Our lineage: Ashaninka medicine

Casa de Pawua is part of an ancient lineage of Ashaninka medicine. A lineage and tradition that is guarded and evolved under Maestro Juan Flores Salazar in Mayantuyacu outside Pucallpa, Peru. 

“Pawua” means the creator of all living beings in Ashaninka and it is to honor this tradition that we named our center in Pawua’s name.

The lineage is like a transmission of knowledge from different times - like a thread. A thread that is constantly weaving this never-ending knowledge of the plants. In this transmission of knowledge is where the icaros form and they are very different from any other school or lineage.

How did Casa de Pawua become part of this lineage?

 Our curandero of Casa de Pawua Niño de la Selva once had an ayahuasca vision of his to-be maestro. This mysterious man appeared in his ceremony with three feathers in his crown and a striped kushma (ceremonial gown). The message from the medicine was clear: Niño was to study with him. Prior to this vision Niño had not had any contact or much knowledge of the Ashaninka tribe. So to understand who this man in his vision was, he asked another ayahuasquero who confirmed it was indeed Juan Flores. 

Niño immediately packed his things to go study at Juan Flores’ center in Pucallpa: Mayantuyacu and the way there was far from easy. After spending an extended time at Mayantuyacu with several month-long dietas under his belt and observing the powerful icaros and work of maestro Juan Flores he felt compelled to return to Bolivia to create a branch of this lineage to continue his maestro’s tradition and teachings. This branch is Casa de Pawua.

The importance of having a lineage

At Casa de Pawua we are honored and humbled to do our part to continue the lineage of Maestro Juan Flores.

“Once you find the truth in anything, there is no point in searching elsewhere. You simply find yourself want to share this truth with others. And there are always simplified “versions” of the truth, but the truth remains the truth and there’s a reason why it’s not always the easiest option.”

- Tita, Casa de Pawua

Having a lineage within el camino de las plantas and el vegetalismo is very important. Without the clear guidance, rules and direction of a maestro curandero it is very easy to get lost or confused - or worse - it can even be very dangerous. 

All work done in our lineage is steered very carefully under the direction and teachings of a maestro: nothing is ever done without his knowledge. You can think of the maestro as a surgeon and the students as the nurses. While the nurses help guide the work, every move is directed by the surgeon.

Ashaninka medicine

Our lineage focuses on medicines found in the jungle. This means we work with a vast number of medicinal plants such as different trees, bushes, roots and leaves as well as ayahuasca, wankawisacha and tobacco ceremonies.

We do not work with San Pedro (Wachuma), Kambô or Peyote ceremonies. While we do recognize that these can too be powerful medicines that help people heal they are simply not our focus. It already takes more than a lifetime to understand ayahuasca so to combine studies of ayahuasca with ceremonies from other lineages simply does not make much sense to us as we truly believe each plant should be served completely and with the respect it deserves.

Some principles of our lineage

This lineage teaches us many things, among which include how to learn and grow with humbleness. And most importantly, how to truly heal. Below is a short list of some further principles of our lineage:

• The center is our hospital and when we enter the maloka it transforms into a clinic.

• The plants are our teachers.

• Discipline is very important: you learn with the plants under the teaching of a maestro.

• Everything depends on the dieta.

• Ceremonies have a certain structure to them and every item brought into the ceremony has a specific purpose, there is nothing added to the ceremony in excess. The ceremony is the work and it is not a show.

• We sing icaros, not medicine songs following our lineage.

• It’s all in the practice and there are no shortcuts.

• The importance of the dieta in preparing the patient for their treatments.

• The importance of dosage of different plants, whether they be in ceremonial setting or not or for doing plant baths.

• We are not talk therapists or psychologists, the work is done in ceremony and during the dieta.

• This work is very serious. Just like prior to surgery a surgeon will ask the patient to prepare his or her body by fasting, bathing in alcohol and/or special soaps etc.. In the same way, we expect our patients to follow the preparations that our maestro prescribes.