Click here (YouTube) to watch a short video about a Peruvian shaman ritual involving ayahuasca, the powerful hallucinogenic plant sometimes known as the 'Vine of Death'...
What emic (actor-perspective) explanations are here provided about shamanism? What kinds of questions about the ceremony remain for you as an etic (observer-perspective) individual?
7 comments:
What I found interesting was that the women said that a shaman is one who has taken ayahuasca many times. I wondered whether in this culture, anyone can become a shaman, or if the definition between one who takes ayahuasca many times and a shaman who takes ayahuasca many times is that the shaman learns somehow through the ayahuasca the other medicinal effects of the other Amazon plants, therefore making the very definition of a shaman in this culture a healer or medicine man. Because otherwise I don't see much difference between, for example, say a foreigner who comes in and takes ayahuasca many times and a native shaman who takes ayahuasca many times.
Sydney Rosenbalm
I found the video very interesting and wonder if the use of Ayahuasca would benefit in other ways. It seems to be combined with the application of what appeared to be a ceremonial oil to the forehead and neck. along with the smoking this all combined to give the shaman his vision. Worth further investigation I think.
Bovb Miller
Iagree with the other comments made. I also was wondering if this plant Ayahuasca could help in other areas as well.Are there other plants a person can use to help themselves?
Of course the Shaman is always the leader because it needs to be someone the people will trust. So he becomes a specialist in this area not unlike our Western doctors that we as modern man go to see. We expect them to have more knowledge than the average person in the medical field.
Lisa
The shaman is one who must be a chief who has extensive experience in ayahuasca. The explanations I get about shamanism in this video is that the shaman seems to be more of a medicine man who practices natural healing alternatives with the use of different herbs. I think this ritual is very dangerous because if you mix the wrong herbs together, it can be fatal. I guess a shaman who uses this type of ritual had better know their stuff.
Katrina
There is clearly more to 'genuine' shamanism than merely the hallucinogenics (as enticing as those may be for some folks!).
Evidently, it's not just about having access to the 'tools of the trade'... a true shaman must know how to wield those tools.
pdk
As related by the young woman, the shaman is the chief; he holds particular knowledge about the plants and which ones will alleviate specific ailments. The woman referred to the ayahuasca as the "essence". Ayahuasca is not solely a hallucinogenic tool;
Taken from Dictionary.com- Essence Philosophy . the inward nature, true substance, or constitution of anything, as opposed to what is accidental, phenomenal, illusory,
I would like to know whether the hallucinations ever occur during hours of daylight, and if the shaman is the only individual who speaks during the journey.
I found myself zoning out during his humming. A therapeutic and relaxant quality exists in his voice.
I found it interesting that music is so important in the ceremony that a majority of the video is devoted to the shaman singing. It is truly amazing how music moves the spirit whether it be the song of this shaman or the hymns of a Christian church.
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