Knowledge Share Description
Join Sápara healer and land defender Tania Montahuano Ushigua for a conversation on guayusa and tobacco.
Guayusa is one of the most important and sacred plants of the Amazonian peoples. More than an energizing beverage, it is a plant of gathering, wisdom, and spiritual connection. Before dawn, when the forest still rests between darkness and the songs of the first birds, families gather around the fire to share a cup of guayusa.
As they drink its infusion, they recount the dreams of the night, interpret their messages, and make decisions for the day ahead. It is a time of learning, deep listening, and the transmission of knowledge between generations. Elders share stories, guidance, and teachings that strengthen community life and nurture a respectful relationship with the natural world.
Guayusa provides energy to the body and clarity to the mind, but it also strengthens the spirit. For this reason, it has accompanied hunters, leaders, wisdom keepers, and entire families for centuries as they prepare for the activities of daily life. Its leaves hold the memory of the rainforest and embody a way of understanding the world rooted in respect, observation, and harmony with all living beings.
For Amazonian peoples, guayusa is not simply a plant—it is a teacher that invites us to dream, reflect, and walk through life with wisdom.
We will gather to drink guayusa in a circle learn about the plant, their medicinal properties, and the important role that this plant plays in fortifying the spirit to defend territory. Tania will also be sharing about the importance of tobacco for the Sápara, the medicinal properties, how to process and prepare tobacco.
Date: Sunday July 19, 2026
Time: 3:00pm – 5:00PM EST
Cost: Sliding Scale $100 - $200
Location: Plants to the People Farm
We will explore:
The cultural, medicinal, and spiritual significance of guayusa and tobacco within the Sápara tradition
The guayusa practice of dream sharing, reflection, and community gathering at dawn
Guayusa's medicinal properties and its role in cultivating clarity, resilience, and a strong spirit and land defense
The importance of tobacco as a sacred medicine, including a conversation on its traditional preparation and processing
The relationship between plant medicines, dreams, and the defense of Indigenous territory
Sápara perspectives on reciprocity, kinship with the forest, and caring for the Amazon through ancestral knowledge
Stories and teachings from Tania's lived experience as a Sápara woman, healer, artisan, and land defender
Who this Knowledge Share is For
Herbalists and plant medicine practitioners seeking to deepen their understanding of Indigenous plant knowledge
Students of herbalism, ethnobotany, ecology, and traditional healing practices
Educators, organizers, and community leaders interested in land stewardship and cultural preservation
Those who wish to cultivate a deeper relationship with guayusa and tobacco
Anyone interested in learning directly from an Indigenous knowledge keeper and land defender.
People seeking to explore the connections between dreams, spirituality, plant medicine, and the defense of territory
Those committed to approaching Indigenous knowledge with respect, humility, and reciprocity
Anyone curious about the cultural, medicinal, and spiritual significance of Amazonian plants
Cost
$100 - community
$150 - standard
$200 - pay-it-forward (if you have financial abundance, this is our pay-it-forward option to fund our full tuition scholarships)
Accessibility Information
Spanish to english interpretation will be available
Sunday July 19, 2026
3:00pm - 5:00pm Eastern Standard Time
This is an in person gathering that will be taking place outside at Plants to the People Farm in West Saugerties, NY.
We will be sitting in a circle on the ground. Chairs are available for those who need them, please let us know.
Compost toilet onsite, drinking water and cool tea will be available during our time together
Facilitator
My name is Tania Montahuano Ushigua. I am a woman of the Sápara people, a people of dreamers who have learned to listen to the voices of the forest, the rivers, and the spirits that inhabit our Amazonian territory.
I was born and raised among the songs of birds, the sound of trees swaying in the wind, and the wisdom of my elders. From a very young age, I accompanied my mother, a wise woman and traveler, who taught me that the forest is not only the place where we live, but also a great school of life. With her, I learned to weave handicrafts and to understand that every fiber, every seed, and every design carries a story, a memory, and a message from our ancestors.
My people, the Sápara people, face the danger of disappearing, yet we also carry an immense strength: the power of dreams. From childhood, I participated in spaces of learning, leadership, and territorial defense, understanding that to protect the forest is to protect our culture, our language, and the future of those who will come after us.
Today, I continue walking with my mother's dreams in my heart. Through my handicrafts, I share the knowledge of the forest and support the work of women, men, girls, and boys in our communities. Each piece that we carry beyond our territory is a seed of our history, a way of keeping our identity alive and creating opportunities for our families.
I am the mother of six children, and they are one of the greatest forces that inspire my struggle. I work for their dreams, for the dreams of my people, and for the dreams of many women who, like me, believe in the life that is born from the forest. My hope is that future generations will continue to hear the language of the trees, the song of the rivers, and the wisdom of our ancestors.
My favorite color is Amazonian green because it is the color of life, hope, and the forest that raised me. It is the color I carry in my spirit and the one that guides every step of my journey as a Sápara woman, artisan, defender of the Amazon, and guardian of the dreams of my people.