Author: helloteam@pikchabox.com

  • Sacred Leaves, Living Medicine: The Healing Power of Plants at RIV

    Sacred Leaves, Living Medicine: The Healing Power of Plants at RIV

    There is a pharmacy growing in the hills of Jamaica—and it cannot be found behind glass counters or sterile walls. It grows wild and wise in the forests, fields, and riversides. It is tended by hands that know the pulse of the Earth. At Rastafari Indigenous Village, this is the healing we live by.

    Before there were pills, there were plants.
    Before there were doctors, there were elders.
    Before medicine was marketed, it was sacred.

    At RIV, we have protected and practiced the use of healing herbs for over sixteen years—not as a trend, but as a tradition rooted in Rastafari and Afro-Indigenous knowledge.

    Healing is Ceremony, Not Transaction

    When a guest comes seeking healing, we do not prescribe—we sit. We listen. We observe. Healing begins with relationship. With the person, with the plant, with the spirit of the illness itself.

    Then, we gather what is needed:

    • Guinea Hen Weed for clearing deep blockages and purifying the blood
    • Soursop Leaf for calming the nervous system and opening restful sleep
    • Moringa to restore energy and strengthen the immune system
    • Cerassee to detox the body and align the gut with clarity
    • Neem, Fever Grass, Lemongrass, and Dandelion to cool, cleanse, and balance

    These are not just herbs. These are allies. Each one holds a vibration, a memory, and a prayer.

    Plant Sacraments and Ancestral Practice

    Beyond teas and tinctures, RIV works with sacred plant sacraments in carefully held ceremonial space. These are not recreational experiences. They are rites of passage. They require preparation, humility, and guidance.

    Under the moon, guided by drum and chant, guests enter into communion with plant spirits. They seek clarity, release, connection. And they are held—not by hype, but by heritage.

    We are among the few spaces in the world where plant medicine is practiced in alignment with Rastafari philosophy, Indigenous ethics, and African ritual. Our elders do not separate the body from the spirit. They know every illness carries a message.

    The Future is Rooted

    As the world turns more and more to nature for healing, we hold this space with care. We do not rush. We do not dilute. We share only when the time and energy is right. Because true healing cannot be mass-produced. It must be grown.

    We invite those who feel called to remember: the Earth already knows what we need.

    You can find it in the root, the leaf, the bark, and the river.
    You can find it in the wisdom of a Village that never stopped listening.
    You can find it here.

    With reverence and resilience,
    – The Healers of Rastafari Indigenous Village

  • Rooted in Reverence: The History of Rastafari Indigenous Village

    Rooted in Reverence: The History of Rastafari Indigenous Village

    When the first drumbeat echoed through the Montego Valley River, a vision was born—not of a destination, but of a return. Rastafari Indigenous Village (RIV) was never imagined as a place to visit. It was dreamed as a space to remember.

    For over sixteen years, RIV has stood as a sanctuary of living culture. It was founded by a collective of artists, farmers, musicians, healers, and visionaries who believed that ancestral wisdom could still shape a more conscious world. With reverence for the land and a commitment to Rastafari livity, they cleared the brush, built homes by hand, and raised altars in the earth. They planted seeds—not just for food, but for liberation.

    The Land is the Teacher

    The Village rests on sacred ground beside the Montego River—a river that nourished Maroon warriors, Taino ancestors, and African elders long before we arrived. We do not own this land. We listen to it.

    We learned to build in harmony with nature.
    We revived farming techniques that regenerate, not extract.
    We honored Ital living: food as medicine, earth as guide, water as blessing.

    This was not the creation of a tourist site. It was the unfolding of an indigenous way of life that had long been pushed to the margins. We brought it forward—not for display—but for healing.

    Building a Space for Cultural Sovereignty

    Every structure in RIV tells a story. The drum-making studio echoes West African traditions preserved by hands like Sugah’s. The ceremonial circle holds the vibration of chants sung under moonlight. The gardens pulse with herbs, roots, and fruits planted by generations past.

