Description
Huitoto Matico rapé | Magic Defense | #5
This rapé was made exclusively for Waking Herbs by our friend a Huitoto indigenous Healer who has been working with these products all his life. Huitoto Matico rapé contains Yarumo ashes (Cecropia) and Matico plant which our friend knows through experience are powerful and medicinal plants.
Huitototo
The Muina- huitoto tribe lives in the lower Amazon region of Peru and Colombia deep inside the Amazon Rainforest. The present-day population of Muina- Huitoto people are no more than 6000. They live mainly scattered in small communities around the Putumayo and Caquetá watersheds in Colombia and a small fraction in the Peruvian Amazon.
When we visited the Huitotot in 2017, we spoke to Victoria, a female shaman who told us the following: “Every tribe has its own medicine. The huitotos brought the cocoa and sweet yuca to the people. And that is our medicine. The owner of all, the creator gave us those elements. Rapé came to us from the Tanimuca people, they teach us the rapé and we share the mambe and Ambil. We, the Huitotos reunited with the mucunas, every night when we sit in front of the fire to listen to the elders and get their advice, we share our elements.”
What is Rapé?
Rapé, pronounced ‘ha-pey’ in Portuguese, is a traditional snuff used by various indigenous tribes of South America. Predominantly tribal people from Brazil and Peru. Rapé blends contain a ground mixture of plants, tree bark, seeds, and ash. The fine powder is blown into each nostril through a bone or bamboo pipe called a ‘Tepi’ or ‘Kuripe’. The Tepi applicator is a long blow pipe that connects the nostril of the receiver to the mouth of the person that administers the snuff. The Kuripe is for self-application. The V-shaped applicator connects the nostril to the mouth allowing the snuff to be self-blown into the nose.
Each tribe has its own rapé formula and usually, it is women who gather the ingredients. The selection, mixture, and grinding process are regarded as a ritual only to be performed by a reputable healer. The snuff is typically made in small batches according to the specific needs of the person being treated or the ceremony’s occasion.
The use of Rapé aims to restore our connection to nature and a sense of grounding. It clears mental fog and confusion eliminating negative thought patterns. These powerful snuffs bring about physical and spiritual wellness.
Read more:
Step by step guide to using Rapé.
What is Rapé – Waking Herbs blog
