Elders

Aniwa Gathering 2025 Elders

Maestra

Chief

Ajareaty Waiãpi

Waiãpi

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Brazil

Ajareaty Waiãpi was born in the Tumucumaque Mountains in the Amazon forest in an isolated community on the border of Brazil and Suriname. Her native village is still so isolated that it takes a month to get there and a month to get back, as one needs to travel by 4x4, boat, then walk in the mountains for over a week and ride another boat for several days before trekking again. Ajareaty is the most respected Waiãpi women’s leader. She has unprecedentedly been elected a village chief and is known to be the Waiãpi’s greatest woman herbalist. She learned Portuguese in her fifties to make sure she would teach her people's wisdom to young Waiãpi who have lost contact with their native language. Her story has been featured in The Guardian and on NBC News.

Maestra

Chief

Biruany Huni Kuin

Huni Kuin

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Brazil

Biruany Huni Kuin is a prominent spiritual leader who combines leadership, spirituality, and empowerment within her cultural context. As a representative of the Mawa Isa Keneya group, a collective of female spiritual leaders from Pinuya Village, she holds a pivotal role within her community, where she leads and oversees spiritual practices. Biruany is widely recognized for her groundbreaking achievements. She is notably the first Huni Kuin woman to lead spiritual works and engage in pioneering studies, challenging traditional gender roles and expectations. Beyond her village, Biruany's influence transcends borders. Her international travels have enabled her to mesmerize audiences with her powerful voice, which echoes the beauty, charm, and feminine force of the forest.

Maestra

Chief

Bixku Huni Kuin

Huni Kuin

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Brazil

Bixku Huni Kuin is a respected leader in Pinuya Village, known for his strong commitment to his community and indigenous heritage.He currently serves as the vice president of their local NGO, where he leads projects to improve the lives of local families. He also plays a key role in organizing retreats and festivals, which are important events for preserving their traditions. With the trust and respect of both his community and elders, Bixku embodies a deep connection to the wisdom and traditions passed down through generations, rooted in his years of experience. Together with his wife Biruany, he advocates for the recognition and preservation of indigenous traditions, sharing the Huni Kuin culture and spirituality not only within Brazil but also on a global scale.

Maestra

Chief

Edina Shanenawa

Shanenawa

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Brazil

Chief Edina is from the Shanenawa people of the Brazilian Amazon. She is the daughter of the revered pajé Shuayne, the oldest Shanenawa pajé at 103 years old, and midwife Txira. Both her parents are considered living libraries of indigenous wisdom. As the firstborn among her sisters, Edina inherited her father’s extensive knowledge and began her spiritual journey at the age of 10. Today, she serves as the chief of the Shane Tatxa Kaya village. Edina is also a dedicated healer who works with traditional forest medicines, continuing the rich heritage of her ancestors.

Maestra

Chief

Elewoká Waurá

Waurá

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Brazil

Eleowoká Waurá, once the greatest huka huka wrestler of his generation, was called to the shamanic path after a sudden collapse during training. As he was carried home, he began to see spirits surrounding him. Though treated, his condition didn’t improve—his true healing came only through accepting his spiritual calling. Eleowoká became an apprentice, first to his father and later to other pajés, learning to work with sacred tobacco to maintain connection with his guardian spirits. His deep training culminated in a months-long dieta, during which he forged powerful relationships with healing spirits. Initially guided by the Great Monkey Spirit, he is now also supported by the Capuchin Monkey, Anaconda, and Tapir Spirits in his healing work. In addition to being a respected pajé, Eleowoká is the founder and chief of Ulupuene Village, established with his brothers and children over 15 years ago in the Upper Xingu, Mato Grosso, Brazil.

