As requested, IAmA guy who has traveled deep into the rainforest and lived with the indigenous Huni Kuin people of the Amazon. Oh, and I'm 17 years old. ask me ANYTHING!

did you partake in any ritualistic psychedelic drugs? the call it Ayahuasca i think

I do not consider any of the natural medicines and the spiritual aids of the indigenous people as drugs, but I have participated in many rituals and ceremonies.

ok what was the craziest thing did you see while taking the medicine

The rituals are very personal, and I dont think there is a way for me to explain what people have felt during them. Every ritual is different, calling on memories that never has been experienced, bathing in an ocean of knowledge, unable to swim and trying to keep calm. Also having 30 people singing different verses of the same song at the same time. edit: the songs being in a language you have a hard time pronouncing the name of.

this is the best explanation i could give to someone on how it feels to roll at a rave

I can neither dispute or confirm that, but I would think that would be two very different thing. One focusing on living in the present, partying all night long. The other focusing on spiritual strenghtening and improving, meditation beyond the unmastered minds limits.

Hey man, read some osho. should help you on your journey to self-realization.

I have heard of him and thank you for your comment, I'll check him out.

eh, sorry if I'm about to rain on anybody parade, but honestly, I think chemically they're pretty smiler. Most ravers are honest with themselves realizing that all their doing is temporarily altering the chemistry of their brains for good times.

The villagers on the other hand, are altering their brains chemistry in similar ways, they just like to pretend the experiences they are experiencing are somehow super-naturally endowed and will help them in their conscious life. Which I suppose is true to an extent, in that it helps cement into them an optimistic world view, which no doubt helps them in their concious

Sincerity in belief ≠ Truth. I pity the villager who breaks whatever drug fueled Taboo's this society has, and is punished for it.

Let the down votes commence! And of course, let me end with obligatory, no I'm not some sort of mega-racist who believes white people are better then the natives, I think White Spirituality is equally silly.

As i said, I could not really dispute that, as I know nothing of rolling at raves. You talk pretty ignorant about the ceremonies they go through, even though you seem to know very little of them. Your mind seems set, bt I'll say this. On a more non-spiritual level, raving is to feel good. What they go through in the villages is seldom remotely pleseant. I would say one hears only songs and sounds of strong discomfort throughout the rituals. Throwing up and being unable to walk.

You say they are chemcially pretty similar, what are we comparing?

Awesome pics The parrot you refer to as sometimes a douche. Does it speak? Why is he a douche?

There are many animals that just come out of the forest and lives in the villages. In this area I know of this parrot, a tapir and a boa constrictor. They have as much freedom as the humans in the villages and kinda does what they want. This parrot was hanging from the roof, biting anyone who came close. That applied to everyone, except one shaman who had the parrot climping on him, listening to him sing.

That is very interesting about the diff animals. How big is the boa? So the parrot doesn't really like anyone other than the priest is very interesting. Does it speak?

I never got to visit the villages with the boa (i saw a picture of it once, guessing 4-6ft) and the tapir, but the parrot was mean to everyone else, yeah. It had never even met the shaman. And no, the parrot never spoke.

What languages do you speak?

Scandinavian languages, English, Spanish, Portuguese and learning Hatxa Kuin, the native language of the Huni Kuin people.

How did you learn their language? I guess there aren't any textbooks. Are you fluent? Is it difficult?

Im not fluent at all, but I know how to pronounce the words, and they use sounds unlike any other language I know of.

I know of two textbooks, both very old and very, very bad. Their written language as had several major overhauls, so I rarely use the textbooks.

Im learning the language through songs, and know around 10-20 songs. I'm learning it so it will be easier to communicate with them, as I wish to live with them for quite a while in the future. Here are some of the songs I am learning

http://www.cpiacre.org.br/pdfs/hunimeka.pdf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7E57QKF27U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr_RJHAtm2Y

Damn, I have trouble enough with Spanish. Which Scandinavian languages?

I would like to not specify more than that, but they are all quite similar.

