A Journey of Ancestral Connection, Community & Living Tradition
Join us for a series of sacred community Watekes and an immersive Ancestral Retreat in the Dominican Republic – where remembrance, celebration, and spiritual connection with our roots bring us back to our origins and more importantly, unity.
The Community Watekes are open gatherings that prepare mind, body and soul for the Festival. They are moments of remembrance, celebration, and connection where we come together in community to build the collective energy that sustains us throughout the festival journey.
Each Wateke honors ancestral wisdom through ceremony, music, dialogue, and shared presence, creating a living bridge between tradition and community.
Batey Ceremonial Taino | San Juan de la Maguana, DR
Free and open to the public.
A welcoming gathering to open the Festival and ground in connection to the land and ancestors.
MARCH
12
“Cobra Canoa” Documentary Screening and Discussion
Santo Domingo, DR
TBA
With Kasike Álvaro Tukano
Join us for the first screening in the Caribbean of a special documentary that shows the historic connection between Amazonian and Caribbean native experiences, followed by open discussion with the presence of the protagonist himself, Kasike Álvaro Tukano.
Cobra Canoa Synopsis:
Doéthiro Álvaro Tukano returns to the Upper Rio Negro in the Amazon after 40 years, seeking the traditions of his ancestors, which were forbidden by Salesian priests. In his fight for the right to land and culture, he is persecuted and now returns to reclaim what the time machine cannot erase.
MARCH
14
Cohiba Rapé Wateke & Ceremony
Bayacanes, La Vega, DR
TBA
With Kasike Álvaro Tukano
A deep study in Tabaco plant medicine and a ceremonial gathering rooted in ancestral prayer and guided ritual led by Amazonian Kasike Álvaro Tukano (Nación Yepá Mahsã).
Our annual Ancestral Immersion Retreat is a sacred space for deep learning, reflection, and connection to our origins. This immersive experience invites participants to step fully into ancestral traditions as living participants through direct experience and community building.
Traditional leaders and guardians sustain the sacred container with ceremony, teachings, and communal practices. This is where ancestral knowledge becomes embodied experience, guiding personal transformation and collective healing.
Whether you join us for a Community Wateke, the full Immersion Retreat, or both, you are invited into a living tradition rooted in connection, remembrance, and collective care. This is a gathering of unity honoring our roots as a Caribbean family.