Maestra

Chief

Gaston Jean-Baptiste (Bonga)

Haitian

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Haiti

Gaston Jean-Baptiste, known as "Bonga," is a musical virtuoso and master of the Afro Haitian drum who has been performing and studying traditional Haitian drum, dance, and song since the age of seven. He began playing drums in his family's peristil in his hometown of Croix-des-Mission in La Plaine, an area of Haiti rich in culture and history. A dynamic performer, accompanist, session player, and educator, Bonga works on stage, in the recording studio, and in educational settings. He is one of the few drum experts and craftsmen outside of Haiti who continues to build traditional drums using centuries-old techniques. Bonga is also a custodian of a voodoo temple inherited from his father's side, reflecting his deep spiritual background. As a Haitian priest and community leader, he is responsible for addressing the community's needs and for healing the sick. His family has a profound connection to voodoo traditions, and they taught him how to work with spirits and understand human nature. Bonga performs ceremonies and annually returns to Haiti to take care of his temple.

Maestra

Chief

J. Salvador Valdez Armenta (Chava)

Mayo Yoreme

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Mexico

J. Salvador Valdez Armenta traditional musician, deer singer and deer dancer of the Yoreme tribe of North Sinaloa in Mexico. “Walk the red road.”

Maestra

Chief

Juan De Dios Kucho

Quechua / Aymara

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Peru

Kucho was born in Cusco and grew up around Machu Picchu. An official tour guide for 20 years, he is best described as a “magic guide.” For over 30 years, he has worked with the Sacred Master Plant Wachuma, guiding others through its profound healing with integrity, clarity, and joy. Having lived most of his life in Machu Picchu, Kucho has built a deep connection with the Apus (Mountain Spirits) and other sacred sites across Tawantinsuyo through spiritual pilgrimages. He practices and teaches the Andean cosmovision, guiding those seeking wisdom. Soon, he will open Inti Wasi, a center for learning and cultural exchange with spiritual teachers from the Andes and beyond.

Maestra

Chief

Kapi Waurá

Waurá

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Brazil

Kapi Waurá is recognized as one of the greatest pajés (master shamans) of the Upper Xingu, alongside her husband, Eleowoká. Her initiation began as a young woman when she encountered a hummingbird while collecting fruit—an omen that marked the onset of a powerful spiritual illness. Her body weakened, and she began to faint and see visions of spirits who revealed her destiny as a pajé. Though she initially resisted, there was no turning back. She underwent rigorous diets and initiations, but the path deepened when she became even more ill. It was then that she learned to work with sacred tobacco and sought guidance from her husband and other experienced pajés. During extended periods of isolation and diet, she connected with her principal spirit allies: the Jaguar and the Whirlwind Mask. Through this profound journey, Kapi Waurá emerged as a powerful healer and spiritual leader in her community.

Maestra

Chief

Khurelbaatar Khuramkhann

Mongolian

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Mongolia

Khurelbaatar is a legend in Mongolia, known as the shaman of the shamans. He incorporates an ancestral spirit called Spark, he has 11 kinds of ethnic spirit guardians from the Xiongnu empire. A master of meditation energy and bone setting. He is the head of council of Mongolian Shamanism as well as the group ‘The Destiny of Shaman” . Khurelbaatar is also the president of NGO ‘Undes Ugsaa” and president of Tengerleg Mongol association of shamanists of inner and outter Mongolia.

Maestra

Chief

Kumu Ramsay Taum

Hawaiian

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Hawaii

Mentored and trained by respected kūpuna (elders), Ramsay is a practitioner and instructor of several Native Hawaiian practices: Hoʻoponopono (stress release and mediation), lomi haha (body alignment), and Kaihewalu Lua (Hawaiian combat/battle art). Kumu Taum in 2009 was recognized and honored by the University of Hawaii as a Star of Oceania, an honor presented every three years to extraordinary individuals of Oceania for their work and service-related contributions to raising greater awareness of Oceania and its people to the nation, region, and world. Kumu Ramsay is recognized locally, nationally, and internationally for transformational leadership in sustainability, cultural, and place-based values integration into contemporary business models, Ramsay Taum advocates team building, strategic partnerships, community brilliance, and creative thinking. He is a recognized cultural resource, sought after keynote speaker, lecturer, trainer, and facilitator. He is especially effective working with Hawai‘i’s industries where he integrates Native Hawaiian cultural values and principles into contemporary business.

