Esbell’s work was deeply inspired by Makunaimî, whom the Macuxi consider both a god and an ancestor. His understanding of cosmology was also guided by his close relationships with indigenous spiritual leaders - known as pajés or xamãs. Esbell channeled the wisdom of these masters to confront the destruction of the Amazon and the exploitation of indigenous land, often describing his paintings as a “download” of their visions. He asserted indigenous epistemologies (ways of knowing) to challenge colonial perspectives and affirm his people’s relationship with the land.

Mapa da guerra dos Kanaimés [Map of the Kanaimé war], painted in 2021, is one of the last and most powerful works Esbell created before his tragic passing. The painting depicts a dark, celestial background overlaid with a stark, skeleton-like structure. Recurring motifs from his visual language, such as serpents, birds, and other fantastical creatures, weave through the composition, suggesting a multitude of spiritual layers interacting with the physical world.

The “Kanaimé” are complex, powerful, and often dark shamanic forces within the cosmological systems of the region. The “war” of the title, therefore, functions as both a cultural signifier and a potent political metaphor. It maps a spiritual conflict that is inseparable from the terrestrial one: the violent, real-world struggle against exploitative extractivism and the colonial forces threatening the Amazon. The work is a vibrant interweaving of cosmology and activism, illustrating the integration of spiritual life into a physical world threatened by collapse.

Ultimately, Esbell’s artivism sought to build an indigenous art ecology that operated independently from mainstream colonial structures. His vision, rooted in the Macuxi tradition of resistance, used ancient wisdom to forge a powerful response to the contemporary ecological and political crises facing the world.