    We welcomed guests not as customers, but as family. People came from all over the world—seeking not escape, but return. Return to spirit. Return to culture. Return to Earth.

    Some stayed for a few hours. Others stayed for months. Many never really left. Because once you sit by the fire, share a plant sacrament, and feel the river’s song—you understand. This is not performance. This is preservation.

    Our Mission Lives On

    RIV continues to evolve, not by expansion, but by deepening. We train youth in ancestral skills. We host sacred plant ceremonies with humility and clarity. We collaborate with elders, herbalists, and thinkers from across the diaspora.

    We walk slowly.
    We listen deeply.
    We give thanks every day that this vision was made real by hands willing to do the work.

    The journey of RIV is not one of tourism, but transformation. The roots are deep. The mission is alive.

    One Love, One River, One People.

    – The Family of Rastafari Indigenous Village

  • Our Sacred Village Faces Unseen Roads: A Call to Protect What Matters

    Our Sacred Village Faces Unseen Roads: A Call to Protect What Matters

    For over sixteen years, we have opened the gates of Rastafari Indigenous Village (RIV)—not to entertain, but to welcome. Not to perform, but to remember. Nestled beside the Montego Valley River, our Village has stood as a living, breathing embodiment of Afro-Indigenous wisdom. A place where drumming carries prayers, plants become sacraments, and the land is not a backdrop—but a teacher, a healer, and a relative.

    We Are Not a Tourist Destination — We Are a Living Vibration

    Those who come here—who truly arrive with open hearts and reverence—do not just visit. They return. To the soil. To the self. To a deeper way of living.

    Here, healing is not a service. It is a sacred exchange.

    We share our Ital food.
    We tend ancestral gardens.
    We bathe in the river’s blessings.
    We sit in circle and open space for truths too often silenced.
    We live the rhythm of One Love, and we offer that rhythm to the world.

    A Disruption to the Sacred Rhythm

    But today, that rhythm has been disrupted.

    A government-sanctioned road project has carved its way through the forest near our home:

    • Trees that once held ancestral memory have been stripped away.
    • River access, once free and flowing, is now restricted.
    • The soundscape—the music of the land that guides our ceremonies—has been altered.

    The energetic balance we’ve carefully nurtured for years now trembles under the weight of machines and development. What we hold sacred is being shaken.

    We Remain Rooted in the Mission

    We are currently in dialogue with the government, and we are grateful that our voice is being heard. Still, the reality on the ground remains clear:

    • Our ability to host retreats and sacred gatherings has been compromised.
    • The resources to care for our families, our land, and our mission are stretched thin.
    • The continuity of this sacred space hangs in delicate balance.

    And yet, we remain grounded. We remain in the vibration that life is a ceremony.

    We continue to walk in our tradition, upheld by the belief that sacred space is not just a location—it is a calling.

    Our Story Has Been Witnessed

    Our journey was recently captured in the April edition of DoubleBlind Magazine:
    How a Rasta Village Reclaimed Psychedelics on Its Own Terms

    This piece speaks to:

    • The sacred nature of the plants we work with
    • Our commitment to ancestral and African healing traditions
    • The ways we bridge Indigenous knowledge with the needs of a modern, disconnected world

    We encourage you to read it and sit with the truth that healing cannot be mass-produced. It must be lived. It must be protected.

    A Call to Stand With Us

    As we prepare to navigate this uncertain moment, we are launching a call for support. In the coming weeks, we will release a GoFundMe campaign to help:

    • Sustain the Village and support our community
    • Restore what has been damaged
    • Relocate if needed, with intention and care

    If you feel called to stand with us, we ask you to take this simple first step:

    Visit rastavillage.com and leave your email address.

    So we can stay in touch, and let you know when the time to act arrives.

    This Is Not the End

    Whether you’ve shared a chant by the river, sat in circle under the stars, or dreamed of visiting one day—your presence matters.

    Your support matters.
    Your belief in sacred space, cultural sovereignty, and Earth-based living matters.

    This is not the end of our story.
    This is a moment to deepen the connection.

    One Love and Gratitude,
    The Family of Rastafari Indigenous Village