A group of traditional knowledge experts and healers from Guyana, Suriname and Brazil have launched a first of its kind, Regional Traditional Knowledge and Healers Network, according to joint release from the Amazon Conservation Team and Iwokrama.
Over the past four days, September 8-11, 2026, representatives from Indigenous communities within the aforementioned countries assembled at the Iwokrama River Lodge to exchange knowledge on traditional medicines, healing and other cultural health practices.
Facilitated by the Amazon Conservation Team Guianas (ACT Guianas), the purpose of this meeting was to build on the two previous exchanges.
The central goal of the meeting was to establish a regional networking platform of Indigenous traditional healers and knowledge holders, supported by clear principles, ethical protocols, communication mechanisms, and an advocacy agenda for respectful recognition by governments and health systems.
Other objectives accomplished during the exchange include:
– Exchange of best practices among traditional healers and Indigenous communities from the three countries.
– Review lessons learned from exchanges over the last four years.
–Strengthen the reliability, credibility, and ethical practice of traditional healing across the region.
– Explore pathways for respectful government recognition and possible future integration with national health systems.
The release said that the exchange introduced an opportunity for Guyana and Suriname to learn from Brazil’s experience. In particular, Brazil’s model public health system, Indigenous health subsystem, and integrative/complementary practices policy. The release said that Brazil’s public health system, Unified Health System (SUS), has a specific Indigenous Health Subsystem created in 1999. Moreover, Brazil also has a National Policy on Integrative and Complementary Practices in the SUS, which encompasses medicinal plants and phytotherapy among recognised practices.
The proceedings over the last four days began with a spiritual cleasing ritual performed by a young Guyanese Apprentice, Adele John of Surama Village. Following the opening ceremony, immersion activities in the forests surrounding the Iwokrama River Lodge and work group sessions aided in the development of a road map for this regional group over the next three years.
The Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) is a nonprofit organization that partners with Indigenous and local communities to protect tropical forests and strengthen traditional cultures.
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