huni

Huni is a term that can refer to different topics, but it is most commonly associated with the Huni Kuin, an indigenous people of the western Brazilian Amazon. The Huni Kuin are also known as Cashinahua or Kaxinawá and live primarily in the states of Acre and Amazonas along rivers such as the Tarauacá, Juruá, and Envira. They maintain a rich cultural heritage, including shamanic practices centered on ayahuasca ceremonies, distinctive art, music, and weaving. Their social life emphasizes kinship ties, communal rituals, and a deep relationship with the forest environment.

The Huni language, or Huni Kuin (Cashinahua), is a member of the Panoan language family and is spoken by the Huni Kuin people. It features several dialects and is commonly learned alongside Portuguese in the communities where it is spoken. Efforts to support language transmission include bilingual education and community-led cultural programs.

In other contexts, the term huni can appear as an ethnonym or transliteration related to these communities, or as part of place names or personal names in different regions. Because the term has multiple potential meanings, this article focuses on its most prominent ethnolinguistic associations—the Huni Kuin people and their language.