Just curious, why would you be against sharing which Scandinavian languages you speak. I'm totally fine with it, as it is your decision to make, just curious.

To keep what small amount of anonymity I still have

Gotcha. Well I've enjoyed your ama, sir! You should really make a blog or something, it would be very cool to read.

I'm planning on making a video blog while in the rainforest. I will be there for quite an extent of time, and will have internet a few of the days. If I do, I'll link to it from reddit first!

Won't you lose your anonymity once you start your blog?

Then it wouldnt matter. I will also lose it when starting a fundraiser, I just want everything to be in order first.

I have also had Huni Kuin live in my home in scandinavia on three different occations.

How do they adjust to the climate in Scandinavia. It's pretty different from a tropical rain forest. I ask because I went from Southern Florida to New York and it was a ridiculous change for me.

They redefined the word cold to say the least, but we always had layers upon layers when we went out. At one point actually, we bathed in a lake at 2-3 celcius. They are a really tough people, and often seemed to care less about the cold than me.

How was their cultural shock?

Many of them are really calm and it's quite hard to read them. That which really shocked them was all these trees without leaves, and blond hair. Those who had traveled here had seen cities before, but northen forest was quite unknown.

They were less obviously shocked than I was, ellaborating more would just be guessing.

Did you encounter and venomous snakes or dangerous animals?

I encountered two deadly spiders on two different occations, but considering how many there are there, I have been quite lucky.

Reddit likes to joke a lot about how everything in Australia wants to kill you, but I feel like you'd see that death coming from a mile away. The Amazon rainforest, however, I imagine death coming from the shadows. Brush up against a frog you didn't even know was there and BOOM! dead.

When I had one Huni Kuin living in my home, we actually watched a documentary about deadly animals in Australia. We both agreed Australia seemed more dangerous.

In the Amazon, the natives rarely gets killed by animals. Snake bites here and there, but they often survive. The Amazon is more crippling, Australia more deadly. There are stingrays that stings you with poison giving great pain (described as worse than giving birth by a woman i met), insects that go into your eye, some that lay houndreds eggs under your skin, a pile of black larvas that rots off your foot if you step in them, trees with big spikes easely poking an eye out and the smallest cut can make bad infection if untreated. Also crocodiles and stuff, but they are often cool. I also think they kill more Jaguars than they are killed by Jaguars, both happends very rarely.

What kills most is the dirty water they have had to drink 6 months each year for ten years.

Totally what I'm getting at. A Walther PP could effectively protect you from almost anything Australia could throw at you and will comfortably fit in any pocket.

Deadly water, insects using my insides as a breeding ground and flesh eating larvae on the other hand? Scary, scary shit if you ask me!!!

I also thought the egg laying insects sounded nasty. When I actually saw one I just ran. We were in their classroom (like a cave made out of trees and branches) and I just ran away. An other time while I was talking to several of them, I was stung by a huge bee on my hand. I was told my hand would turn into a baseball glove, but I am very resistant to bee venom, and didnt really affect me. Still have a black spot where I was stung, though.

Would be hard to shoot spiders, snakes and sea creatures from Australia with a pistol.

Sorry for the long response times the last hour, been unable to load the page, then some maintanance.

• How did you organize this? I assume most indigenous groups don't just welcome any stranger to live with them.. And what what is the communication like, I read about only very few speaking portuguese or are the Huni Kuin different? I didn't expect them to wear western clothing either

• What are the most remarkable encounters with animals during your time there? How common is it to meet big spiders and poisonous animals? Do they somwhat avoid the huts?

• What is a usual day like and what are 'leisure time'-activities for these people?

• What are shared and seperated activities of men and women? Have there been 'rules' about this?

• How are illnesses (like dengue fever, snake bites) treated? Are there missionaries?

• What are the most interesting things you take out of these experiences? And what has surprised you most in the way of life?

• What is the most dangerous thing that happened to you or that you witnessed?

• I have been interested in some time away from technology and materialism, how would I go about doing something like that?

