The Siona tribe, residing in the Putumayo region of the Amazon rainforest, holds a deep and ancient connection to Yagé, also known as Ayahuasca. For the Siona people, Yagé is a sacred medicine, a gateway to the spiritual realm, and a conduit for communing with ancestral spirits.

My name is Aristides Piaguaje.

I come from the Buena Vista community. I am “Jai Ziaya Bain" people, and I am a true indigenous person. My last name is Piaguaje Ocoguaje. I am from the people of the land and people of the water. Those are our family names. I have been taking medicine since I was a child. I have been taking remedy with my grandparents, with my father, with my mother, and well, with the elders who lived in that time. They are no longer with us, but here we are, as they say, the last ones remaining. That is why I invite all the companions, because the medicine is very sacred, full of wisdom, understanding, reflection, clarity, tranquility, and joy.

Everything comes to you when you take the medicine. That is when you realize how we should appreciate each other as brothers and sisters of this world, all of us who live here. The remedy shows us the wisdom that medicine carries. That is why we indigenous people continue taking the remedy, to stay aware of what is happening, what diseases are coming, what diseases are present—so many things in this world. That is why we take medicine, to cleanse the place where we live, making prayer, liberation, and everything I mentioned earlier.

I am very grateful If you come to take the remedy of Yagé, you will see for yourselves what medicine is. Medicine is a plant full of wisdom and spirit, like when you are talking with someone, and they explain things to you, advise you, and guide you. There are so many things it teaches you. That is why I invite all the companions to come and take medicine, to find love, clarity, tranquility, and all those things. I am thankful that you extend this invitation to me, and I am very grateful. I will help in any way I can.

You should not be afraid of the medicine, because it is like offering someone a cup of coffee that you prepared with your own hands. We also bring medicine to share, just like you would prepare coffee and offer it to us. Have confidence, because we prepare it ourselves, we plant it, and we have it. There is no need to fear medicine; it is all about trust. That is why we bring the medicine, to take it with all the faith and love we can. That is what I wanted to share with you. SURUPA (thank you)