Maestra

Chief

Kurikindi

Kichwa

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Ecuador

Maestra

Chief

Laura Lopez de Fernandes

Shipibo

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Peru

Maestra Laura, a Shipibo Onanya (healer), is from the Shipibo community of Roaboya near the Ucayali River in Pucallpa, Peru. Immersed in plant medicine from a young age, she began dieting plants with her grandparents at age 10 and started her apprenticeship at 16. At 20, she traveled across Peru with her mother, Maestra Ynes, offering plant medicine and ayahuasca ceremonies. Over the last 15 years, she has worked alongside her mother at their family center, Niwe Rao Xobo, and at renowned healing centers in Peru and abroad. Laura carries deep ancestral wisdom and is known for her powerful ikaros—medicine songs sung with love and devotion to support healing in her patients.

Maestra

Chief

Lila Lopez Sanchez

Shipibo

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Peru

Maestra Lila (Canajisbe), a Shipibo Onanya (healer) from Roaboya, near the Ucayali River in Pucallpa, Peru, was immersed in plant medicine from a young age. Raised by her grandparents—respected healers—her path deepened at 13 after a mysterious illness left her bedridden. Under the care of her mother, Maestra Ynes, she dieted the powerful Catawba tree and fully recovered, marking the beginning of her healing journey. Though she once resisted the path, motherhood reaffirmed her calling. Lila has since worked alongside Maestra Ynes at Niwe Rao Xobo and at other renowned centers in Peru and abroad. A specialist in warmi icaros—songs of love and healing—she now leads her own master plant dieta center, Samatixobo, near Iquitos.

Maestra

Chief

Mamo Duavico

Arhuaco

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Colombia

Maestra

Chief

Mamo Rodridgo

Wiwa

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Colombia

Mamo Sewigu Kakamukwa (Mamo Rodrigo) descends from a long lineage of Mamos, with spiritual leaders in every generation of his Kakamukwa family. Before being ordained at the headwaters of the Jerez River, he served as a respected educator and community leader. Mamo Sewigu was first a Maestro—a weaver, storyteller, musician, and teacher—entrusted with creating sacred objects and preserving cultural knowledge. As a Maestro, he wove the walls of temples, crafted traditional hats, and made Carrumbos, sacred spindles used by young women to spin cotton. In 2007, he founded the first bilingual school within his reservation to teach Spanish, math, and traditional knowledge, helping prevent youth from leaving their community and ensuring cultural continuity. Mamo Sewigu has also worked as a nurse for the Colombian Public Health Department. His fluency in Tayrona languages and deep understanding of Wiwa and Kogi territories allows him to serve as a powerful intercultural bridge.

Maestra

Chief

Matzuwa Oscar

Mayo Yoreme

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Mexico

Matzuwa Oscar comes from the Yoreme people, deer nation of Sinaloa, Mexico. He has been a pilgrim of Wirikuta desert since 2005, learning within the Wixarika tradition, he has taken the sacred oath as a Mara’akame, or spiritual leader. Matzuwa has undergone various initiations and vision quests which also granted him the fire to run sweat lodges. Matzuwa is an anthropologist specialized in traditional medicine, and a traditional singer and musician. Matzuwa's passion for culture exchange took him around the world, where he shared and learned from different indigenous communities. Inspired by his experiences, he established the Huya Aniwa Institute, dedicated to implementing sustainable land stewardship and sacred medicine conservation practices. Through the institute, Matzuwa continues his mission to honor and protect the Earth's natural heritage while nurturing cultural diversity and traditional knowledge.

Maestra

Chief

Mukany Shanenawa

Shanenawa

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Brazil

Mukany is a respected pajé (spiritual leader) of the Shanenawa people. She comes from Shane Tatxa Kaya, also known as the village of women. She broke long-standing traditions within the Shanenawa community, where only men could become pajés. Her father, the 103-year-old pajé Shuayne, passed all his wisdom to his daughters, having no sons. Mukany began her spiritual studies at the age of 13, embarking on a path that blends tradition and transformation.

