The meaning of Tagua nuts and other rainforest seeds

October Blog

Probably you already now that pink quartz is wear to attract love and amethist for tranquility but , did you know Huairuru seed is wear in jewelry for protection and good luck and tento red seed to attract love?

The tagua nut and the seeds we use to create our jewelry in Allie tagua jewelry have also a meaning for the South American and Central American native americans, living in the rainforest that most of us are unaware of. The seeds have a spiritual meaning and I am goig to share the magical power o seeds, with you.

Almost 20 years ago, when studying archaeology at ESPOL university in Ecuador, I learned our ethnic groups living in the rainforest have a meaning for every seed and every plant in the rainforest. Plants have medicinal purposes known by the wise man or wise woman and seeds have spiritual purpose that align our lives with the universe.

These are some of the seeds we use in our jewels and its meaning for ancient cultures:

The same way we give meaning to crystals and semiprecious stones in the occidental world, for native american groups living in the Amazon rainforest, the seeds have spiritual meaning and used to heal, wish good luck and attract love and fertility.

That knowledge is know by few, since the traditions are passed orally from generation to generation, there is not written record, and the more the occidental world enters in the rainforest either with oil, mining or ranch explotation, without respeting the native indian traditions the more that wisdom is lost for eternity. But we want to share the meanings of the seeds because we use many of them in our jewelry and the lovers of my ecojewels deserve to know the meaning of the jewels they got from me.

I was born in Ecuador and in the University , I studied archaeology and later worked for the Anthropological Museum of the Central Bank in Ecuador . I turned in jewelry designer later, but always in my heart was an environmentalist that wanted to be another Jane Goodal from National Geography when she grow up. My passion for jewelry using organic mediums from the forest allows me to be true to my call, the enviromentalist inside me since chilhood.

The seeds that I use in jewelry and my designs do not come for cultural appropiation but from cultural admiration. Part of my blood is indian, and have my bachellor's degree in archaeology. So I think I can speak with some authority about ethnic groups in the Amazon forest.

Giving you a previous introduction about my credentials, let's board the virtual canoe to navigate the Amazon river, we are taking a trip to the amazon rainforest woods, I am going to introduce you to the magical world of seeds.

• TAGUA NUTS

Also know as the vegetable Ivory due its milky interior. It grows in Ecuador, Panama and Colombia in high altitude forest, the tree is a palm similar to the coconut tree, also known , as Phitelefas macrocarpas, scientific name for Elephant tree.

The nut is known as the vegetable ivory due its beautiful white milky interior outside the brown nut cover, similar in color and with the same properties of the ivory. Yes, is the vegan ivory or the cruelty free alternative against ivory from the elephants. For some Panama indian groups like the Embera, is sign of pure love and is given to the bride , the day of the wedding to wish her a loving marriage. So if you have a wedding to attend, please consider our jewels as a good wish gift for the eternal love of your friend.

• Huairuru male seed

I was able to purchase this seed during my last trip to the Amazon forest in Ecuador, is a very important seed for the tribal groups in Ecuador and Peru, like the Siona and Achuar groups in Ecuador. Why? Because is use as protection against negative energies, even the shamans use a necklace of huairuru while performing a limpia. They are believed to give good luck to the wearers. Red with black spots. The tiny seed is huairuru baby and should not be ingested because causes diahrrea.

• HUAIRURU FEMALE

It is similar to Huairuru male but instead of red&black spotted is only red. It is use to promote fertility in women, could be an easy alternative before getting in to fertility treatments,to try first wearing a beautiful huairuro female red necklace

• TENTO:

Red and more flatten seeds. I run out of this material already because is super popular seed. Grows in Brazil forest only and is the good luck charm used by single girls to attract love, it is also known as the love seed. If you want to attract true love to your life, not only a boyfriend, but also loyal , honest friends you must wear this red small seed.

• SABONETEIRA

The black seed also from Brazil, it is use to made soaps , when they settlers discovered the new world , they found in this seed an amazing material for soap making. It is also very popular in rainforest jewelry, due its beautiful onix black color, we carry many bracelets and tribal necklaces of this seed in our shop section Rainforest Jewels, take a look.

• COCONUT:

You already know this material, has not spiritual meaning, but is very popular in nature jewelry making due its accesible price and brown natural color.

• ACAI SEEDS

If you want to look young, you drink acai juice , this seed is very popular all over the world as an antioxidant, but not everybody knows, the rainforest groups in Brazil use this seed in ornanments (jewels) to be forever young.

So , we must not only drink acai juice, but also wear acai beads to keep ourselves young. It grows all over the rainforest from Brazil, to Ecuador and Panama in a palm native of central and South America, the acai tree has bunches and they look like big grapes growing from the tall trees. It is like the "rainforest grapes" and is a gorgeus tree to admire, we use this seed in our jewels died like the tagua nut in beautiful colors.

• PAXIUBA OR BOMBONA

The brazilians call it paxiuba, and the Colombians bombona and the Ecuadorians Pambil, it is a perfect pearl medium size, that grows in another palm tree 65 to 70 tall, paxiuba produces a small fruit with perfect beaded seeds inside. It is died also in beautiful colors, you can find this seed in our orange peels flowers necklaces in the section Orange Jewelry. It is known as the pearl of the rainforest.

• CAT'S CLAW

It is a bark, its leaves and roots are use in medicine injested as a powder or as an ointment for recover broken skin or heal injuries. The seeds have beautiful spots , like a cat claw scratch and are used in jewelry. I have used this seed in a Tiki pendant collaboration with Artist Audrey Morehead.

• ANDEAN BEANS OR BISOLA

It is a beautiful oval seed that I like to use as bead spacer in jewelry, but in the Andes, the indian woman wear in multilayers necklaces died in red color because red color suppose to protect you against evel eye.

What we can do to promote rainforest conservation?

If this article has inspired you, please share it with friends and family. Climate change is real, we are living the effects with the fires in CA and the flooding in the east coast and is showing us , that more than ever the matter of preserve the rainforest trees, the lung of this planet is vital to the survival of us as humanity.

Donate to the Rainforest Foundation, an ONG I am proud monthly sponsor, check our shop and support our jewels because our good karma jewels are helping to keep rainforest alive. If we give the ethic groups an economic incentive to defend their tribal lands against deforestation they will become the first guardians of the rainforest

MAY THE FORCE AND THE WISDOM OF THE SACRED FOREST BE WITH YOU!

Allie Thornton

With LA JEFA from Siona indian group in Ecuador's rainforest

Shaman Huairuru collar necklace with paxiuba and achirilla tini seeds. Available in our shop