Chief Alvaro Tukano, one of the world’s leading voices in traditional thought and activism, is heading to Prague —one of Brazil’s most prominent indigenous leaders—is heading to Prague to share his knowledge of medicinal plants, spiritual traditions, cosmology, and the wisdom of his ancestors, which the Tukano people have passed down through an unbroken line of healers and leaders for more than 10,000 years.
Alvaro Tukano openly shares the profound wisdom and perspective of Indigenous culture. His topics also include appropriation—he explores the nuances of incorporating Indigenous practices and wisdom into our systems and lives without resorting to extractivism.
You can look forward not only to a lecture, but also to songs, prayers, and myths, the history of the Tukano people, and plenty of time for questions and answers—an open dialogue in which you’ll have the opportunity to engage with one of the world’s leading voices in Indigenous thought and activism.
Following the chief’s remarks, we will invite Jeronimo Mazzarasu, director of ICEERS and an expert on indigenous rituals in a Western context, to join us on stage to open a discussion on indigenous practices and their ethical integration into the modern world.
The event will be translated into Czech.
Who is Alvaro Tukano?
Álvaro Tukano, also known as Doéthiro, is a respected leader of the Tukano people from the Alto Rio Negro region of Brazil. The Tukano people are considered one of the first ethnic groups to have used ayahuasca—according to some estimates, this tradition dates back as far as 10,000 years. Born and raised in his community, he is a key figure in advocating for the rights of indigenous peoples and preserving their traditions, and is considered one of the founders of the movement for the rights of indigenous nations in the region.
As a respected elder and practitioner of plant medicine, Álvaro has dedicated his life to the sacred practices of his people, particularly the ceremonial use of plant medicines (ayahuasca and rapé). These rituals, rooted in traditions dating back thousands of years, are an integral part of the spiritual and cultural identity of the Tukano people. In the 1970s, Álvaro co-founded the Union of Indigenous Nations (UNI), which played a pivotal role in uniting various indigenous groups across Brazil. His leadership extended to the Memorial of Indigenous Nations in Brasília, where he served as director and advocated for the representation and rights of indigenous peoples.
In 1988, Alvaro was tasked with rewriting the Brazilian constitution to include the rights of indigenous peoples for the first time—thus becoming a role model for other indigenous nations around the world. In 1990, he founded the Federation of Indigenous Organizations of the Rio Negro, which successfully halted the advance of mining companies that would have driven his people from their ancestral lands in the jungle.
Álvaro is also an academic and philosopher—he has written two books, including *Tembeta*, which offers insights into Indigenous perspectives and challenges. Several documentaries have been made about his life and legacy, most recently *The Chiefs* and *Cobra Canoa, Spirit of Transformation*. Álvaro is currently one of the most prominent Indigenous voices in the global psychedelic community—he was a keynote speaker at the Psychedelic Science 2025 conference organized by MAPS and is a key figure at the upcoming World Ayahuasca Forum organized by ICEERS.
Jerónimo Mazarrasa
He is the program director at the ICEERS Foundation, where he works to maximize the benefits and minimize the harms associated with the globalization of ceremonial plant practices. He has worked with communities of facilitators on self-regulation processes, developed tools, initiatives, and training focused on harm reduction, and commissioned scientific research and legal and policy reports to inform proposals for integrating ceremonial plant practices into societies in the Global North.
Prior to that, he worked as a user experience designer and developed products and services for many of Spain’s largest companies. He has written and produced four documentary films on various aspects of the Western world’s encounter with indigenous knowledge—from ayahuasca in addiction treatment with Gabor Maté, to the Colombian Kogi Mamas and Brazilian ayahuasca religions, to Bruce Parry’s latest feature film, Tawai.
He has traveled extensively throughout South America, where he has studied a wide range of indigenous, mestizo, and Western ayahuasca practices, and he lectures internationally on the past, present, and future of the globalization of traditional indigenous healing practices.
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