DAMINI RAMIWA
INDIGENOUS ART SCHOOL @ AMAZON RAINFOREST, ACRE, BRAZIL
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“OUR ART HAS DEEP SACRED MEANINGS, CONNECTING US WITH THE FOREST AND OUR SPIRITUALITY”
about
Damini Ramiwa is an Art School founded in 2018 led by a group of indigenist artists and activists in partnership with Yawanawá, Huni Kuin and Shanenawa leaders of the Amazon Rainforest, Acre, Brazil.
Art is a fundamental element of indigenous identity and spirituality, materializing a whole cosmology, an aesthetic vision and a particular way of relationships that involves plants, animals, and beings from the spirit world.
The kênês (sacred geometries) are an emblem and a language, expressing a profound and direct connection to nature.
Indigenous people in Brazil have been facing invasions to their land and genocide for many years. Today, we are lucky that these cultures and languages still exist in the Amazon rainforest, thanks to the resilient leaders that fought for their people. We are now living in a moment of cultural revival, recovering the ancient songs, herbal medicines, traditional arts, and understanding how these ancestral cultures can help people all over the world to reconnect with their own human essence and Mother Nature.
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DAMINI RAMIWA MEANS ART THAT IS TRANSFORMING, BRINGING THE HISTORY OF THE PEOPLE AND THE HEALING OF SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION.
Our Mission
We aim to honor and value indigenous culture and history, by fortifying indigenous voices and artistic expression in both contemporary and traditional settings.
Damini Ramiwa spreads seeds of beauty and harmony, in the development of projects such as: Art Workshops in indigenous villages with both adults and children, Formation of Indigenous Art Professors, Local and International Art Exhibitions, Spiritual Retreats in the heart of the Amazon.
We work with a clear set of values promoting integrity, acceptance of diversity, and peaceful and balanced relationships. Our roots are carved in harmonious interaction and a deep respect for traditional knowledge, spiritual studies and a healthy and clever integration into contemporary contexts.
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WE MAKE PAINTINGS, ART CRAFTS, SING AND PRAY TO PLANT SEEDS OF INSPIRATION AND POSITIVE CHANGE IN THE WORLD.
WORKSHOPS
Visual art workshops are held with an integrative, intuitive and collaborative approach. In this creative space we seek a flexible and understanding flow that allows for the natural individual process to unfold.
We share ideas and visions towards a more harmonious humanity. Each one has their own unique and particular way of seeing the world, and we learn to value the forms of each artist, and get inspired and motivated together.
HUNI KUIN
ART WORKSHOPS 2018, BOA VISTA VILLAGE AND PONTO DE CULTURA KAYATIBU, ACRE, BRAzIL with the huni kuin peoples
The Ponto de Cultura Kayatibu is a Cultural Centre based in Jordão, Acre, led by Txana Tuin Huni Kuin. Here, the young generation of Huni Kuin artists and musicians gather to keep their culture and traditions alive and in constant transformation.
A 2x1,50 mts collective painting was made by Edilene Yaka Sales, Aselino Tuin Sales, Isaka Huni Kuin and our project director Delfina. This painting shows the ancient story of the Jacaré Bridge, when the people crossed the river and the different nations where created.
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At Boa Vista Village, Jordão, artists from various villages came to make paints with natural pigments during a 10 day workshop.
shanenawa Peoples
ART WORKSHOP APRIL 2019, SHANEKAYA VILLAGE, ACRE, BRAzIL with the shanenawa peoples
Mukani, Edna and Sapuani Shanenawa are the powerful female force and leaders of the Shanekaya Village in Feijo, Acre.
The whole village was invited for a one-week workshop where we explored the natural pigments of the area, drawing techniques and new methods such as acrylic on canvas.
YAWANAWA
ART WORKSHOPs May and November 2019, Nova Esperança VILLAGE, ACRE, BRAzIL with the Yawanawa peoples
We had two 10 days fruitful workshops with over 15 participants, children and adults. We explored painting with the natural pigments of the area, such as curcuma, urucum, jenipapo, charcoal, and plants from the rainforest.
We expanded our studies of the yawa kênê, the sacred geometries of the Yawanawa, in a deep journey into the cosmology and spirituality of a nation.
The kênês are a symbol, an emblem and a language. They bring the energy and connection to the beings of the rainforest. They can be received through visions, dreams, animals and plants. The kênês translate the invisible world into the material realm.
We had a workshop right before the Yawa Festival, celebrating the culture of the people and uniting several villages in dance and song.
support us!
We are currently planning to continue with more workshops during 2022/2023, after a break due to covid-19. Please donate to help us fundraise for the villages and indigenous artists!
We make paintings, workshops, songs and arts in hope that they may bring seeds of inspiration and positive transformation to the world.
Your donations will help to cover essential costs of the workshops that are fundamental, such as food for the participants. For indigenous people in the Amazon, if they are not working for their food and sustainability every day, then they need further support to keep their children well fed and things in order in the village! We also cover costs of materials, transportation, and to the infrastructure of the villages, for instance in the maintenance of the Art Houses, bathrooms, etc.
We intend to spread to other lands the teachings and healing that the forest has brought us. May the sound of the birds, the dance of the wind, the embrace of the earth and the flow of the rivers connect and fortify this great network and current of relationships.
With Gratitude!
Damini Ramiwa Team