About the Beginning and Now
Hello fellow artists/entrepreneurs! I started the Jagua fruit tattoo business here in the U.S. back in 2006 hoping to end the "Black Henna" (PPD) chemical dye epidemic, which left thousands of children and adults with horrific scars.
Body art should be safe, temporary and fun! I have been making brown Henna for years and offering black Jagua fruit has expanded the possibilities of body art and has intrigued the world.
I live and work in the old art colony of Rockport, Massachusetts, where I own a fun art/ gift shop named Soulstice on Bearskin Neck crossing Tuna Wharf (yes those street names are real) 😆
I became interested in natural body art in the late 1990s, and in 2002 I opened Soulstice on historic Bearskin Neck. Originally, Soulstice sold some local artists work, but mostly focused on offering hand drawn Henna tattoos and hair wraps to Rockport residents and visitors from around the world.
As my business expanded customers began asking for a black alternative to the natural brown dye of Henna. In 2005 I learned about Jagua fruit (Genipa Americana L.), from a customer who visited a tribe in Panama with the Peace Corp. (I didn't actually believe there was a natural black without charcoal involved or a chemical dye).
Well, I decided to travel to Central America where I ventured with a couple friends for over 2 months to find the villages that had the fruit growing naturally. (this was not an easy task). The original village that the Peace Corp was helping was actually a reconstructed village closer to Panama City where people paid to visit. The tribe would "perform" for visitors and people could experience a small aspect of their culture. We were interested in where and how they presently live.
After a few weeks of exploring we ended up in another Hostel in Panama City. I was reading through a log of entries from previous travelers. One titled "Embera", from a month prior, intrigued me but when I looked at the rest of the entry it was written in Old Hebrew! There were perhaps 10-14 other travelers staying that night, we were blessed that one person was able to translate the entry! It was truly a gift. This person wrote details about taking a small plane to get to one village in the Darien, then find the river and cross the bridge to meet the Embera Tribe! Let the adventures continue!
We took a few days to absorb this information and my friends were very hesitant since there had been cases of Dengue Fever, Malaria and trafficking in the Jungle. Understandable concerns, but I knew I had come all this way and I was not about to turn around.
We ended up meeting a man from the jungle, another blessing! He was encouraging and gave us tips. The next day we boarded a small plane that travels into the Darien jungle every other week or two. A slight commitment, but we did it!
Once we found "the river" and walked over the bridge into the village, an Embera man greeted us and brought us to the Chief. We had to sign into the Darien Gap immediately. The following day we set out in a dug out canoe to visit all of the villages possible. We learned a lot about the Embera and fairly purchased Jagua fruit as well as woven baskets, masks and carvings.
I will someday write the extended version of this amazing adventure, perhaps a book. I hope this has at least given you an idea about how passionate I was about finding a natural black dye!
I didn't realize before traveling to the Darien that the people were in desperate need for an alternative source of income. Parents would earn enough for a family member to travel to the city to make money, but some chose to not return.
When I returned home I started Nature’s Body Art. Surprisingly in the UK another woman, Aileen Finley was starting her Jagua company called Primal Cosmetics (which she sourced from a farm in S. America) instead of competing, I contacted her to work together.
I traveled throughout California and the East coast to give samples, especially to those using PPD stressing it's harmful effects. The FDA even suggested Jagua, while they were shutting down businesses using PPD.
In 2009 Jagua started to become more popular and I was having difficulty with a steady supply from Primal. I put an advertisement in Panama looking for help gathering/processing Jagua, I worked with a few people but then luckily two brothers Chad and Jason Cook (born in the US, grew up in the Darien) were interested. After several years they jumped into the Jagua business full-time! Jagua Ink was established and they also formed a non-profit 'The Darien Initiative' to help the Natives.
Today there are now many other companies in this field such as Fresh Ink, Fresh Jagua, Henna City, Earth Henna and the list goes on. We're happy people are using this amazing fruit, just make sure you are buying from someone that is connected or giving back to the land and people it's provided from, sadly not many companies are helping natives. www.naturesbodyart.com.
Thanks for visiting, and if you’re in the Rockport, MA area, come visit us at Soulstice where you can browse our store in person and even get a hand painted tattoo!
Valerie Doyon
Owner, Nature’s Body Art & Soulstice
P.S. Soulstice artists are also available for your next event! We offer Henna and Jagua tattoos as well as hair wraps $90 per hour, please call 781-589-8230 for more information. Check out some of our art below:
