Taj Experience in Lago Lindo, Acre Brazil

The first thing I noticed in Lago Lindo was the birdsong. There were birds that made sounds like a coconut falling into a pond or a laser gun — sounds I didn’t know birds were capable of making! Every night I sat with ayahuasca, different birds and frogs sang their songs and came into the medicine. I could feel the primal energies of the forest working on me. The people of the village welcomed me as a relative. We ate together, explored the forest, and sat with the medicines together. Visitors came frequently from nearby villages, and I got to meet numerous people from different Huni Kuī communities: elders, children, traditional healers, people who grew up in the city, people who grew up deep in the forest. Through their relationships, whether close or distant, the people came together as a family.

The healing of the experience went beyond the medicine; village life itself was also healing. Like many of us who have been separated from our Indigenous lifeways, I aspire to one day live in a communal, intergenerational village, as all of our ancestors once lived. Lago Lindo showed me what that could look like. I learned from the responsibility of the children, the way children are taught from a young age to harvest vegetables and drive boats, but still play freely with one another. I learned from the way people helped one another out without being asked to — if someone noticed that there was a lack of firewood or water, or any unfulfilled need, they put down what they were doing and addressed the need as soon as possible.

Visiting Lago Lindo showed me what it’s like to live the way humans have almost always lived. Children roamed all around the village, laughing and playing; people grew, fished, and hunted the majority of their food. Every day brought surprises: visitors catching a person-sized fish in the lagoon and proceeding to prepare a feast, celebrating the birthday party of a woman from a nearby village, going with the pajé to harvest a bano de medicina (medicine bath) and then bathing in the fragrant herbs.

This is truly work of the Eagle Condor prophecy—so-called “Western” and Indigenous ways beginning to come together, reconcile, and support one another after centuries of harm. The money made from a visit goes entirely to the community. It supports the increasing sovereignty and cultural revitalization of the Huni Kuin people, after surviving colonization and enslavement. People are writing books and releasing albums in their language, returning to their sacred songs, weavings, and medicine ways, teaching Huni Kuin who grew up in the cities the traditional ways of the forest. Just as the people of the village share their culture with us, we humbly share our own knowledge and skills to support the thriving of the community.

I have traveled to many communities from several different cultures, and this was certainly the most memorable. I’m still in touch with people I meet in Lago Lindo, and I’m frequently asked when I will be back! I’ve made lifelong connections with the community. I’m excited to return and continue learning, continue sharing, and continue healing together.

Join us in healing and honoring traditions

Connect

Follow

mmtinc25@gmail.com

720-364-1798

© 2026. All rights reserved.

Photography: Selected images throughout this website are by Daniel Cohen and are used with permission. We are deeply grateful for Daniel's generosity in sharing, through his reflective lens, the story of Lago Lindo, the Huni Kuin, and his guidance in helping tell the story of Medicine of Many Tribes.

Medicine of Many Tribes is a Colorado nonprofit religious corporation and is in the process of applying for federal 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.