Maestra

Chief

Nana Amalia Tum Xinico

Maya Kaqchiquel

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Guatemala

Nana Amalia is a gifted healer, naturopath and renowned spiritual leader and teacher, member of the commission of the sacred sites in Guatemala – COLUSAG, founder of the elder council Iq’B’alm, member of council of elders and political association of maya women MOLOJ, spiritual assessor of association of women KAKLA. Nana Amalia works alongside her husband Tata Mario on healing, purification and spiritual balancing ceremonies, Maya astrology readings amongst other traditional practices and ceremonies.

Maestra

Chief

Papali’i

Polynesian

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Polynesia

Papali’i is a Polynesian traditional leader from the Samoan Islands with deep genealogical ties across Oceania. A regenerative development advocate, he weaves traditional wisdom, cultural values, and spiritualism with modern science and technology. A Suli Matua (senior heir) of the Sa Malietoa Talavou warrior King line, he was conferred the Papali’i title in 1980. Raised in a cultural and spiritual worldview that honors the Earth as his Mother, his umbilical cord was ritually buried in sacred ground at birth. His i’ike (attunement to mana) aligns with the regenerative wisdom of his open-ocean voyaging ancestors. Papali’i cherishes the legacy of Salamasina, the only queen of Samoa. Though an heir of a warrior line, her wisdom reshaped the values of conquest into leadership rooted in Tofa (wisdom) and healing, guiding his vision for Oceania today.

Maestra

Chief

Sisiwá Waiãpi

Waiãpi

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Brazil

Sisiwá Waiãpi was born in the isolated Tumucumaque Mountains in the Amazon forest in French Guiana and immigrated to Brazil when he was already known here as one of the greatest healers of his people. He narrates he began to be prepared to be a pajé by his grandfather, a famous pajé himself, while Sisiwá's mother was still pregnant, when his grandfather began passing on to him powerful prayer songs which heal troubled pregnancies and incurable illnesses. At 10, Sisiwá was already initiated in the Waiãpi medicines as well. He belongs to one of the most traditional indigenous groups living in Brazil’s most preserved Amazonian state: Amapá. As a spiritual leader he is part of the Waiãpi Council of Elders. Sisiwá communicates exclusively in Tupi.

Maestra

Chief

Tata Mario Simon Ovalle Chavez

Maya K’iche

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Guatemala

Tata Mario is a renowned spiritual leader, naturopath, painter and talented traditional musician, he plays the marimba, drums, caracol and flute. Founder of the council of Ajq’ijab’(spiritual guide) Iq’ B’alam and Accessor of Indigenous Townhall of Santa Lucia, Utatlan, Solola. He gives conferences about medicinal plants, Maya cosmolog y and history, identity and rights of indigenous people, he’s also a primary school teacher. Tata Mario works alongside his wife Nana Amalia on healing, purification and spiritual balancing ceremonies, Maya astrology readings amongst other traditional rituals.

Maestra

Chief

Warren Eugene Roberts

Thunghutti / Bundjalung

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Australia

Warren Roberts is a proud Thunghutti and Bundjalung man focused on creating connection and unity between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous Australians. He has been fortunate enough to work alongside esteemed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders, who have encouraged him to reflect on the importance of respecting cultural protocols. His focus is to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to build their own capacity to be self-determining by organizing within the community itself, while also creating spaces in the broader Australian society through relationships with non-Indigenous communities and organizations (including government). Warren’s community organizing is facilitated through ancient cultural practices of storytelling and yarning, which he learned from his Elders. He continues this tradition through his day to day life and YARN Australia, the organization he founded in 2007.

Maestra

Chief

Yaukuma Waura

Waurá

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Brazil

Yaukumã is the son of two of the greatest pajés (master shamans) of the Upper Xingu region and is their apprentice and translator. Learning from his father and mother since an early age, the deep wisdom of “double shamans” which means having the power to dream and a deep alliance with spirits of nature, as well as intimately knowing all of their sacred healing plants. Yaukumã accompanies his parents as they serve many Xingu communities, and works to preserve their culture for the next generations.