• One of those I work with has lived a long time with the Huni Kuin people. Every indigenous people in Brazil have very different view on how to handle strangers, and the Huni Kuin are very friendly and open to that which can help them understand the world and the world understand them. I have met several indigenous people from the surrounding areas, none as open and friendly as the Huni Kuin.

• There was a water creature I saw that must have been more than two meters long and very, very wide. No idea what it was. I also had a rabid dog chasing me through a village. Im yet to have a feel-good encounter with a wild animal.

• The men hunt, makes structures (when needed), gather plants they need that are deep in the forest and make the tools the women need. Women makes clothing and jewelry, cooks and takes care of the young children.

• Men and women eat seperatly, some medicines are exclusive to one gender, and the work is often divided as written above. These are more culture ethics than rules, as not all of them are always followed.

• They are quite resistante to many illnesses, and often "ignore" malaria for one. This area doesnt have a lot of dengue fever, and when it comes to venemous animals, I know they have remedies for many of them. I dont know how all of them work, but they have kept them alive for many, many centuries. Some Huni Kuin are christians, which has sadly hurt their culture a lot. Most of them ignores and sends away missionaries as the churches often care more about the little money they make when they are in the cities than about saving their soul.

• Im not sure. This made a harder impact on me than on anyone else I have traveled with. Since the first time I went there, I know I would spend a lot more time there and I will be speaking with the chiefs about moving, and living there for a long time. I was quite surprised when I learned they take several wifes. It is quite rare and all parts has to be willing. The men who wishes to have a second wife must prove that he has the worth of two men, and do twice as much work.

• I was sitting next to a deadly spider on a boat, and poked one that could paralyze me once.

• Im unsure, find something that you love more, travel places where you dont have a choice but to keep away.

Sorry for the long answer, tell me if there is something I missed.

Thanks for taking the time for a long answer :-)

How often do you see those venomous spiders?

How can someone do a travel like this? Are there organizations?

What's on the menu there besides fish? Are there bigger animals you can hunt or are there forms of agriculture?

Do the people sometimes play games or something like that? In what language were you speaking with them or was there a translator with you?

I saw one in a city. It was a jumping spider, if it bit you you would have an erection for a month (xD) and could suffer a heart attack

I only know of myself and the and those I have traveled with that is not a "fake" experience or living in a resort or something like it.

They eat animal except the boa I think. Tapir, capybara, monkey, some snakes, one insect, some other big rat-like animals, jungle deers... cant think of anything else than the boa they dont eat. They rarely hunt jaguar, but if there is a agressive one close to the village or they encounter one while hunting and attacks, it will be eaten as well.

edit: the last question, They play football, and make different flutes, one that is for the nose. There are some toys and games for children, but in the villages you're an adult when you are 14-15 so I never played with the young ones.

What was something that people would usually consider strange but was normal there?

Taking stuff without asking. They would often do what we call steal because martial ownage doesnt really exist there. Things get passed around and sometimes even end up to whom it originally "belonged" to.

That must eat dick. Did you ever loose something of value? Speaking of which was your money good there? If so what was it worth? If not what was the currency?

If I asked for something I lost, it would return to me fast, but I just went with the flow most times. They travel to cities sometimes to get stuff they need, and often sell or trade jewelry. Brazillian currency is the only one they know of, other than trading item for item. I bought a handmade wood sculpture of Yube aibu (the female boa, one of the most important spirits in their religion) made out of the iron tree cumaru. I paid 100 reais, 50-60$. Problems regarding money can occour, so even though it might feel like little to many, it is often best to pay the price they set for it. It will be what they honestly think it is worth.

Did you... did you have sex with any of them?

To do so as a "one night stand" would be extremely disrespectul and probably shorten my life. And no, I did not.

What were your interactions with females your age like? Was there any fraternizing? Friendships?

Either quite friendly or ignoring, a couple of friendships, one thats becoming quite a good friend. A lot of confutsion often, since neither parts speak portuguese that well.

Shorten your life?

