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Materializing Alliances

Pirjo Kristiina Virtanen

Oxford University Press eBooks June 18, 2014 DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199341191.003.0004 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed
Topics Ayahuasca Shamanism
Keywords Indigenous Politics Ethnology Anthropology Amazon rainforest
Citations 6
Key points Argues that ayahuasca shamanism shared with non-kin brings new visibility for Amazonian shamanic ways of knowing, but communities maintain controlled "horizontal openings."

Abstract

Abstract This chapter looks at ritual spaces of ayahuasca shamanism in western Brazil, organized by indigenous people to be shared purposefully with other indigenous and non-indigenous participants. This usually occurs in the evenings of political and cultural meetings, training courses, and cultural festivals. They allow identifying people with whom to cooperate, exchange substances, and share knowledge. Second, through many elements of ayahuasca shamanism indigenous professionals and leaders can variously communicate information about their history, ancestors, and nonhuman beings in their sociocosmos. Even indigenous people with few shamanic skills have been invited over state borders and to foreign countries, especially by non-Indians interested in indigenous spiritualism. This has also meant the involvement of economic resources, making it a sensitive issue for indigenous communities. Amazonian indigenous shamanism shared with non-kin brings new visibility for Amazonian shamanic ways of knowing and practices, but the “horizontal openings” remain controlled in the communities.

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 4

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Ayahuasca Shamanism