Canoe Protocol with the Huni Kuin - COP30
- Hettie Geenen
- Nov 11, 2025
- 1 min read
Pre-COP Cultural Exchange and Welcome
On the morning of November 8th, A Wisdom Keepers Delegation will hold a ceremonial canoe paddle in Belém as part of our opening protocol before COP30. This event will bring together Indigenous leaders, youth organizers, and cultural workers from across the world in a shared act of ceremony, diplomacy, and respect for the local peoples and the waters that sustain us all.
Led by our Hawaiian canoe family who have flown in from Maui, our delegation will paddle in seven canoes toward the shores of Belém, where approximately one hundred Huni Kuin relatives will gather to receive us. The Huni Kuin, who have traveled from deep within the Amazon, will welcome our group through traditional songs, chants, and blessings that mark the beginning of our shared time in their territory.
This exchange will last about an hour and a half and will include moments of prayer, introductions from various Indigenous representatives, and the sharing of songs and cultural offerings from both our delegation and the Huni Kuin hosts. Together, we will hold space to honor the spirit of unity, gratitude, and shared purpose that guides our work at COP30.
The canoe paddle and welcome ceremony symbolize entering the territory in a good way—grounding our policy work and advocacy in ancestral values of relationship, reciprocity, and reverence for life.
Hettie Geenen (Capatain of Rainbow Warrior III, Board Member Fair Winds Collective)