Is this a religious belief?

Nope.

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What? No! More like angry fathers and brothers.

What was your most delicious dinner?

Let me say it like this. There is probably nothing there you, or anyone on reddit would find delicious. Capybara is okay.

Edit: Their food is seldom made to taste good. Fruits are always good, but prepared food prepared for its nutrituins, not its taste. I prefer something called caicuma, a mic of potato, corn, banana and peanut, and often consumed liters at a time.

What was the hardest part about living with the Huni Kuin?

Returning to not living with them.

Could you rephrase that? What do you mean --Returning to your biological family? Or leaving them?

I love my family, and my mother traveled with me one of the times, but the rainforest calls to me in a way nothing has ever done before, so what I meant was returning to my biological family.

How did you end up there?

This has been through a project that I lead and organize with a few others. Cultural exchange between europe and Brazil.

Have you seen some shit? please, stories will be appreciated.

The last time I was there, I had to leave a couple of weeks earlier than planned. I had gotten really ill, unable to consume anything other than coconut water without throwing up. I couldnt even drink regular water. It took nine days before I could eat anything. Other than this, it has been as safe as it could be, I think. They know how to live in the forest, and are extra cautious when there are guests living with them. Im also not sure what kind of shit you are asking for.

What were you sick with? Was it diagnosed?

I inhaled too much of a toxic smoke, making everything i threw up green.

Was this toxic smoke part of a ceremony?

Nope. It was a medicine to cleanse your body, not psychidelic. You inhale a little, and you will be purified. You inhale too much, you get really, really sick. No one told me when to stop so I just went on inhaling. The Huni Kuin are kinda funny that way.

Yeah, I think you really need to work on learning their language better so you can figure out what they are saying... but I am just guessing....

We had been speaking in portuguese for several hours before that. They just decided not to tell me.

It is a part of the culture to get first hand experience of the medicines, because one who is to teach others must know what he is speaking of. It is also quite a decleration of trust. Here in the cities we keep everyone from doing things we dont think are safe, often because we have been told the same.

I was with a family that lived alone in the forest, and they trusted me to be able to get through the process. In hindsight, I could have died, but all is good now.

Did this tribe wear any clothing? What did they know about the outside world?

They often wore clothes, either city-made or weaved by the women of the villages. Even so, their culture doesnt really care about that, and some decades ago they usually never wore anything. This territory is actually only ten years old, so the older ones knows quite a bit, but little of world history.

I'm 19 and I want in on this. What do I need to do?

Im unsure where you should start. Search the internet. I would recommend somewhere else than the Amazon, as gaining entry to indigenous villages is extremely difficult, if not impossible by yourself. Asia, Africa, google knows.

edit: saw now you wanted in on this, not do something like this. You can write me an email on [email protected], tell me a bit about yourself, and your thoughts on the rainforest and indigenous people. Where do you live?

Why did you travel there?

The first time because I was given the idea, than cirumstances made it possible. The second time since it was awesome the first time.

first of all: that's awesome dude! im from the northeast of brazil but never went up to the north (only down) so im not familiar with anything at all :/ but hey, the huni kuin are a potentially welcoming people? or they don't like "visitors"? i mean, since there's such a few indian reservoirs today in brazil and they keep on declining...

They are welcoming compared to other people, but I dont think you would be able to just enter their territorries alone. And all this takes place in Acre, so it's not that much north. I cant really tell you a way to gain entry if you wanted to, maybe if you meet some indigenous and they somehow invite you.

Do ladies like foreign?

Some girls in the cities kinda liked it, but the indigenous girls rarely showed affection.

what was your biggest fear and did it come true?

Pain doesnt really scare me anymore, but dying some horrible death from poison, venom or bleeding out doesnt seem so appealing.

edit: hasnt happened yet.

What led you to being a explorer/adventurer?

I always wanted to travel to south america, the mountains being my origanal idea. I had planned to finnish school first, but the idea was presented to me before that. Making it actually happen was surprisingly a very smooth prosess.

