This ceremony aims to engage students towards an ethnological and participatory study of Amazonian culture through the lens of plant intelligence and the role plants play in their daily lives, traditions, rituals, and cultural artifacts. Participants will be exposed to the symbolic meanings and practical applications of Bobinsana (sp. Calliandra Angustifolia), a shrubby tree endemic to the Amazon Basin of South America. a bark tea used for healing. 

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Plants as Holistic Medicine
Food
Plants as Cultural Artifact
Material
Plants as Ritual
Mystic Element
Plants as Holistic Medicine and Food

Living life through artful means exemplifies the ethos of Melanie Dizon. Born in the Philippines and raised in the United States the search for her own cultural heritage has always revealed itself within the process of art and design. Having been an entrepreneur since the age of 16, Dizon’s explorations have spanned that of fashion, culinary, environment, and at present alchemy. Living most of her life in New York however, she now resides in Cusco, Peru where she bridges art and anthropology. She is co-founder of Novalis; a conservation center in the Southeast Peruvian Amazon where she developed Nahu Supernatural; a sister brand of rainforest botanicals and superfoods.  She is currently the creative director for Xapiri Ground; an art house and NGO that supports the indigenous cultures of the Peruvian Amazon.

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