ISKU VEKEHUHU means Sons of Isku or The Heirs of Isku in honor of the grandfather of Chief Isku Kua, who had the same name.

The ISKU VAKEHUHU Cultural Center is being opened in 2022 in Aldeia Nova Esperança - Acre/BR - Amazônia by the chief Isku Kua. This cultural center will benefit more than 200 children and youth, and focuses on advancing Yawanawa spirituality and language, creating a space for children and youth to study the sacred diets of their people, a central element within Yawanawa spirituality.

Since the first contacts with the western world, the Yawanawa have been losing their original language, using Portuguese more and more. Nobody abandons or gives up their mother tongue because they want to. There are several factors, situations, contexts, trajectories that lead an individual to lose their language.

Today, many young people are more connected to Brazilian and international culture than to their own education and language, which has meant a growing loss of their traditions. All the support of our national/international team is to get to the root of the problem: there are still remnants of cultural genocide in today's youth and it is the young people who suffer most from the cultural pressures of the western world.

The language of a people is its root, by preserving the language we keep the Yawanawá cultural tree standing and vigorous.

In this sense, cultural centers for the rescue of the language are crucial to create a sacred space for the remembrance of their ancestral customs, helping to reinforce cultural pride and restore the dignity of indigenous identity. They are places of study and celebration, helping young people to see and honor their ancestral customs. In this space, the Yawanawa language can be taught through music, but also with the presence of older teachers who are fluent in the Yawanawa language.

Who is Isku Kua?
Isku Kua, son of chief Nixiwaka. For many years he has supported his father in the administration of the main affairs of the village. Today, he is chief of the Nova Esperança village, with a population of around 300 people. Isku Kua represents the younger generation and has passed the highest initiations within the Yawanawa tradition. He is also a talented musician, having adapted many traditional chants for the guitar and travels frequently to Europe and the United States to share the culture and spirituality of his people. isku acquires a deeper knowledge of its culture with each passing day due to his commitment to studies and his conduct of the Uni ceremony impresses even the Yawanawa elders.

How will the resources be used?
The ISKU VEKEHUHU center needs support to complete the construction.
Required amount: BRL 50,000.00
Budget:
22,000 for 48 mattresses
11,000 to structure the kitchen
16,000 for electric
Institutional Support: Guardians of the Forest Institute.