Suddently my view on the world was totally changed, and I just want to return to the raindorest.

How did these opportunities present themselves to you?

A lot of seemengly random encounters, ideas and... stuff. It's a really long story, but it was all made possible by our contact who had lived with them for many years. If not for that person, this project wouldnt even be an idea.

Getting funds from organizations wasn't really hard, but one would have to know one with a personal relationship to many indigenous leaders to be able to be invited to their villages.

• are they a peaceful people?
  
• are they in danger of losing their land/way of life at all?

• They are the most peaceful people in the area. There are many people there as well. Down their generations, they have stories from their times with the Inca people. They would come and often take women, kill young ones... the Huni Kuin seemed to have some kind of understanding with them, where they lived in the Inca cities. I dont know how the other people handled them, except one particular people that joined the spannish on their quest to kill them all.

• Their land, yes, and with their land a big part of their way of life. They have several territories and many villages in each territory. Between these villages, there are often also other tribes which is fine, but also farms. Brazillians who cut down the forest for their cattle. What me and those in my project wish to do, if we ever get enough funds for that, is to buy the forest around their terretories, and make it theirs. Their terretories are also waaaay too small for how many people living in them. The territory I visited is only ten years old.

Not that long ago they had no territories, and all lived in the cities. It has been all up to the elders to remember their language and culture, as they were forbidden to speak of either while in the cities. Parts of their culture and languages are already lost, and they are still recovering, learning from the Huni Kuin from other territories to gather all they know about their ancestors way of life.

What does your name mean?

My reddit username xinu bake means son of a monkey, the -ki at the end is like "i am" or something like it.

I was given the name Shane, by a shaman, (two syllables sha-ne. the "e" pronounsed like "ea" in learn.) which is a very rare bird. It doesnt have another name except in some few indigenous languages, as its existance hasnt been verfied by society. Might have gone extinct sometime the last 20 years.

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what?

I wish more people could have respect for other cultures like you do. Do you live in the village with them? Or somewhere else and then travel to the villages each day? And do they have internet, plumbing, electricity, and things like that in the villages?

Hehe, so do I.

I am not currently in one of the villages, but will be traveling to one in a little under 2 months. When I have been there, we have traveled between villages, so that all of them could be included in the project. We mostly stay in the biggest one, where people from many villages would stay to do activities with us.

When I'm going now, i will mostly stay in the village deepest into the forest, three days up stream from the closest town, close to a territory of an other people.

The deepest village has internet, but they have had nothing to go online with. We manage to buy several computers for them and sent them with those who visited us when they returned to the forest. There is no plumbing, and electricity is scarce. They have generator that uses fuel gasoline, and one of our top priorities is to get some solar or water based generators.

One of the villages actually has one phonebooth. It's quite funny looking; rainforest, rainforest, river, indigenous village, and suddently a phone booth. Sadly it works only about 50% of the time. The same with the internet. Always funny to skype with someone deep into the rainforest though.

Would you consider studying/working as an anthropologist, or something similar? And good on you for being so open and daring to experience different cultures at quite a young age!

The thing is I would have to learn about a lot of other people as well, which is interesting, but I would rather return to the Amazon. Im actually planning on taking a bachelor in game programming, as that is something I want to work with, and maybe see my chances on getting a degree in astrophysics after that.

Who are all the people in the photos?

I think you need to take an athropological lingusticts course or two!

Did you see any fights amongst the People in the tribe, or between 2 tribes?

Me and some people from the projects/the Huni Kuin men playing football taking a break in one of the photos.

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1atlw2/as_requested_iama_guy_who_has_traveled_deep_into/c90yk4p

Never seen a fight, and only heard of 1, which was in an other territory 15 years ago. They are not a warrior people. There are many tribes in the area, but only one is a warrior people. No one else fights, and all the tribes they use to battle with are extinct.

First, thank you for doing this AMA and congratulations on having had such a meaningful cultural exchange, especially at such a young age.

*Do you think it would be more difficult for a woman to do the same as you are doing?

