Igor Domsac / Jairo Lima | March 4, 2025
From January 25 to 30, 2025, in the Sacred Village of the Yawanawa people, in the Indigenous land Rio Gregório, in Acre, Brazil, the V Indigenous Ayahuasca Conference was held. This meeting, organized by the Yorenka Tasorentsi Institute (IYT), the Nixiwaka Institute and the Yawanawa Cooperative (COOPYAWA), brought together 285 participants, of which 207 were from 34 Indigenous peoples from Brazil and other countries such as Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Guatemala, Indonesia, Egypt and the United States. Researchers, Indigenous organizations and institutional representatives also attended.
This conference has been consolidated as a key space for the self-determination of Indigenous peoples and the defense of ancestral knowledge about ayahuasca. At the closing ceremony, the participants approved the Letter of the V Ayahuasca Indigenous Conference, which includes the main agreements, concerns and demands of Indigenous peoples regarding the preservation of their traditional medicines and their right to free, prior and informed consultation.
Two key documents were presented during the conference: the Protocol for Consultation with Indigenous Peoples for Genetic Benefit Sharing, which will be reviewed by the Indigenous communities and proposed to the Brazilian government as a basis for future national protocols, and the Bill for the Protection of Indigenous Traditional Medicines, promoted by the participants and supported by the governor of Acre. The latter seeks the recognition and legal protection of these medicines and will be formalized in 2025 with the collaboration of the Yorenka Tasorentsi Institute prior to its debate in the state legislature.
Key debates: sovereignty, rights and resistance
The issues addressed at the conference reflect the growing concern of Indigenous peoples about the global expansion of ayahuasca and its legal, ethical and cultural implications, as well as the impacts that globalization has on traditional culture and the rules for using indigenous knowledge. Among the main points discussed were:
- Use, shipment and regulation of traditional medicines. The urgency of protecting the right of indigenous peoples to free circulation of their sacred medicines, without fear of criminalization or arbitrary restrictions imposed by States that do not recognize their spiritual and therapeutic importance, was put on the table.
- Traditional knowledge and genetic heritage. The risk of biopiracy and misappropriation of Indigenous knowledge by companies, governments and external actors was denounced. A call was made for the creation of effective mechanisms to guarantee the legal protection of Indigenous intellectual property.
- Use of ayahuasca in the treatment of substance use disorders. Experiences were shared on the therapeutic potential of ayahuasca in the treatment of dependencies within Indigenous communities. This practice was highlighted as a way to reconnect with identity and strengthen cultural resilience.
- The role of Indigenous women. The role of women as spiritual advisors and guardians of life was recognized, highlighting the need to strengthen their participation in decision-making spaces and in the transmission of ancestral knowledge.
- Creation of the Council of Indigenous Spiritual Leaderships. It was announced the formation of an Indigenous council that will work in the defense of Indigenous spirituality and ayahuasca, promoting codes of ethics for its responsible use and combating extractivist practices.
Indigenous Conference and self-determination
One of the most important moments of the meeting was the presentation of the Letter of the V Ayahuasca Indigenous Conference, a collective document that embodies the main demands and commitments of the Indigenous peoples. Among the key declarations, the assembled peoples reject the uncontrolled commercialization of ayahuasca and denounce the growing commercialization of their knowledge and practices. They demand that governments and international institutions respect the right to free, prior and informed consultation, and that mechanisms be strengthened to protect Indigenous intellectual property against attempts to patent their traditional knowledge.
It also proposes the creation of a digital platform to denounce abuses and ethical violations by external actors who exploit Indigenous knowledge without consent or fair retribution. The document also highlights the fundamental role of Indigenous women in the transmission and protection of spiritual knowledge and invites to strengthen their participation in the governance of ayahuasca and traditional medicines.
Next steps: strengthening global articulation
The V Conference not only served as a space for debate, but was also a key moment for charting the way forward. Among the commitments made, the following stand out:
- The organization of the World Ayahuasca Conference in Girona, Spain, in 2026, as a space for dialogue between Indigenous peoples, the scientific community and civil society. This event is the result of an unprecedented alliance between the Yorenka Tasorentsi Institute, chaired by Benki Ashaninka — recognized in the Charter of the V Conference as the reference institution of the movement — and ICEERS, with the purpose of consolidating a front of dialogue and action in defense of ancestral knowledge, the self-determination of Indigenous peoples and the ethical protection of ayahuasca and its traditional uses.
- The first meeting of the Council of Indigenous Spiritual Leaders in Colombia in 2027, with the objective of consolidating an ethical and protective framework for Indigenous spirituality and its medicines.
- The VI Ayahuasca Indigenous Conference in 2027, again in the Sacred Village of the Yawanawa people, reaffirming the commitment to the continuity of this process of resistance and self-determination.
In a global context where ayahuasca has rapidly expanded beyond Indigenous territories, the V Ayahuasca Indigenous Conference left a clear message: the original peoples are not only the guardians of this medicine, but also the legitimate decision makers on its use, circulation and regulation.
Through the Conference Letter, the international community is urgently urged to listen to, respect and protect the rights of Indigenous peoples. This implies rejecting extractivist practices, guaranteeing respect for consultation protocols and strengthening alliances that promote justice, sovereignty and historical reparations.
The creation of the Council of Indigenous Spiritual Leaders marks a milestone in the organizational process initiated in 2017 with the I Ayahuasca Indigenous Conference. As expressed by the leaders present, “this organization represents a fundamental tool to guarantee Indigenous rights and protect their ancestral knowledge and culture.”
ICEERS will continue to accompany this process and support the efforts of Indigenous communities in their struggle for the recognition and protection of their rights. The fifth edition of this conference has made it clear that the future of ayahuasca and its global expansion must be built on respect, ethics and Indigenous self-determination.
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