What Is a Tepi?
A tepi (sometimes written tépi) is the long applicator pipe of the Amazonian rapé tradition. One end is shaped for the server's mouth; the other rests at the nostril of the person receiving. With a single directed breath, the server carries the medicine — and, in the tradition's understanding, their intention and presence — into the receiver. Tepis are hand-crafted by Amazonian artisans from wood, bamboo and bone, and range from plain working pipes to intricately carved ceremonial pieces.
The word and the tool appear across many of the rapé-carrying peoples of Acre and the wider Amazon — among them the Yawanawá, Katukina, Huni Kuin and Nukini — each with their own carving styles and serving customs.
Tepi vs Kuripe: What's the Difference?
They are the two applicators of the same practice, distinguished by who blows:
Neither is "more traditional" than the other — tribes use both. Beginners usually start with a kuripe for self-practice and experience the tepi later, when there's someone experienced to serve them. Read the companion guide: What Is a Kuripe? →
How Tepis Are Made: Tribal Craftsmanship
Like kuripes, tepis are made by hand, and the maker matters. Yawanawá artisans carve tepis from fragrant Cumaru hardwood, often working animal and serpent forms along the shaft; other makers work in bamboo — light, resonant, and frequently wrapped with coloured thread — or carve in bone — taken from animals hunted for food, so no part of the animal is wasted — finished with kenê patterns worked into dark resin. A well-made tepi balances in the hand, seals comfortably at both ends, and carries the character of the person who carved it. In the villages, a shaman's tepi is a personal object — kept, blessed and sometimes passed on, not casually swapped.
How a Tepi Is Used
The receiver settles — seated, spine comfortable, eyes closed, with a clear intention. The server measures a modest dose of rapé into the palm (for newcomers, around a match-head-sized amount per nostril — roughly 0.25 g), loads half into the tepi, and rests the far end at the receiver's nostril. On an agreed signal — often the receiver's slow exhale — the server blows: one steady, intentional breath. The second nostril follows for balance. The receiver then sits with the medicine; there is no hurry to speak or stand.
For dosing, preparation, set and setting, and what the first experience feels like, the Beginner's Guide → covers the full sequence, and the Rapé Ceremony Guide → covers the ritual container around it.
The Art of Serving: Why the Tepi Is Different
Ask anyone who has received rapé through a tepi and they'll tell you it is not simply the same medicine delivered differently. The tradition holds that the server's breath carries their state — which is why, in ceremony, serving is a responsibility: the server grounds themselves first, connects with the receiver, and blows with deliberate force and clear intention. The strength of the blow shapes the experience, from soft and long to sharp and activating — the Katukina name these styles after animals, described in the three blows section of the kuripe guide.
Receiving through a tepi also asks something of you: trust. You surrender the timing of the blow to another person. For many practitioners that exchange — one person offering breath, the other receiving it — is the heart of the practice, and the reason the tepi remains the ceremonial applicator.
Choosing a Tepi
What to look for: a comfortable mouthpiece, a smooth unobstructed bore, a length that suits how you'll serve (longer pipes give the server room; shorter ones feel more intimate), and — above all — a maker you want to support. Our tepis are carved by Yawanawá artisans from Cumaru wood and come to us through the same direct, fair-trade relationships as our rapé: each of ours is carved by Yawanawá artisans and comes to us through the same direct, fair-trade relationships as our rapé.
One-of-a-kind pieces, hand-carved in the village — the carving in the photo is the carving you receive.
Browse the tepi collection →Safety and Hygiene
Rapé contains tobacco and nicotine — potent and addictive. Avoid it if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, take MAO inhibitors or SSRIs, or have uncontrolled high blood pressure, epilepsy or a heart condition; keep it away from children and pets; and never use before driving.
Tepi hygiene matters more than kuripe hygiene, because a tepi touches more than one person by design. Wipe both ends with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide between receivers, or briefly pass the tips through a flame. Avoid soaking in soapy water — moisture trapped in the bore promotes mould. Where possible, serve each person with their own pipe.
Tepi FAQ
What is a tepi used for?+
A tepi is used to serve rapé (hapé) to another person: the server blows the powdered medicine through the pipe into the receiver's nostrils. It is the partner-and-ceremony applicator of the tradition, alongside the kuripe used for self-application.
What's the difference between a tepi and a kuripe?+
A tepi is a long pipe one person uses to serve rapé to another. A kuripe is a short V-shaped pipe for blowing rapé into your own nostrils. Same medicine, different applicator — the difference is who blows.
Can I make my own tepi pipe?+
A working tepi is essentially a smooth, clean tube — but traditional tepis are carved by tribal artisans, and the craft is part of the object's meaning. If you value that lineage, choose a tribe-made piece; buying one also supports the communities the medicine comes from.
How do I clean and store a tepi?+
Wipe both ends with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide between users (or pass the tips briefly through a flame), tap out any residue, and store it dry — a cloth pouch works well. Don't soak it: trapped moisture inside the bore can cause mould.
Do beginners need a tepi?+
Not to start. Most people begin with a kuripe for self-practice, since it needs no second person. A tepi becomes relevant when you practise with a partner, sit in ceremony, or want to serve others.
Quick Definitions
Long serving pipe used to blow rapé for another person.
Short V-shaped self-applicator pipe used to blow rapé into your own nostrils.
Traditional word of thanks and affirmation, spoken to close a session.
Dense, fragrant Amazonian hardwood favoured by Yawanawá carvers for tepis and kuripes.
A tepi is breath given — one person carrying the medicine for another. Served with presence, it turns application into ceremony.
These statements have not been evaluated by any medicines regulatory authority. This product and information are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Rapé contains tobacco and nicotine. Content is provided for educational and cultural purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.