Maestra

Chief

Ynes Sanchez Gonzalez

Shipibo

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Peru

Maestra Ynes (Xawanjisbe) is a Shipibo elder and one of the last highly knowledgeable Onayas (healers) of her people. Born in Roaboya, near the Ucayali River in Peru, she began training with medicinal plants at 14 after falling seriously ill. Guided by her grandfather, Maestro Aurelio, she healed herself and chose to follow the curandera path. Ynes later trained in isolation for over two years and continued her diets with her great-grandfather, Meraya healer Luciano Sinuiri, and her mother’s uncle, Maestro Basil Gordon. These elders passed down their sacred plant knowledge to her. Ten years ago, Ynes founded Niwe Rao Xobo, a healing and master plant dieta center, continuing her ancestral healing tradition.

Maestra

Chief

Zaga Josafina

Wiwa

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Colombia

Zagas are the female counterparts to Mamos—more than leaders, they are keepers of ancestral wisdom and embody the Light in times of darkness. Chosen by divination while still in the womb, Zaga Josefina began her spiritual training from birth. As a central figure in her community, she guides young women through vital rites of passage such as first menstruation, childbirth, and motherhood, offering both practical and spiritual support. She is a Priestess, medicine woman, botanist, midwife, massage therapist, weaver, storyteller, counselor, seer, diviner, musician, and respected Elder. In addition to officiating weddings, baptisms, and funerals, Zaga Josefina is renowned for her expertise in cleansing and protecting the energetic body. She uses sacred plants like aguarrinchi and Frailejón to clear negative energies and crafts powerful talismans, known as seguranzas, that offer protection to those who carry them. Through her many roles, Zaga Josefina preserves cultural memory and brings healing to her people.

Turtle Island Elders (U.S)

Austin Nunez

Tohono O'Odham

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United States

Austin is the elected chairman of the San Xavier District, one of eleven districts of the Tohono O’odham Nation in southwest Arizona. He has served continuously since 1987 and is now in his eighth four-year term. Before his election, Austin worked with Save the Children’s Arizona Indian Nations Office and the tribe’s Community Development Program. He also chairs the Indian Land Working Group, focused on restoring indigenous land and promoting its management by Native communities. Additionally, he is active in the Native American Church of Southern Arizona, leading sweat lodge ceremonies, blessings, and prayers for various events within and beyond his community. His work reflects deep dedication to cultural preservation and indigenous sovereignty.

Grandmother Clara Soaring Hawk

Ramapough Lenape

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United States

Grandmother Clara Soaring Hawk is a former chief and presently Ramapough Lenape Nation ambassador. An elder, spiritual advisor, public speaker, artist, activist and teacher of all truths as they are received from the Creator and the ancestors. Grandmother Clara has been facilitating ceremonies both nationally and internationally since 2013; at a multitude of events and spiritual gatherings. She has supported and takes an active role working with the youth. Grandmother Clara defines herself as a spiritual ecologist. "In this time of global turmoil, we must be open to a new level of consciousness." "I stand for the Water. I stand for the Land. I stand for the People. I RISE for the next SEVEN GENERATIONS!" KIiloona Lunaapeewak - We are all one People

Grandmother LánéSaán Moonwalker

Yoeme

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United States

Grandmother LánéSaán Moonwalker is an oracle, healer, spiritual teacher, artist, and environmental guardian. She began her training at age 12, guided by her family of curanderas—traditional healers blending Native and Catholic practices. Her mother, a spiritual artist, was her first teacher, initiating her into creative expression as a path to spirit. LánéSaán is a gifted weaver, painter, dancer, and singer, and holds a degree in humanities and visual arts from the University of Colorado. A licensed minister for over 42 years, she also serves as a Canon in the Brigade of Light. She studied with renowned spiritual leaders including Joseph Rael (Beautiful Painted Arrow), Eric Tao, and Marian Starnes. In 1987, she met her mentor Tu Moonwalker, an Apache elder and great-great-granddaughter of Cochise. Together, they founded the Philosophy of Universal Beingness within the Whole—a system rooted in sacred relationship with nature. LánéSaán carries both Tu’s lineage and that of her Yoeme grandmother.

