Jessica Begin accompanies Shipibo Maestras Laura and Maestra Edelin to Chacruna as a translator and cultural interpreter. Canadian-born and based in Latin America for over two decades, she is a multilingual cultural bridge fluent in French, English, Spanish, and Portuguese. For more than 15 years, she has supported Indigenous leaders from diverse Nations, translating not only language but cultural context. Jessica began her relationship with Shipibo medicine in 2015, when she met the López family of Shipibo healers and began undertaking master plant dietas within their lineage. Since 2017, she has supported Maestra Ynes López Sánchez and her family in holding master plant dietas at their healing center, Niwe Rao Xobo, in Peru and abroad. In 2020, she became Program Coordinator, overseeing guest education, screening, integration, and a small team of Western support staff. Her work centers on education, right relationship with plants and their Indigenous guardians, cultural exchange, and expanding ethical access to these healing traditions. In 2025, she became a co-steward of the ARC’s Living Wisdom Fund, a Healing Justice and Cultural Exchange initiative supporting access for BIPOC and Indigenous relatives, frontline activists, and movement leaders.
www.niweraoxobo.com
https://www.sovereignxnature.com/thearc