Maima María Manesita Queta & Taita Luis Alberto Queta
Description
Maima María Manesita Queta is the sister of Taita Mayor Querubín Queta Alvarado, the 108-year-old chief of the Cofán tribe from southern Colombia. She will be accompanied by her son, Taita Luis Alberto Queta. Their community lives in the Ukumari Kankhe reservation in Nariño, just beyond the Putumayo county border, and carries an unbroken lineage of Yagé oral traditions spanning more than 5,000 years.
Using chants, Wairas, and harmonicas, they help attune participants to the medicine and support a deep energetic cleansing to release stagnant energy and bring the spirit into alignment. Maima Manesita is recognized for her sacred healing chants and is the first medicine woman from their tribe. Taita Luis Alberto also works with Hapé, along with other sacred plants and special resins used in smudging rituals. Their ceremony is held in a traditional way, with sacred silence and reverence.