Waorani Village Expedition GoFundme

Hola from the Amazon!
We are a family of three currently living in a Kichwa Community called Puca Orco near Misahualli, Ecuador. We were recently invited to stay with Waorani people in the deep jungle, to learn the language (almost completely unknown to the outside world), and study with the shaman. I have been fascinated with the Amazon and the Waorani since childhood, so we are very excited about the opportunity, but we have very little money, so we created this GoFundMe.
We are motivated to do this for several reasons. I have been in progressively bad health for many years, and western medicine has offered little in the way of relief. The Waorani have an incredible knowledge of the the healing plants of the jungle so I am hoping that I may find healing with them. I was an ayahuasca facilitator before I became too ill to hold ceremony, so of course the opportunity to learn about the plants with a shaman that has not been exposed to the modern world is incredible in itself.

The Waorani women that invited us also offered to teach us the Waorani language, which ranks as the 3rd least studied language on Earth, with as few as zero (according to these women there are no fluent outsiders) fluent speakers outside of the tribe. It would be a great honor for us to receive this gift.

Also, the Waorani have only recently opened up to outsiders. This particular group has only in the last 15 years started sending a small group of women to town. The men never leave the jungle. They are a barely contacted group, living almost entirely in their traditional way. A way that is threatened. The Chinese mining companies and cattle farmers are destroying huge areas. The jungle is quiet at might; the frogs are disappearing. This is just one of many signs that pollution and other influences threaten the Waorani's ability to live the traditional way. They are hoping that by sharing their message, medicine, and example, with outsiders like myself, they can raise awareness. I have a Youtube channel with nearly 5k subs, and a TikTok with 54k followers and growing. I will document everything and use my social media presence to create a platform for the Waorani to extend the range of their voices. The Waorani are treated as the bottom of the social strata here in Ecuador, and as far as the government is concerned, they have no rights. Nearly 1/3 of Ecuador's rainforest has been sold to Chinese mining interests. We want to do what we can to join the fight to protect the forest, and indigenous rights and culture. They have given us medicines like ayahuasca that have the potential to save our culture. The least we can do in return is not destroy theirs.

We could spend as many as three months in the community, and we will need to bring enough supplies to last us the entire time in the beginning, and also we will need to make a contribution to the community, both in return for living space, and the effort that will go into my healing. At the end of the day, the money that we raise through this GoFundMe will all be given to the community, excepting our travel expenses, and food costs. We are also hoping that the Waorani will benefit from assisting my healing by creating a reputation and attention to their mastery in the way that the Shipibo and other master healer peoples of the Amazon have. Food costs will be minimal since we will mostly eat the jungle.

I am hoping to create an online store where people can buy Waorani artisan crafts and plant medicines to benefit the community as well.

On a personal level, I had a very hard childhood, and reading books about the Amazon and the Jivaro, Yanomami, and Waorani helped get me through it. Having an opportunity to give back to them is priceless.

We are also looking for media partners through which we could raise awareness further and/or funds for this expedition, so please contact us if you have any leads.
We ended up here in Misahualli near the Waorani by pure "chance," and I feel that this serendipity is anything but. We are committed to my healing and to protect the forest. I have absolute faith that they can help me to heal. We cannot rely on the governments and conservation money is already spread thin. Regular people must take action, and we are invited you to support our efforts to do so. You will be able to follow the journey on my YouTube channel. Thank you for considering supporting! Please share!

You can support on Zelle or Paypal here: Blueckers@gmail.com
https://gofund.me/bbac1b39
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