ABOUT US
HISTORY
Amupakin’s House for Life is a space founded by the dream and determination of Maria Antonia Shiguango. Guided by her parents' teachings, she had the vision to vindicate indigenous ancestral knowledge and create a place where Kichwa midwives could practice their skills and receive fair compensation. Her struggle began more than 30 years ago, during which she dedicated herself to recruiting and training midwives and healers to collectively apply for funding and build what is now our ancestral hospital.
Since 1998, when the association was officially established, we have been committed to preserving and strengthening ancestral knowledge in health and culture, improving maternal and child health coverage for urban and rural populations, and developing healthcare services based on natural medicine.
By practicing our gifts, we keep the knowledge of our ancestors alive, along with respect for the spirits of nature. We believe that the vision of the Amazonian Kichwa people is valuable knowledge that must be rescued from oblivion as a means to achieve Sumak Kawsay, the concept of well-being and balance between humans and their surroundings.
THE TERM 'ACHIMAMA' MEANS WISE WOMAN. OVER THE YEARS, THEY HAVE ACQUIRED 'PAJUYUK,' WHICH ARE KNOWLEDGE AND POWERS GRANTED BY PEOPLE AND PLANTS TO DEVELOP SPECIAL HEALING ABILITIES.
KICHWA ANCESTRAL MEDICINE
The history of Amupakin is a history of struggle for the recognition of true intercultural health in the province of Napo, Ecuador. We believe that opening one’s mind to new perspectives of understanding health is vital to expanding possibilities beyond extractivism and ensuring autonomy for men and women in our territories.
In the ancestral medicine of the Kichwa people, contact with nature through working in the chakra allows access to the power of healing. This knowledge can only be revealed in the spiritual realm and through the transmission of gifts or 'pajus,' passed down from generation to generation.
ELEMENTS OF HEALING
PAJUS
Healing gifts. Powers transmitted from generation to generation, strengthened over time and through special diets. Without them, there is no healing.
AMUS
The guardians of plants. Each plant has a spirit that protects it, and permission must be requested before using it for healing.
NUTRITION
Healing requires a commitment to follow specific guidelines. Achimamas will prescribe a special diet or actions that must be followed.
OFFERINGS
The exchange or payment for health. Whether in goods or money, giving something in return for healing is essential, or the healer may suffer consequences.
THE MIDWIFE MAMAS
I started assisting births at the age of 20. I was born in Archidona. When I was a child, my mother used to be a midwife, but she didn't let me be part of the process because I was too young. A few years later, I moved to Awayacu with María Antonia Shiguango (Amupakin’s founder), and in just six months, she taught me a great deal. My gifts come from my grandmothers, who repositioned babies at home. My neighbors encouraged me to learn healing and gave me their gifts. Once you receive the gifts, you must wait, follow a strict diet, and only then can you begin healing. But it takes at least a year. When I heal, I place my faith in the plants, because it is the spirit of the plant (amo de la planta) that performs the healing. I have been able to cure kidney stones, gastritis, cancer, anemia, epilepsy, and other ailments.
I was born in Puerto Napo. Since I was a kid, I was curious about healing and midwifery, but my grandmother, who was a midwife, didn't let me watch the process. So, I used to hide myself to observe her. One day, she told me that if I was curious, it was because I was meant to learn. She started to teach me. Later, when I grew up, I joined Amupakin to continue learning from the experienced mamas. I was dedicated and followed everything they taught me. I also studied nursing training courses to be prepared in case of any emergency, but my techniques remain traditional. My hands are my main tool.
I started to learn about midwifery with my aunt and grandmother, who were also midwives, when I was 8. Also, my father and grandfather were shamans. Since I was a child, I followed them around trying to learn, but they didn’t allow me to, because I would get sick, until one day they finally agreed to teach me. First, they gave me a drink to purge everything bad from my body so I could start learning. That day, I felt very dizzy and threw up everything. Since that moment, I began my learning journey. I love coming to Amupakin to care for people, so when there are no patients, I feel discouraged. I wish this would change so that our knowledge and culture could be valued.
My mother conceived this project to support vertical births. She always took me with her because she didn't speak Spanish well, and I could translate from Kichwa to Spanish. Since the 1990s, I have been involved with her in securing funding for our project. Initially, I didn't want to be a midwife, but one day, I had to assist my sister's birth and I realized I loved it. Over the years, I have witnessed obstetric violence in hospitals, mistreatment of indigenous mothers in hospitals, and discrimination against midwives. Since I was a kid, I have always fought against injustice so even though I had other jobs I always came back to help in Amupakin. In 2006, I was selected as a secretary and in 2010 I officially started to represent the association. Our progress has been slow but steady. Sadly, many midwives have left because of economic struggles. However, we still dream of strengthening ancestral health for all the communities in our region.
I was born far away, in the untouched jungle. When I was a month old, my family brought me to Archidona for my baptism. My grandmother taught me to heal when I was a child. When sick people came to her, she showed me which medicinal leaves to use. One day, when a sick woman arrived, she told me she would give me "paju" (spiritual healing power), and that’s when she began to teach me. That’s how I came to understand and inherited my grandmother’s power—she was an Achimama. At 20, I traveled to Coca, where I lived for seven years. There, I met a Yachak (spiritual healer), who taught me even more about healing. We first diagnose the illness, and based on that, we determine which plant to use. We use different medicines for each ailment. Because I knew how to heal, many people came to me with severe and complex illnesses. Even today, people come from different places. I have been part of Amupakin since the beginning—Mama Antonia came to see me because I was a good healer, and together, we started gathering more women to preserve our knowledge.
I was born in the Poroto community, where my mother lived. It’s deep in the jungle. When I was 12, my grandfather, who was both a shaman and a midwife, loved me dearly because I was his first granddaughter. He would take me with him when he drank ayahuasca. Out of curiosity, I would always watch, and little by little, I began to learn. He would call me and teach me how to reposition a baby in the womb. That’s when he passed on his gifts to me. He gave me everything: the ability to heal and the knowledge of planting bananas, yuca, and corn—everything is connected to pajus, or spiritual gifts. I can heal certain illnesses as well. Also, I healed my father because he doesn’t trust the health center, and I have also been able to heal other people using medicinal plants. One day, Maruja Shihuango and her husband invited me to a workshop here at Amupakin. Then in 2001, they encouraged me to join, and I entered as an apprentice before becoming a full member. In my community, I also provide care. They call me when wawas (babies) are suffering from mal del aire (malaise) or any other illness. My grandfather himself passed me all these gifts, and with them, I perform cleansings, and everyone has recovered.
CERTIFICATIONS & RECOGNITIONS
PARTNERS
