Ayahuasca, Ancestral Sciences, and Living Knowledge Systems

Taita Luciano Mutumbajoy Buesaquillo is a traditional healer and spiritual leader of the Inga people of the Colombian Andean-Amazonian foothills, born in Mocoa, Putumayo. With more than sixty years of experience in traditional yagé medicine and the use of medicinal plants, he has dedicated his life to preserving ancestral knowledge, protecting Indigenous territories, and strengthening the cultural continuity of Indigenous peoples.

As an authority of the Inga Kamëntsá Indigenous Council of Mocoa, he promoted the first gatherings and exchanges among traditional healers of Alto Putumayo beginning in 1987. This process culminated in 1999 with the creation of the Union of Indigenous Yagé Healers of the Colombian Amazon (UMIYAC), of which he is a founding member. Throughout his career, he has supported organizational strengthening and traditional medicine initiatives with Indigenous organizations across Colombia and has shared his experience with Indigenous peoples in Brazil, Costa Rica, Canada, the United States, and Suriname.

He currently serves on the Council of Elders of UMIYAC and continues to lead community health brigades and intercultural education initiatives. His work promotes harmony between Mother Earth and humanity, contributing to the preservation of ancestral medicine as a foundation for collective well-being and the cultural continuity of Indigenous peoples.

Esneda Hurtado de Mutumbajoy is an Indigenous woman of the Inga and Yanacona peoples, born in Mocoa, Putumayo, Colombia. Her path in traditional medicine began in childhood alongside her father, learning through observation and practice. At the age of 18, she deepened this knowledge under the guidance of her parents-in-law, Santiago Mutumbajoy and Ambrosia Jansasoy. Today, she continues this path of medicine and spirituality together with her husband, Taita Luciano Mutumbajoy, an Iachay wisdom keeper of the Inga people.

Community leadership has been a central pillar of her life. In 2003, she participated in the co-founding of the Indigenous Women’s Association Chagra de la Vida (ASOMI), dedicated to safeguarding ancestral knowledge, protecting traditional medicine and territory, and strengthening the role of Indigenous women as caretakers of life and culture in the Colombian Amazon. She served as ASOMI’s secretary from 2007 to 2016.

She currently serves on ASOMI’s Territorial Commission, where she contributes to initiatives for the protection of water, territory, and life. Her daily work focuses on caring for medicinal plants, tending her chagra, exchanging healing plants, supporting Indigenous community health brigades, and transmitting ancestral knowledge to younger generations.

Nixiwaka Biraci Brasil Yawanawa is a renowned spiritual and political leader of the Yawanawa People in Acre, Brazilian Amazon. Throughout his life, he has been dedicated to preserving the culture, spirituality, and territorial rights of his people, with special attention to protecting the Amazon rainforest.
Under his leadership, the Yawanawa People obtained official recognition of their ancestral territory and initiated a cultural revitalization movement, focused on passing on traditional knowledge to new generations and expanding the dialogue with the world.

Since the 1980s, Nixiwaka has been an important voice in the Brazilian Indigenous movement, collaborating on the founding of Amazonian and Latin American Indigenous organizations. He is the president of the Nixiwaka Institute and one of the creators of the Indigenous Ayahuasca Conference.

His work is also distinguished by building bridges between ancestral knowledge and contemporary debates on sustainability and ecological balance. His leadership is marked by a commitment to preserving his people's memory and autonomy, ancestral wisdom, and the urgency of strengthening Indigenous voices on the global stage to build a world of peace and sustainability.

Benki Piyãko is an important leader of the Ashaninka People of the Amônia River, widely recognized as a social entrepreneur, environmental activist, and human rights defender. In addition to being an Indigenous spiritual leader, he is one of the founders of the Indigenous Ayahuasca Conference. As President of the Yorenka Tasorentsi Institute, in Marechal Thaumaturgo, Acre State, he carries out activities in reforestation of degraded areas, fish farming, and the education and awareness of local and global society about environmental protection and the strengthening of Indigenous culture.

As a guardian of the ancestral traditions of his people, Benki is committed to sharing knowledge about the forest, traditional medicine, and Ashaninka spirituality. He is an influential voice in national and international forums and coordinates local and global initiatives focused on environmental protection, including the preservation of river springs and the strengthening of Indigenous communities both in Brazil and in other countries. In addition, he is widely recognized for his wisdom, his ability to engage in dialogue, and his unwavering commitment to preserving the planet’s environmental and cultural heritage.