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The project and its challenges
The Shawãdawa (Arara) people live in the Arara do Igarapé Humaitá Indigenous Territory, on the upper Juruá River in Acre. This community of approximately 1,600 Indigenous people is dedicated to preserving ancestral knowledge, spirituality and sacred medicines.
The lack of suitable infrastructure for rituals and healing, together with the absence of drinking water and the risk of native medicinal plants disappearing, threatens the transmission of this living heritage.
Conexão Ancestral is seeking partners and donors to build the Shawãdawa Healing, Culture and Guardians Training Centre.
The project will bring together ceremonial spaces, accommodation for people receiving treatment, a traditional medicine nursery and solar-powered water autonomy.
This project is currently fundraising and requires support before work can begin.
Quantitative targets and planned structures
- 1,600 Shawãdawa people to benefit: strengthening the health, culture and territorial autonomy of the entire Upper Juruá community.
- 1 Ceremonial Kupixawa (9 m in diameter): a traditional circular space for healing rituals, gatherings and spiritual assemblies.
- 4 Support and Healing Buildings:
- 1 Guesthouse/Accommodation Building (8 m x 8 m) for people receiving treatment.
- 1 Healing House (8 m x 8 m) dedicated to preparing and storing medicines.
- 1 Medicine Preparation House (8 m x 8 m) for preparing sacred medicines.
- 1 Curative Bath House (4 m x 5 m) for baths with traditional herbs.
- 1 Nursery with Capacity for 20,000 Seedlings (8 m x 8 m): a conservation structure for cultivating and recovering endangered medicinal species.
- 1 Kawá and Mariri Planting Area: permanent cultivation of the sacred ingredients for sustainable Ayahuasca production.
- 1 Semi-Artesian Well with a Solar Pump: drilling from 30 m to 60 m connected to a reservoir of 10 water tanks (7,500 litres of total storage).
Technical infrastructure details
The specifications prioritise low-impact materials and techniques, combining traditional knowledge with clean energy.
| Planned Infrastructure | Dimensions / Technical Specifications | Physical Target |
|---|---|---|
| Ceremonial Kupixawa | A 9 m diameter circle with timber posts and traditional thatch roofing. | 1 unit |
| Healing and Accommodation Complex | Guesthouse (8 x 8 m), Healing House (8 x 8 m), Medicine Preparation House (8 x 8 m) and Bath House (4 x 5 m). | 4 buildings |
| Seedling Nursery and Planting | An 8 x 8 m structure with raised benches for 20,000 seedlings and an agricultural area for Kawá and Mariri. | 1 nursery + planting area |
| Solar Water System | Semi-artesian well (30 m to 60 m), submersible pump, solar panels and a structure for five 1,000 L tanks and five 500 L tanks. | 1 complete water system |
Expected social, cultural and economic impact
- Preservation of ancestral medicine and spirituality: ensuring suitable infrastructure for rituals, training new guardians and passing on Shawãdawa knowledge.
- Public health and water autonomy: distribution of quality drinking water, eliminating waterborne diseases at the healing centre.
- Environmental conservation and biodiversity: production of up to 20,000 seedlings of endangered medicinal plants and sustainable cultivation of sacred species.
- Local income: collective work and employment for local Indigenous workers in sawmilling, thatch collection, ox-assisted transport and carpentry.
How to support this project
Building the Shawãdawa Healing and Guardians Training Centre depends on collective support.
Your contribution will enable the purchase of tools, transport of supplies in the Upper Juruá, drilling of the semi-artesian well and installation of the solar energy system.
Support the spirituality, health and cultural preservation of the Shawãdawa people. Join this alliance with the forest!
