OUR CREATION STORY
THE SECUNDA FAMILY
Brant Secunda and his son, Nico Secunda, founded the Huichol Foundation, an international organization (501c3 non-profit) dedicated to the cultural, environmental, and economic survival of the indigenous Huichol people.
The foundation is committed to preserving and promoting the Huichol people (Wixáritari) and their indigenous lifestyle, culture, and traditions. Its mission is to support, sustain and inspire the Huichol culture, within their villages and around the globe. The Foundation and its members are working on numerous large-scale and long-term projects.
Decades of Supporing Huichol Culture
Decades of support lead us to found the Huichol Foundation. For over 30 years, founding members of the The Huichol Foundation have dedicated themselves to creating real and meaningful impact. They supported the construction of primary schools and created educational programs, both of which allowed children to gain self confidence and equality when confronted with modern society. Their direct economic support through purchases of traditional Huichol artwork has promoted cultural traditions and economic development. They have advocated for the Huichol ancestral way of life and indeed have helped to maintain it through encouraging traditional ceremonial practices, age-old integrated agricultural methods, and international cultural consciousness.
Brant Secunda
Co-Founder / CEO
Brant Secunda is an internationally acclaimed shaman, healer, and teacher in the indigenous Huichol tradition of Mexico. During an intensive 12-year apprenticeship, Brant became the adopted grandson and close companion of Don José Matsuwa, the renowned shaman who passed away in 1990 at the age of 110. Brant was chosen by Don José to take his place in helping to carry on Huichol Shamanism.
Recognized as a global thought leader and spiritual teacher, Brant has been a lecturer at the Mayo Clinic, the American Holistic Medical Association Conferences, and a faculty member of the Five Branches Institute of Chinese Medicine. He also co-founded the Humanistic Medicine Conference with the World Health Organization, the Peace University in Berlin, and is a founding member of the American Herbalist Guild.
Striving to bridge the worlds of fitness and spirituality, Brant co-authored the award-winning book Fit Soul, Fit Body: 9 Keys to a Healthier, Happier You.
Nico
Secunda
Co-Founder / CFO
Nico Secunda has been steeped in the indigenous Huichol tradition and shamanic practices since birth. He completed an intensive shamanic apprenticeship with his father (Brant Secunda) at twenty-one years of age and underwent the rare transmission of power ceremony to become a Mara-Akame (Huichol Shaman) in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico.
He is the Managing Director of the Dance of the Deer Foundation – Center for Shamanic Studies. Nico is also the Co-Founder of the Huichol Foundation, which provides economic and cultural support to the indigenous Huichol people of Mexico.
As a child of both the modern world and the ancient Huichol culture, Nico has walked a unique path, bridging the new and old worlds. Because of this, he offers a very relatable approach for people striving to integrate spiritual practices into their daily lives and unify various aspects of the self.
OUR WIXÁRIKA FAMILY
Meet the Team
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