The Legend of Pajé Kampu
a Kaxinawá story of guidance, healing, and forest guardianship
According to Kaxinawá tradition, there was a time when many members of the tribe became gravely ill. Their Pajé had already exhausted all the knowledge and practices available to him, yet the suffering continued.
The leader entered the forest seeking guidance working with plants. There, he received a visit from Grandmother who was carrying a frog with the secretion and instructed in how this substance was to be applied.
The Pajé returned to his people and followed the guidance he had been given. According to the legend, the suffering of the tribe was relieved, and balance was restored. From that time on, the Pajé became known as Pajé Kampu, in honor of the teaching he had received.
After his death, it is said that his spirit lives on through the frog. In Kaxinawá tradition, the frog is regarded as a guardian, protecting the well-being of those who live in right relationship with the forest and who act as its defenders.