Ayahuasca: Bark

Yube Inu was sleeping after taking the sacred brew when a bogó woke him up. “They are coming to eat you,” said the fish, “you better run.”

He went back to the surface and hid amongst his people. But one day, near a river, Yube Inu was attacked by a boa. The snake was his daughter. She called her two brothers and they started devouring their father. Yube Inu screamed, but before help arrived, he struck a deal with his children.

“We will take your legs,” said his daughter, “but the rest of you will be intact, so you can teach our ways to your people before you die.”

When his relatives arrived, Yube Inu taught them about the sacred brew and how to prepare it: “Take leaves of the inãi kawa bush, water from the river and bark of the nixi pae vine. Boil them and drink it.”

Yube Inu died and from his corpse grew all the ingredients.

This was how the Huni Kuin learned to prepare their nixi pae brew. They use it to heal their bodies, souls and learn from the spirit of Yube Inu.