, the movement of water or the distant call of a bird form part of the everyday landscape of the forest. In that dense, living environment, the rainforest continues breathing as a complete system where territory, fauna and community share the same space.

🌿 Master plants in the Nukini tradition

The master plants hold a central place within the spirituality and memory of the Nukini community. Their knowledge is transmitted through the elders.

Within the Nukini tradition, Rapé holds a very important place as a tool of connection, presence and as a practice of cultural and spiritual strengthening.

It is prepared with sun-dried mapacho and other traditional plants, among which is the bark of Sanu, a fundamental tree in the Nukini tradition, as well as rosa branca, samaúma, jabuti, gavião and beija-flor.

Alongside Rapé, Uni holds a deep place within Nukini spiritual life. For some years, the sacred beverage remained more guarded within the community and its presence continued especially among the elders. Over time, Uni regained strength among the young as well, through ceremonies, gatherings and exchanges.

Alongside the ceremonial master plants, the Nukini maintain an everyday knowledge linked to the surrounding rainforest. Bitter-wood is applied to insect bites. From the bark of copaíba and algarrobo, teas are prepared. The sap of cipó-guaribinha accompanies flu processes. Marshmallow is used for coughs and watercress for toothache. This knowledge, transmitted between generations, forms part of the daily bond between the community and its territory.

Within this continuity, Pistyani Nukini, curandeiro of the village Isã Vakevu, is a figure of reference for his great knowledge of Nukini worldview, of Rapé, of Uni and of the master plants of the rainforest. Around him gather young people, elders and members of the community in ceremonies, songs, dances and shared moments around native wisdom.

Erison Nukini, spiritual leader of the village Recanto Verde, expresses it clearly: rapé, body painting, songs and uni form an inseparable part of his spiritual vision. In his words one recognises the unity between all the practices of medicine that the Nukini sustain.

🌿 Botany and arts of the Nukini rainforest

The Nukini obtain from the rainforest seeds, plant fibres, clay, feathers, bark and other elements to create crafts, adornments and body paintings. Among their crafts are necklaces, bracelets and baskets.

Each element has its timing, its uses and its modes of preparation. The plants offer fibres and dyes that the community transforms with patience and skill.

In the community’s workspaces, fibres dry in the sun, seeds are sorted by colour and clay takes shape between the hands. Little by little, the materials of the forest are transformed into baskets, adornments and utensils that accompany daily life.

One of the most important materials is cipó-titica, used in the making of basketry and various adornments. Its use requires dexterity, patience and familiarity with the forest, as the plant fibre needs to be collected, prepared and worked with care.

The ash of the caripé shell is used to bind the clay from which various ceramic objects are made.

Among the plants that hold a more visible place in Nukini bodily expression are urucum and jenipapo, two plants very present in the indigenous traditions of the region.

The seeds of urucum are ground with water into a red paste used in body painting and also as a food colouring. For its part, jenipapo is prepared until it acquires a deep blue colouration, used in painting and bodily ornamentation.

The kenes are body paintings that express Nukini identity and spirituality. Among the most significant examples appears the kene of Panã (açaí), related to one of the people’s clans and understood as a form of protection.

Also notable is the kene of Kawani (chacrona), considered a very important painting that symbolises wisdom, light, peace and protection.

Other designs have been recognised in spiritual work with uni, where the community describes encounters with the animal and plant world through songs, concentration, music, dance and body art.

Nukini Music and Video 🎵

References

Ethnography and anthropology

  • PIB Socioambiental — “Nukini.” Povos Indígenas no Brasil. Instituto Socioambiental.
  • pib.socioambiental.org/pt/Povo:Nukini — https://pib.socioambiental.org/pt/Povo:Nukini
  • Montagner Melatti, Delvair — Relatório de identificação da Terra Indígena Nukini (1977). FUNAI.
  • Levinho, José Carlos — Relatório de demarcação, Terra Indígena Nukini (1984). FUNAI.
  • Castello Branco, José Moreira — “O gentio acreano.” Revista do IHGB, vol. 207 (1950).
  • Linhares, Máximo — Relatório do Serviço de Proteção aos Índios, Alto Juruá (1913). SPI.
  • Coutinho, Jôse — “Os Nukini do Acre: reclassificação e identidade étnica.” Universidade Federal do Acre (2001).

 

Amazonian worldview and shamanism

  • Viveiros de Castro, Eduardo — “Cosmological Perspectivism in Amazonia and Elsewhere.” HAU Masterclass Series, vol. 1 (2012).
  • Kohn, Eduardo — “How Forests Think: Toward an Anthropology Beyond the Human.” University of California Press (2013).
  • Descola, Philippe — “Beyond Nature and Culture.” University of Chicago Press (2013).

 

The jaguar in the Amazonian tradition

  • Downer, John — “Weird Nature: An Astonishing Exploration of Nature’s Strangest Behaviour.” BBC Books / Firefly Books (2002). Cited in Journal of Psychoactive Drugs.
  • UNESCO — “Traditional Knowledge of the Jaguar Shamans of Yuruparí.” Intangible Cultural Heritage (2011).
  • ich.unesco.org — https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/00574
  • Reichel-Dolmatoff, Gerardo — “The Shaman and the Jaguar.” Temple University Press (1975).

 

Biodiversity and Serra do Divisor

  • UNESCO World Heritage Centre — “Serra do Divisor National Park.” Tentative List (1998).
  • whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1121 — https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1121/
  • Whitney, Bret M. et al. — “A new species of Cryptic Forest-Falcon from Serra do Divisor, Acre, Brazil.” Ornithological Monographs (2004).
  • Guilherme, Edson — “Aves do Acre.” Editora da Universidade Federal do Acre (2016).
  • Rainforest Trust — “Protecting the Wild Heart of the Amazon.”
  • rainforesttrust.org — https://www.rainforesttrust.org/urgent-projects/protecting-the-wild-heart-of-the-amazon/

 

Direct testimonies and community sources

  • Erison Nukini, spiritual leader of the village Recanto Verde — testimony on rapé, body painting, songs and uni as spiritual vision.
  • Paulo Nukini, chief of the Nukini people for 20 years — teaching transmitted by his grandfather on listening to the rainforest and guiding his people.
  • Pistyani Nukini, curandeiro of the village Isã Vakevu — reference in worldview, rapé, uni and master plants.

 

Studies on rapé and Amazonian plants

  • Mabit, Jacques & Giove, Rosa — “Sinchi, Sinchi, Negrito: Uso Medicinal del Tabaco en la Alta Amazonía Peruana.” Centro Takiwasi.