*Could you tell us more about the loss of their lands? I'm slightly aware of Brazil's notorious logging and deforestation. Is this what you refer to, or is there more going on? What do you think could be a solution? Etc.

*A friend of mine has a website that focuses on cultural exchanges and languages. She's lived in Brazil before and I think she'd be fascinated to talk to you. Would you be willing to do an interview with her at some point? Can I pass along your e-mail or skype handle to her?

• In a way. There has been women traveling with me both times i have been in the villages, but here's the thing. It is a big part of the Huni Kuin culture that men and women do different things. They are equal, but not the same, and therefore do not do the same things. So depending on what gender you are, there are things you wont see. Even so, if you are a girl visiting, you are more likely to be allowed to join the activities of the men than the other way around.

• I would say that currently for the Huni Kuin, the problem isnt losing land, but not getting more. The land they were given is way to small, and they are too many people living in a small area. Traditionally they were a nomad-like people, moving around. Now they are trapped in a territory too small for them. There are many non-indigenous families living around the native territories, often destroying parts of the forest to have cattle. The best solution I can thing of would be to buy them out and give the land to the indigenous. The problem is that it would require a lot of funds.

• She can contact me on [email protected]. I think I'd be facinated to talk to her as well, I would just like some more info before I give her my personal email or skype. Sounds cool though, could I get the website's address?

What did you expect to learn from this experience that would make up for the time you lost in civilization and compensate for the money spent getting there?

A lot of the expenses have been covered by different organizations supporting the projects, been getting ca. 18 000$ each year the last two. I dont really consider my time away from civilization lost, as there was nothing more meaningful I could have been doing during my visits to Brazil. As I wrote in an other answer, I am planning to return and stay longer, possibly a couple of years. This is more than an experience to me, more like finding a second place I feel at home.

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I would say the shamans are there to help you when you need it and answer your questions. They seldom tell people directly what to do or think, making the Huni Kuin religion very unique and versatile. Everyone has a slightly different view on the world, somehow binding it to one collective view. Some of them are very serius, living alone in the forest, and others equally wise are very humorus and spends some time in the cities as well.

It is a part of their culture to downplay the powers of a shaman (the shamans does this as well), and they believe the Mukaya, a shaman who is master of all energies, a sorcerer of sorts, are extinct. The pontential existance of this shaman also stops them from interacting with huni kuin and other tribes that never has had any contact with civilization. They tell stories of those who brought sickness by pointing a finger, and making organic matter rot instantly with a touch.

How far do they project themselves mentally? In all humility, it is impossible for either of us to know.

Did you find out el dorado?

Sadly, no.

ever bang one of the natives?

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1atlw2/as_requested_iama_guy_who_has_traveled_deep_into/c90o46o

This URL actually reveals which Scandinavian country you are from. From what I understand, you want to keep it a secret.

Why, thank you.

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Im not sure if you're mocking me...

Anyways, no I'm not. The most impressive i personally know would be a hunter I met in one of the villages. He had a wife, three daughters and one granddoughter. He was around 40 years old. Every day he would work either with what the village needed him to, or make amazing wooden art. Chairs that formed like different animals keeping you up, smaller figures as well. He sold them in the cities to support his family. Every night (every single one) he would go out hunting for the village. Often the younger men hunt in the evening, but he would go around 12am, 1 hour to where he would hunt, hunt for two hours and then return. He slept 2-4 hours each day, maybe also taking a nap between village work and hunting.

He was once tracking a tapir. When he finally cought up to it, a spotted jaguar had already slain it. It wanted to protect its prey, and attacked him. He killed it, and brought both back. His wife made a necklace out of the jaguars smaller teeth, and I she sold it to me. I use it everyday, and that guy is the most impressive person I know.

Lol, figures that you discover reddit at one of your low points in life.

Touché

USING IT WRONG. GAHHH

Well shit.

Do your cankles bother you?

I first thought you ment some kind of insect, I checked the word and now I'm unsure of what you're asking