Jordão de Melo e Souza is a board member of the “Indigenous Celebration” NGO that is developing projects aimed at supporting the Yawanawa people. Jordão is the grandson of Padrinho Sebastião Mota de Melo, a known religious leader in the Santo Daime tradition. In 1985 his father Paulo Roberto Silva e Souza organized and led the scientific commission that convinced the Brazilian government to legalize ayahuasca for religious uses. This exposed him from early childhood to Amazonian shamanism and spirituality.