From the Amazon with Love: A New Chapter in Our Impact Story

A New Chapter in Our Amazon Impact Story

As the seasons shift here in Colorado, we find ourselves reflecting on the cycles of giving and growth that have guided Earth Medicine Apparel Co. from its inception.

This month, we’re proud to share that — thanks to your support — we’ve officially exceeded our goal for the Ríos–Javá Family Impact Campaign. When we first sat with Uli Ríos, curandera and wife of the late Maestro Jhonny Javá, we asked how we could best support her family and community in the wake of their loss. She offered a clear, grounded goal — and together, we reached it.

Through your purchases, donations, and word-of-mouth support across our Kambô community, we were able to send 16,200 Peruvian Soles (about $4,800 USD) — exceeding our original target. With these funds, the family rebuilt the core structures at Ecomunidad Nativa Kambo Family: the maloca (ceremonial space), guest rooms, staff housing, kitchen, and living area.

This milestone means more than bricks and wood. It represents the restoration of a sacred space — a home for healing, for cultural continuity, and for the sharing of ancestral wisdom in the Napo River Valley of Peru.

Continuing the Circle — Our Next Focus: The Matsés

As we close this chapter, our gaze turns to another — one that began long before our first Kambô ceremony.

Before making our journey to Ecomunidad Nativa Kambo Family in 2022, we were invited to visit a Matsés community in the Loreto region of the Peruvian Amazon. The Matsés — traditional caretakers of Dau-ket, the secretion of the Phyllomedusa bicolor frog — are among the Indigenous peoples who have safeguarded this medicine for countless generations.

Their ancestral territories span deep stretches of rainforest between Peru and Brazil. Historically, the Matsés are fierce defenders of their land — and today, they continue to embody that same courage through conservation, education, and the practice of traditional medicine. It’s not all glorious, and there remain intertribal challenges that seem to be echoes of a bloody past.

When we visited this particular community, we were humbled by their warmth and resilience. They shared food, stories, and ceremony - we even had a cooking class. The Matsés showed us what reciprocity looks like in practice — caring for their families, their land, and the lineage of their medicine with limited resources and infinite heart.

Since that first visit, they’ve made tremendous progress from the collaboration with other groups and individuals they invited into their land: securing a legal title to their land, building a school for their children, and installing rainwater catchment and filtration systems. Yet, challenges remain — from navigating bureaucratic trade barriers to maintaining essential infrastructure, access to medical supplies and care, and acquiring school supplies for their children.

Our Next Impact Campaign for our Kambô Collection

With our first impact campaign complete, we’re now committing the remaining profit share from our Kambô Collection (except Maestro Kambo, which will continue to benefit the Ríos–Javá family) to directly support the Matsés community.

These funds will help cover essentials: medical costs, antivenom, fuel for generators and boats, water filtration, tools, and repairs — all in alignment with the community’s own defined needs and leadership.

We believe that supporting Indigenous sovereignty means following their guidance, not imposing ours. It means keeping the flow of resources transparent, relational, and in their words — not ours.

Looking Ahead

The Kambô Collection was born from a deep reverence for the rainforest, for the frog, and for the people who have carried its medicine across time. As we continue sharing this story, we’re also preparing to unveil what’s next: new designs, new materials, and new ways to give back.

In our next newsletter, we’ll share more about our time with the Matsés, stories from the jungle, and a first look at our upcoming Holiday Launch.

Thank you for walking this path with us — for wearing your values, for sharing these stories, and for believing that fashion can be a vessel for healing, remembrance, and regeneration.

With reverence and gratitude,

Founder, Earth Medicine Apparel Co.