Dag Knudsen, part of our PhotoVogue community, narrates his journey in the Amazon rain forest during which he met the Humi Kuin tribe.
"In January 2023, after recovering from severe and almost fatal illness, my healing journey took me to the depths of the Amazon rain forest. There I spent three weeks visiting three different villages of the Huni Kuin tribe along the Jordáo river in the Acre region of Brazil. After having audience with the village elders in the different villages I was granted permission to photograph the villagers in their daily life.
Residing mainly in the Brazilian Amazon with their territory stretching towards the eastern part of Peru near the Andean foothills, the Huni Kuin, or “True People” (also known as Kaxinawá, “bat people”) hold the title as the largest indigenous population in Brazil s Acre state. These people inhabit twelve Indigenous territories positioned along seven rivers, including the Purus, Envira, Murú, Humaitá, Tarauacá, Breu, and Jordão, communicating through the "hatxa kuin" or "true language."
Despite facing persecution after their first contact with Western society, the Huni Kuin have managed to maintain their traditional way of life and to preserve their valuable knowledge, passing it down to future generations. Unfortunately, exploitation of rubber and latex led to the enslavement of countless indigenous people, causing a prohibition of their culture and language. Yet, the Huni Kuin continued to maintain and practice their traditional ways secretly, a significant part of which involves spiritual practices where they heal using plant medicine. The Huni Kuin have gained mastery in various arts, such as weaving, painting, dyeing, beadwork, singing, dancing, ceramics, history, agriculture, and plant medicine. Passed down from their forest ancestors, they coexist with nature in complete harmony, possessing vast knowledge of the forest s medicinal plants and a spiritually progressed understanding.
The Huni Kuin have long fought for their territory s approval, and their struggle saw fruition in 1991 after the Kaxinawá Indigenous Land of Rio Jordão was approved, restoring their status as the Amazon forest s true owners. This new era has led to a connection with like-minded individuals who have helped find innovative ways to organize and attain their needs. Nowadays, the Huni Kuin are global travelers, sharing their spiritual practices, forest medicine, art, and songs to reconnect humanity with Mother Nature. Their ancient myths narrate that humans and the forest s animals formerly shared such a deep connection that they married and spoke to each other, living together while exposed to the mysteries of the forest.
After returning to Oslo, where I live, I have made a body of work with some of the photos I took during my trip. I am now collaborating with the institute that arranged the expedition into the Amazon rain forest. Instituto Guardioes da Floresta have many years experience with managing and conserving the Huni Kuin culture. They work on different projects to help them with crucial infrastructure such as getting access to clean drinking water and building solar panels for electricity. I currently have one exhibition and I am planning others with the photos from the trip, all of which will raise money for these projects.. The first out is the funding a badly needed fresh water well in the most secluded village we visited near the Peruvian border which is called Novo Segredo."
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Credits:
text and photographs by Dag Knudsen
