Miguel and Virginia Regifo

Miguel and Virginia, married for 40 years, belong to the Shipibos tribe, long-established indigenous people along the Ucayali River, from Pucallpa in the Amazon rainforest in Peru. Their community is San Francisco. They practice ayahuasca medicine work together and have great knowledge of plants. They live on a diet of fish, yuca and fruits.

Miguel learnt from 9 years old with his father, and started helping babies at 16. He cured stronger diseases like cancer at 20. Now he is 60.

Virginia is a great artist, painting blankets, napkings, clothes, and selling them on the market. Her inspirative artistic tradition also includes medicine songs. She has been a great shaman, especially for female patients, since she was 22. She learned from her mother from a very young age.

Miguel and Virginia speak only the local dialect, but Dany will help translate in Spanish or English.