Jerry Nelson

Diné (Navajo)

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United States

Jerry Nelson is from the Diné Nation (Navajo), from Whitecone, Arizona. He has been a Native American Church Roadman for the past thirty-eight years with his wife, four children, and twelve grandkids. He is a medicine man and a counselor, helping people in his own traditional ways of prayer. He runs traditional tepee and sweat lodge ceremonies as well as spiritual doctoring work.

Joe David Osage

Cheyenne

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United States

Arrow priest and holder of the blue sky bundle of the Cheyenne. Born in western Oklahoma, Joe David is full blood Tsitsistsas (Cheyenne). He was raised in the community known as Red Moon, Hammon, Oklahoma. Joe David has lived the traditional Cheyenne life from birth, hearing the stories of many aspects of his peoples travels through time and across the continent. He has participated in the sacrificial rites that give him great responsibility to his people. He was seated as ceremonial chief as well as earning the position of one out of sixteen sacred arrow priests and more recently, was appointed as the holder of the blue sky bundle, the second highest position in the Cheyene tribe, making him the keeper of blue skies - the one in charge of the weather and rain prayers.

Mona Polacca

Hopi/Havasupai/Tewa

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United States

Mona is a Hopi Native American spiritual elder and water protector from Arizona. She has worked to further social justice for indigenous people from an early age. She is an author in the field of social sciences, has held posts of responsibility as Treasurer for her tribe, served on several committees for Indigenous Peoples within the United Nations and is widely known for her leadership in the Native American revitalization movement. Mona has gained international recognition for her work as a founding member of the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers - a group of spiritual elders, medicine women and wisdom keepers founded in 2004.

Patrick Scott

Diné (Navajo)

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United States

Patrick Scott, a gifted spiritual leader and hat’aalii, provides Hozhooji, Protection Way, and Blackening ceremonies. Born and raised in White Mesa, Arizona, he primarily spoke Diné until high school. While still in school, he began making fans, later pursuing his art full-time after graduating from NAU in 1995. Initially known only to family and friends, his work soon gained worldwide recognition. Today, his creations are in major museums, including the Gilcrease Museum and the Smithsonian’s Museum of the American Indian. Patrick crafts ceremonial prayer fans, gourd rattles, staff sets, and drumsticks valued in Native American ceremonies. Following three medicine people, he became a spiritual leader dedicated to his community. Now a husband, father, and grandfather, he continues serving White Mesa by building a nonprofit to support his people.

Rupert Encinas

Tohono O'Odham

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United States

Rupert sat with and learned from traditional medicine men from a young age through all night ceremonies. He was then educated at Haskell Institute in Lawrence, Kansas, where he started to learn from other tribes. In 1979, Rupert met a Lakota Spiritual Man in Oregon who introduced him to the sweat lodge and to his first Sundance in Green Grass, South Dakota. From there on he continued to be connected to sweats, pow wows, sun dances, Native American Church and his tribe’s traditional ceremonies. In 1999, Rupert went with five tribes to Estonia to share his spiritual ways through the sweat lodge and tepee. Then he started to go solo to present on native spiritual teachings. Rupert has been to Estonia, Finland, Norway, Copenhagen, Poland, Germany, Switzerland and India. He continues to make his pilgrimage every year and enjoys the way of life he lives to this day.

Twila Cassadore

Apache

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United States

Twila Cassadore (San Carlos Apache Tribe) has been working with San Carlos Apache, White Mountain Apache, and Yavapi peoples for the past 25 years, addressing health and social issues. She works on a number of community and cultural preservation projects- reconnecting the local youths with their ancestors' way of life and diet, she is also a professional caterer. Twila is the founder and face of the grassroots organization “Native Mothers Against Meth.”

Pomo elders will be attending the gathering to offer a land blessing and share the history and significance of the land with participants.
In respect for the Pomo elders’ cultural protocols and values, their names will not be shared publicly.

Aniwa Gathering 2025 Elders

Turtle Island Elders (U.S)

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