Mano Churuwia
Our medicine man and guide Mano is a shaman initiated in the tradition of the Shuar nation from the Upper Amazonian forest of Ecuador. Mano has been studying with various master shamans from Ecuador, Peru and Mexico for over 20 years and has received the blessings of all his masters to offer the work with plant medicine from the North and South American traditions. Mano has been guiding ceremonies for many years within the authentic traditional framework. However, through his mixed European and Mexican descent, he has a deep understanding of the modern, western mind and lifestyle and in his work builds seamless bridges between the ancient traditions and modern humans. Mano is a keeper of the Sweat Lodge and a certified ‘traditional doctor’ in Mexican healing modalities and herbalism as well as a bodywork healer. He is a member of various indigenous councils in North and South America who advocate for indigenous rights and the freedom to use medicinal plants.
Upon much request for apprenticeship, Tata Mano has started passing on the teachings from his lineages in recent years to various students in western countries.
Medicine Man, Traditional Doctor & Herbalist
We also offer private/individual ceremonies in the Netherlands, Mexcio and Switzerland upon request
Banu Ishtara
Medicine Woman, Healer & Ceremonialist
Banu started her work with plant medicine since she was 16 years old and had her first experience with the grandmother medicine 10 years later in 2006. She has been trained to work with this medicine within a branch of the Brazilian Santo Daime church for over a decade. She is used to highly dynamic ceremonies with large numbers of people accompanied by live music, dance and healings. Guided by Spirit, she loves to work actively with people during the ceremony using plant medicine as a key to their subconscious where true healing can take place. A ceremonialist in heart and soul her passion for the healing arts has driven her to study various modalities with a preference for modern methods of trauma healing. She follows the latest science in this field and offers a holistic approach.
Banu has an MA in Sociology of Religion, specializing in the Sufi Spiritual tradition of Iran. Since 2007, she has been leading Sufi Ceremonies as well as performed as a Sufi dancer on various stages around the world. Also in her career as a DJ she has travelled extensively and led dance ceremonies since 2003. In the last years the medicine has brought her the gift of music and she has devoted herself fully to creating (mostly) Persian Medicine songs.
The ceremonies we offer are a combination of ancient wisdom combined with cutting edge knowledge of the human psyche and plant medicine research.
Banu is the organizer and co-facilitatir of the ceremonies in the Netherlands.
Kintianua Chiriap
Medicine Woman, Indigenous Rights Activist
Medicine Woman, Indigenous Rights Activist
Kintianua Chiriap is a direct descendant of the Shuar people of the Ecuadorian Amazon — a guardian of her ancestral lineage and a transmitter of sacred knowledge. She is dedicated to
promoting holistic well-being, cultural awareness, and the preservation of the spiritual traditions of her nation.
Kintianua has been co-facilitating our ceremonies together with Mano and Banu since 2025.
Since childhood, Kintianua was guided by her father, a highly respected master within the Shuar tradition, who introduced her and her siblings to the sacred practices and ancestral wisdom of their
people. From the age of eight, she began her spiritual path through direct experiences with Natem (Ayahuasca). Under her father’s guidance, she gradually deepened her understanding of the many plant teachers that are part of Shuar healing and cosmology.
At the age of nineteen, after a personal health challenge, she decided to leave her university studies and fully dedicate herself to the path of shamanism and healing.
Through her father’s extensive cultural work and teachings in Europe, Kintianua was introduced to different countries and worldviews. Her travels to the West have profoundly transformed her perception of life and inspired her to bridge ancestral knowledge with the modern world.
Since 2018, Kintianua lives in Bern (Switserland), she works as a holistic therapist, accompanying people through processes of healing and personal growth that unite Shuar ancestral wisdom with contemporary
therapeutic approaches. Alongside this work, she has become an active cultural leader dedicated to fostering dialogue between the Amazonian and European worlds. Kintianua is currently the President of the Shiram Yaa Foundation in Ecuador, an organization committed to the preservation of Shuar art, knowledge, and spirituality. She is also Co-founder of the Yankuam Association in Switzerland, where she serves as an ambassador of Shuar culture in Europe.