Sacred Snuff: The Medicine of Hapé
At Return to Kemet, we honor the ways our ancestors and Indigenous peoples of the Earth worked with plant spirits not as commodities, but as sacred allies. One such medicine is Hapé —a sacred snuff prepared from mapacho (wild jungle tobacco) and other healing herbs.
Hapé is not the tobacco of commercial use. It is consecrated medicine, prepared in prayer, and offered in ceremony. To receive hapé is to receive a breath of the forest itself, a reminder that each inhale is a prayer and each exhale is a release.
What Is Hapé?
Hapé is a fine powder made with sacred mapacho and blended botanicals, crafted by Indigenous tribes of the Amazon. It is administered through a ceremonial pipe:
A tepi when given by another, symbolizing community and trust.
A kuripe when self-administered, symbolizing self-initiation and personal responsibility.
The application is never casual. It is always done with intention, silence, or song, allowing the spirit of the plants to work through breath and prayer.
Why We Use Hapé
Hapé is more than ritual—it is a true plant medicine, no different than Aspirin, which also comes from the bark of a tree. Like other traditional medicines, hapé carries wisdom that goes exactly where it is needed: physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Energetic Cleansing – Clearing stagnant energy, emotional heaviness, and intrusive thoughts.
Grounding Presence – Returning awareness to the body, to the Earth, and to balance.
Opening the Spirit – Helping to decalcify the pineal gland, awaken the third eye chakra, and expand spiritual perception.
Medicinal Botanicals – Many hapé blends include herbs such as mint, cacao, clove, cinnamon, or specific rainforest plants, each carrying its own healing properties. In Indigenous communities, these botanicals are chosen for their unique medicinal traits—supporting digestion, easing pain, clearing the lungs, or enhancing spiritual sight.
Mental Clarity – Harmonizing the left and right hemispheres of the brain, bringing peace to the mind.
Through hapé, we align with what is ancient: a medicine that does not distract, but instead returns us to the breath—the first prayer, the eternal ceremony.
How to Approach the Medicine
Sacred snuff is a teacher. Like all teachers, it must be approached with humility.
Create Sacred Space – Light a candle, breathe deeply, set your intention.
Receive the Breath – Through the kuripe or tepi, allow the medicine to enter and surrender to Spirit’s guidance.
Allow the Release – Tears, sneezing, or a deep exhale are part of the cleansing. Let go.
Sit in Stillness – Journal, meditate, or simply rest. Integration is where the teaching deepens.
Our Responsibility in Sharing
At Return to Kemet, we believe in radical self-care and radical self-responsibility. While hapé is a sacred medicine, we are not medical professionals, and this is not medical advice. We encourage each person to take full responsibility for their health and choices, and to consult with a trusted doctor before beginning or incorporating any new practice.
This medicine is powerful, and it deserves to be approached with respect, responsibility, and guidance.
A Return to Breath
When we sit with hapé, we remember that every breath is sacred. We return to balance, to clarity, and to ancestral connection. This medicine reminds us to slow down, to listen, and to walk in truth and harmony.
At Return to Kemet, we honor hapé as a guide and protector—one that grounds us in the Earth and lifts our prayers to the cosmos. It is not just medicine for the body, but medicine for the spirit.
May each breath you take be intentional. May each exhale release what no longer serves. May the sacred tobacco guide you back—to balance, to Spirit, to yourself.
STEP BY STEP GUIDIANCE AND INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1: Prepare Sacred Space
Find a quiet, clean environment.
Light a candle or incense, place offerings on your altar, or sit in nature.
Breathe deeply and set a clear intention: What am I calling in? What am I ready to release?
Step 2: Choose the Method
Kuripe (Self-Application): A small V-shaped applicator pipe that allows you to serve yourself. This path honors self-responsibility.
STEP 3: APPLICATION
Prepare the Medicine
Use a small amount of sacred tobacco powder, about the size of a pea for each nostril.
Place the powder into the longer end of the coipe.
Tap lightly so the medicine settles.
Set Your Intentions
Pause in stillness. Breathe deeply.
Bring the Kuripe to your energy centers:
Crown Chakra – connection to Source
Third Eye – clarity, vision, intuition
Throat – speech, expression, manifestation
Heart Space – love, openness, compassion
Speak your intention silently or aloud before beginning.
Left Nostril
Close the right nostril with your finger.
Hold your breath.
Place the small end of the coipe in your mouth.
Insert the longer end gently into the left nostril.
Blow gently but firmly, sending the medicine in.
Tap lightly on your forehead and the back of your neck to help integration.
Right Nostril
Repeat for the other side: close the left nostril, place the small end in the mouth, long end in the right nostril.
Blow with the same gentle but steady force.
Again, tap forehead and neck afterward.
Sit with the Medicine
Hold the medicine in your sinuses as long as possible.
Do not swallow. If it drips down the throat, spit gently into the earth or a cup.
Focus on your breath. Stay mindful.
Closing
When ready, gently release the medicine through the nose or mouth.
Offer gratitude: to the medicine, to the blended plants, to the ancestors, and to your own spirit for the healing received.