The Revitalization of Yajé Shamanism among the Siona: Strategies of Survival in Historical Context
Anthropology of Consciousness September 1, 2016 DOI: 10.1111/anoc.12058 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Siona Indians of the Northwest Amazon Basin of Colombia |
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Keywords | Colonialism Context archaeology Politics Amazon rainforest Proletariat Ethnology State computer science Anthropology Aesthetics Ecology Law |
| Citations | 14 |
| Key points | Argues that Siona shamanic practices are best understood as a transfiguration resulting from their particular response to outside forces, rather than arising from colonial domination and proletarian concerns as proposed by Gow and Taussig. |
Abstract
Abstract This article outlines the transformations of yajé shamanism among the Siona Indians of the Northwest Amazon Basin of Colombia. The shaman's role and the political and sacred use of yajé rituals have changed since colonial times and can be seen as a result of adaptive strategies for survival. This study examines the factors that have contributed to the current revitalization due to state and popular representations of the ecological and wise Indian. Although Gow and Taussig argue that ayahuasca shamanism in Peru and folk healing in Colombia rose out of colonial domination and proletarian concerns, Siona shamanic practices are best understood as a transfiguration and result of their particular response to outside forces. Their contemporary use of yajé reflects this past and the discourse, aesthetics, expectations, and demands of the larger society.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on shamanism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ayahuasca Shamanism in the Amazon and Beyond | 2014 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Shamanism as the Original Neurotheology | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Cognitive Neuroscience, Shamanism and the Rock Art of Native California | 1998 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From Culture to Experience: Shamanism in the Pages of the Soviet Anti-Religious Press | 2020 | Historical analysis | |
| Anthropology, Shamanism, and Alternate Ways of Knowing–Being in the World: One Anthropologist's Journey of Discovery and Transformation | 2010 | Reflective essay or personal narrative |
Citations in the library
Cited by 8
- Relational Processes in Ayahuasca Groups of Palestinians and Israelis. Frontiers in Pharmacology 2021
- Communalistic use of psychoactive plants as a bridge between traditional healing practices and Western medicine: A new path for the Global Mental Health movement. Transcultural Psychiatry October 1, 2022
- On Revelations and Revolutions: Drinking Ayahuasca Among Palestinians Under Israeli Occupation Frontiers in Psychology August 27, 2021
- From rau to sacred plants: Transfigurations of shamanic agency among the Siona Indians of Colombia Social Compass July 18, 2017
- God hasn’t died, it has merely been encapsulated – Psilocybin and ayahuasca in the psychedelic renaissance: Intersections between religion, indigenous cosmologies, spirituality, and science Social Compass December 1, 2024
and 3 more in the library