The Vision

A Kupixawa (shuhu) for Timbaúba Village

For the Noke Koî people of the Brazilian Amazon, a Kupixawa (shuhu) is not simply a building. It is a cosmos made physical — a sacred cultural center that holds the community's songs, stories, medicine, and memory under one roof. It is the ceremonial heart of a community, a living space where knowledge breathes from one generation to the next.

The Timbaúba Village currently holds all its ceremonies outdoors. In rain. Under the scorching Amazonian sun. Beneath the stars. The community's resilience in the face of this limitation is extraordinary — but the absence of a proper cultural center means that elders cannot transmit knowledge in the full ceremonial context it deserves, that younger generations miss the embodied experience of their heritage, and that the Noke Koî's capacity to sustain their traditions is constrained by physical circumstance.

"This is where the songs come alive. It is where we remember who we are."
— Cacique Paka Kamãnawa, Chief of Timbaúba Village

This fundraiser exists to change that. We are raising $175,000 to fund the design and construction of a permanent Kupixawa (shuhu) Cultural Center at Timbaúba Village — built using traditional techniques, local materials, and the hands of the Noke Koî community themselves, supported by resources that come directly from people who care about indigenous sovereignty and cultural continuity.

Cacique Paka Kamãnawa at Timbaúba Village Children of Timbaúba Village
The Noke Koî community of Timbaúba Village, Acre, Brazil

Who Are the Noke Koî

A People of the Forest

The Noke Koî are an indigenous people of the upper Juruá River basin in Acre, Brazil. Their territory is the Gregório River Indigenous Land, a stretch of ancient Amazonian forest that has sustained their culture for millennia. "Noke Koî" means "our people" — and within that simple phrase lives an entire cosmology of relationship, kinship, and belonging.

Their ceremonial life centers on Uni — the sacred medicine vine — through which txanas (ceremonial singer-healers) receive songs, visions, and teachings from the forest itself. These songs, called Txirîtí, are not composed in the ordinary sense: they are received. Each one carries knowledge, healing, and connection to the living world.

The Noke Koî also carry the Kene — intricate geometric patterns that encode cosmological knowledge into visual form. Seen on pottery, bodies, and weavings, Kene is a living language that has been passed through Noke Koî women for generations. It is one of the most sophisticated visual-knowledge systems in Amazonian culture.

What We're Building

A Cultural Center, Built Right

The Kupixawa (shuhu) we are building is not a museum piece or a tourist attraction. It is a working ceremonial and cultural space — designed by the Noke Koî for the Noke Koî — that will serve the community for generations. Construction will draw on traditional architectural knowledge, use locally sourced materials wherever possible, and prioritize the involvement of community members throughout the build.

Kupixawa (shuhu) Cultural Center design — Timbaúba Village
Architectural design for the Kupixawa (shuhu) Cultural Center at Timbaúba Village

Funds are administered through Mothers of the Amazon Inc., a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and disbursed directly to Timbaúba Village with full accountability and community oversight.

Your Questions

Frequently Asked

All funds are received and managed by Entre Mundos' parent nonprofit organization, which maintains full financial accountability. We disburse funds directly to Timbaúba Village in agreed tranches tied to construction milestones, and we publish updates — including photos and community reports — to all donors throughout the process. Paka and the village leadership have direct input into every disbursement decision.
Yes. Entre Mundos operates as an initiative under a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations made through our Givebutter page are tax-deductible to the full extent permitted by US law. You will receive a donation receipt automatically.
Every dollar raised goes toward construction regardless of whether we hit the full $175,000 goal. A phased build is possible with partial funding — and we will work with the community to make the best use of whatever is raised. If for any reason funds cannot be used for this specific project, donors will be contacted directly and offered a full refund or the option to redirect their gift.
Entre Mundos was founded in 2025 by Veronica Hernandez and Wesley Parker, who have worked alongside the Noke Koî since 2023. Our model is built on a principle of indigenous sovereignty: we do not speak for the community — we listen to them and channel resources at their direction. Cacique Paka Kamãnawa is a partner in this initiative, not a subject of it.
Absolutely. If you're interested in a major gift, in-kind support, or a longer-term partnership with Entre Mundos and the Noke Koî, please reach out to us directly at hello@entremundos.org. We welcome conversations with individuals, foundations, and organizations who want to go deeper.