Why an Arctic Shaman Traveled to the Amazon to Recover Lost Indigenous Wisdom

I first met Arctic shaman Jungle Svonni in the Netherlands, during a Kiva gathering where wisdom keepers from around the world share teachings for healing people and the planet. As founder of BrightVibes I have interviewed many people working to reconnect humanity with nature, but his story immediately stayed with me.
He grew up in Sápmi, the Sámi homeland above the Arctic Circle, yet travelled thousands of kilometers to the Amazon rainforest in search of ancient knowledge that no longer existed in his own community. I interviewed him to understand why.

A Sámi shaman searching for teachers who no longer existed in Sápmi

Svonni was born in Sápmi, the Indigenous Sámi region spanning Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. For several years he lived alone in the mountains, surviving on hunting and fishing and deepening what he calls a spiritual relationship with the land. He learned from the snow, the wind, the ice, the mountains and the animals.
But eventually he reached a point where solitude was no longer enough. As he told me: “In my own country, in Sápmi, there wasn’t anybody left that really possessed all of this knowledge.”

One of the few places where this knowledge is still preserved is the Amazon. So that is where he went.

What he found in the Amazon

When I asked him what he was looking for, his answer was very clear.
“Everything works the same wherever you are on this planet. It is the same natural laws. The spirits of plants or mountains or lakes never die. They are always there. What was disappearing was the knowledge on how to connect to the spirit, to work with them and become what we are meant to be.”

For Svonni, the journey was not about abandoning Sámi traditions. It was about recovering the keys to knowledge that once existed in the Arctic too.

A warning about modern life and a call for spiritual evolution

During our interview he also spoke openly about the state of the world.
He sees environmental and social crises as signs that humanity has drifted too far from its natural foundation. “The resources on Earth are not going to last much longer, and in some parts of the world it is already very noticeable that it has gone too far,” he said.

For him, the way forward depends on spiritual growth.
“The only way this is going to change is if we collectively raise our vibration and start to evolve spiritually. What we are today I would call more of a prototype of humans. Real humans are fantastic creatures that can live in harmony with each other and with their natural surroundings.”

He believes our true origin is nature, and that losing our connection to it removes something essential from us. “If we grow up without a relationship to nature, something very important is missing from us. It is a base that is not there.”

Why the role of a shaman is changing

One moment in our conversation summed up his entire approach.
“The time when a shaman lived in the middle of the Amazon or on top of a mountain is over. A shaman is a servant to his or her people, and you cannot serve people if you hide. You need to be a public person to spread the wisdom and assist whenever there is a need for it.”

For him, wisdom must be shared, not guarded.

Surprising signs of hope

Even with everything he sees happening globally, Svonni remains hopeful.
He has witnessed major shifts in awareness over the past decades. “Thirty years ago, not many people cared about environmentally friendly products. Today, everybody who can afford to does it. And the interest in shamanism, yoga, meditation and spiritual practices is really spreading.”

He also believes the internet plays an important role. It helps ideas spread, connects people across cultures and makes Indigenous wisdom more accessible.

Where to learn more about Sámi culture and Svonni’s work

You can find out more about Jungle Svonni, Sápmi and the Indigenous Sámi people at Beneath Northern Lights: Stories from Arctic Natives, because Svonni believes the internet is doing a good job of connecting people and spreading ideas and knowledge.
https://beneathnorthernlights.com/

What his story reminds us of

Interviewing Jungle Svonni reminded me of something simple but important.
We are moving faster than ever as a society, yet many of us feel more disconnected than ever. His journey is a powerful reminder that our wellbeing depends on something very old and very basic.
Our relationship with nature.
And the choice to reconnect with it belongs to all of us.

How do you connect with nature?

The interview took place in 2019, and updated on 9 December 2025. His words of wisdom are as relevant then as they are today.