Rapé applicators are created as tools intended for working with a traditional Amazonian medicine, also known as hapé or rapé. It is a finely ground mixture of sacred tobacco, ash from selected trees and other plant ingredients, used by some Indigenous peoples of South America in ceremonial and healing contexts.
In Amazonian traditions, rapé is not perceived as an ordinary tobacco product, but as a powerful ritual tool connected with intention, cleansing, concentration and a return to inner presence. It is administered using a special applicator — either by oneself or by another person — and its use is often associated with respect, silence and a conscious entry into ceremonial space.
The applicators I create are made from sanded and polished bamboo. The joints between the individual parts are formed from epoxy resin, into which I carve decorative motifs by hand while the resin is still soft. Each piece is further adorned with semi-precious stones and glass beads.
The decoration of these applicators most often arises from natural motifs. Sometimes, however, subtle forms of nature beings or spirits begin to appear during the work, as if emerging from the material itself. They are created in connection with the intention for which the tool is meant to serve, as well as with the landscape and tradition from which rapé medicine comes. Each applicator is therefore not only a practical tool, but also a personal ceremonial object with its own expression and soul.