Our Artisans

RainbowBridge works with indigenous artisans who are often in dire need of a platform to sell their art. Right now supporting these communities is crucial so that they can protect themselves, their families and elders from COVID-19 as these communities rely on tourism and are not supported by their governments or most NGOs. Many of our artisans live in indigenous villages, often isolated from major towns and selling their art is often their only source of income. Some of our artisans are also spiritual leaders or healers in their communities. By supporting them through the selling of their art, we also support the work they do in their communities. Learn more about who we work with below.
About Our Artisans

YAWANAWA, BRAZIL

 Waxy Yawanawa along with her sisters were the first Yawanawa women in history to undergo the Yawanawa’s rigorous shamanic initiation. Before Waxy and her sisters women in the Yawanawa community were primarily seen as mothers, sisters, wives, homemakers, and caregivers. Thanks to Waxy, her sisters, and their spiritual training which lasted many years women in the Yawanawa culture have been elevated to a level of equality that is often not seen in other Amazonian cultures. Today Waxy is one of the few Yawanawa women to be a community chief (Cacique), and is actively working to raise funds to further develop her healing center Mawa Yuxn. Mawa Yuxn represents one of Waxy’s dreams to create Yawanawa cultural, spiritual, and healing center so that she may receive visitors from the outside world to receive spiritual healing, and to experience the Yawanawa culture.

 

Wixrarika, Mexico

Hermenegildo Nazario Yuitia, Wixrarika medicine man and traditional musician, singer, and apprentice of elders and mother nature comes from the community of Santa Catarina Jalisco town Pueblo Nuevo Jalisco. Buying his craftwork helps support the primary and secondary education of their community, with materials and resources to support the expenses of the schools, also helping single mothers and the elderly. It also supports the Jicareros (prayer people, medicine men, and guardians of the peyote).

 

 

Huni Kuin, Brazil

Txana Nawâ and his family Txana Huya Huni Kuin live in the aldea caucho in Acre, Brazil where rapé is traditionally made. These ancestral medicines are used for the protection of the physical and energetic body. Through artisanal production and sharing of these traditional medicines, wisdom and knowledge revive and strengthen the culture of the Huni Kuin people.

 

 

Kuntanawa, Brazil

Roberto Kuntanawa has been working with plant medicines since he was a child and for the past decade has been a student of the world renowned Ashaninka curandero (healer), Benki Piyãko. Roberto is a skilled artisan and curandero has undergone some of the most rigorous Amazonian initiations to be a healer. He is an expert at making rapé, kuripes, and kashimbos (shamanic pipes). We are proud to support Roberto and the Kuntanawa community.

 

 

Aruhuaco, Colombia

We support the handcrafts of the Arhuaco Women’s Collective and community of Inkarua or “Los Besotes”, near the city of Valledupar.

This land and its sacred sites in Los Besotes is a place of resistance. It was recovered by the Arhuaco people by buying it back from ranchers whose activities had severely degraded the soil. When the government wanted to make a dam and flood that whole territory, a few families decided to go live there to protect their land and its sites from the powerful interests that are unable to understand the catastrophic consequences to the whole Sierra Nevada that the Mamos foresee.

The project had to be stopped not without constant retaliation and harassment by the authorities. Today, by doing their traditional spiritual work, nature has recovered in extraordinary ways, but the proximity to the city and the poor farming soil makes life very difficult for these brave people and their many children that heroically protect this emblematic place of resistance.

 

 

Shipibo, Peru

In a collaboration with Shinan Visionary Arts we are proud to be supporting the women in villages near Puculpa by purchasing their embroidery work. Teresa Silvano and her daughters Emily and Luz provide most of the embroidered textile work. Revenue from these pieces go into projects that build houses, wells, provide tuition and technology and garden projects in the communities.