Huni Kuin Murici

Huni Kuin – Kaxinawa Tribe

Until 1946, the Kaxinawá of Peru remained isolated in the virgin forest, far from the rivers navigated by traders. They preferred independence and isolation to the dependency that implied greater access to weapons and metal tools. Through the Yaminawa they achieved a few things, until in the mid-1940s they decided they needed more and sent a six-man team to the Taraya River for direct negotiations.Over time, the Kaxinawá made the decision to seek contact with civilization, a decision with far-reaching consequences, which was questioned by the Kaxinawá themselves, who a generation before had opted for the opposite position. In this region, still today, live ethnic groups, Pano and Arawak linguistic groups, who avoid any contact with non-indigenous society. 

The Kaxinawá affirm that the true shamans, the mukaya, those who had in themselves the bitter and shamanic substance called muka, died, but that fact does not prevent them from practicing other forms of shamanism, considered less powerful but seem equally efficient. Skills such as communicating with the yuxin are the domain of many adults, especially the elderly.So we could both say that there are no shamans to say that there are many. An outstanding characteristic of Kaxinawá shamanism is the importance of discretion in relation to the possible ability to cure or cause disease. The invisibility and ambiguity of this power is linked to its transience. The use of ayahuasca, considered a shaman’s privilege in many Amazonian groups, is a collective practice among the Kaxinawá, lived by all adult and adolescent men who want to know “the world of ayahuasca.”The mukaya would be the one who does not need any substance, any external help to communicate with the invisible side of reality. For the Kaxinawá, the person is composed of flesh (or body) and yuxin. Animals have a body side and a yuxin side, just like plants. Among the animals there are those with strong and dangerous yuxin, and others with the power of juxtaction. The specialty of the huni dahya (man with sweet remedy, herbalist) is not usually combined with that of the huni mukaya (shaman).The learning process of the yerbero is very different from that of the shaman. Except for poisonous leaves, the herbalist is not subject to fasting and can perform normal hunting and marital activities. He acquires his knowledge by learning from another specialist and requires great memory and perception. The first sign that someone may be a shaman, to develop a relationship with the world of the yuxin, is failure to hunt.The shaman develops such a great familiarity with the animal world (or with the juxtaposes of animals), that when he manages to dialogue with them, he can no longer kill them. Therefore, the shaman does not eat meat and not only for emotional reasons. The inability to eat meat is also linked to muka, the change in smell and taste of the person with muka matured in his heart. The taste and smell of meat become bitter. 

Shamanic initiation

There are several ways to start shamanism. Some are the result of a deliberate search on the part of the apprentice, others occur spontaneously due to the initiative of the yuxin. The presence of the muka in the heart of the apprentice, a sine qua non condition for any exercise of shamanic power, ultimately depends on the will of the yuxin. 

Linguistic confusions:

Since the first traveler reports of the area, there has been a confusion with the names of the ethnic groups that persists to this day. The names do not reflect a consensus between denominators and denominators. The denominator Pano calls (almost) everyone else as nawa, and himself and his kin as huni kuin. Thus, the Kulina were called pisinawa (“those who stink”) by the Kaxinawá, while the Paranawa called the Kaxinawá themselves pisinawa. The very name Kaxinawá could originally have been a pejorative. Kaxi means bat, cannibal, but it can also mean people with the habit of walking at night.