Our Story
Our Story starts in the Jungle, nestled amongst the trees of the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest...
Timeline
What Tantamunay have done in the last 7 years in response to the Call from the Shipibo Collective Heart.
2014-2016
One Day in 2014, I met Isabelle and Dorethea the first Shipibo Sistars with whom I am still dream weaving. Isabelle asked if I could help her sell her Shipibo tapestries. I was not money abundant at that time but time abundant and was willing to be of service, so I looked into how to help her. A friendship was born that birthed into beginning of cocreation between Tantamunay and 4 Shipibo Families. During this time I received a request for clothes and as I had designed my own clothes, this birthed the Tantamunay Shipibo Clothing range in Partnership with the Shipibo. It was small beginnings to the bigger dream we are now stepping into and whilst birthing this stage my natural way was to of saving a percentage all income which began from my time in India, to give away was guided by a voice and a feeling inside that the donation part of any sale was for something bigger, little did I know what was coming, but Ayahuasca knew….
2016-2019
So when Tantamunay went to the jungle in 2016, it was not for Ayahuasca like most seekers, it was to be curious about how the clothing project could be of service to the Shipibo and explore the issues surrounding deforestation. We connected with 50 Shipibo Families in an Indigenous meeting of women and began cocreation where we found they were interested in receiving work, but had little interest in speaking to deforestation and cultural issues. We left the meeting feeling a little disheartened and went to the banks of the Ucayali River and asked WHY AM I HERE!
In that moment, I looked up and saw Lucia and she invited me to her home, which at that time was a single hut in the jungle which housed a deeply humble Shamanic Family. That invitation began a journey with the Sacred Plant Medicine, Ayahausca, with cocreating an Ayahuasca Retreat Centre that still stands there now, of plant dietas and a journey of healing and stepping into deeper and deeper understanding of the souls calling, to be of service to the Shipibo Village and the Sacred Plant Medicines to which they are connected.
On Meeting Maestro Leonardo, he shared his dream, which was:
‘ Before I leave this world, I would like to see my daughter have a place to share the Sacred Medicine Ayahuasca with the world. To heal the people of the West of their sickness‘’
Tantamunay heard and fulfilled this dream
During this time period the sale of clothes, tapestries, fundraisers and the founders personal funds were used to create money abundance for all of the resources needed to build an Ayahuasca Healing Centre for everyone to be able to access. The space was created around the philosophy that medicine and healing are our birthright and run as the cheapest retreat centre in Peru, which was achieved through the service of Tantamunay to the family. All of the money, for the first 2.5 of 3 years of service, went to the family and Tantamunay served as a bridge of connection for the family to connect with those in need of healing and as a facilitator and coordinator for Ayahuasca Retreats. It was an honour to be of service to Ayahuasca during this time and what was gifted by the medicine, Maestros and the plant Dietas was beyond anything that could be imagined, Tantamunay is humbled by the lessons of this time of service.
With deep respect for all of the lessons learnt in that space that serve as a strong foundation for this weaving
In Addition to funding all the resources for the Healing Centre Tantamunay also:
Preserved 15 Hectares of Jungle land, returning sovereignty to the Shamanic Family
Replanted Ayahuasca and Chacruna as these Sacred Plants are in decline due to the rise of Shamanic Tourism
Coordinated a Relief Package replacing food, clothes and Kitchen Equipment for the Downriver Community of Awaupa after a fire destroyed a large section of the community killing several people.
Replaced a community boat that was stolen
Funded a Building in the community of Awaupa to serve the community and the retreaters attending the downriver Retreats
The plants work slowly and it has taken several years to process all the guidance from the plants dieted, ceremonies sat in, life lived and information received by Tantamunay’s founder to bring forth the clarity for this new dream of coming together with love to birth Tantamunay today.
2019-2021
In 2019 Tantamunay served as a Bridger to the Shipibo Mythology and Shipibo Childrens Education working in Partnerhsip with Canadian born Illustrator Brad McCloud and the UGEL (Peruvian Education department) to cocreate an Educational Resource with the Shipibo FOR the Shipibo. The changing world slowed movement on this project and Tantamunay are Currently (2021) in the Jungle again to continue forward. Read more
Part of this project was to spend 2 weeks filming with Brad Macloud and his team for footage sharing the Shipibo Myths and Legends which was also planned to serve as film to be made by Brad for his Masters in Documentary Film. Sadly the University would not allow Brad to make that film, claiming that he was culturally appropriating the Shipibo through offering them a medium by which they could share their voice. Tantamunay are now exploring other funding streams for this film to be made. Read More
Throughout all of this Journey, Tantamunay have been in service of anyone who has crossed the souls path, since receiving the message from Maestro Leonardo, ‘when they come, help them’ this has been the continued Journey of service expressed through all of Tantamunay’s work.
2022-Current
Tantamunay continue to be of service to the many Shipibo Communities along the Ucayali River supporting women within those communities to have sustainable and culturally appropriate work, through their artisan crafts.
Rachel Tantamunay is now deeply honoured to be in service of the Shipibo Family Jochipapanete where she delights in applying her cultural awareness to the birthing of a new Ayahuasca healing Centre, alongside Shipibo Healers. For Tantamunay it is deeply important that the Shipibo Lineage be supported to honour fully their purest essence and apply their innate Tribal Wisdom to all that they do. Tantamunay trust deeply in the divine alignment of this connection where Shipibo and the West can work together as one, to cocreate a healing centre in service of the Global Collective, where we may always remember that we are all sovereign and all equal, with much to learn from each other.
The fertile soil of the life expressed through Rachel Tantamunay has prepared her for this role in the centre, to coordinate retreats, connect deeply with all retreat participants, to share wisdom from the Shipibo Lineage in service of the Global Collective, to facilitate and support the Medicine Journey’s of anyone seeking healing and liberation from grief and trauma. Rachel Tanatmunay has been trained by Ayahuasca to serve as bridge between the worlds, between the Western world and the Shipibo World, between English and Spanish and between the world of Ayahuasca and the weaving and integration of her wisdom to this earth. Tantamunay continue to be curious about how best to be of service to the future of the powerful lineage of the Shipibo-Konibo in all ways and trust that the way will continue to be shown as the life unfolds and the Medicine guides the way.