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Shamans’ gardens: sites of creative equivocation between Indigenous and internationalized ayahuasca shamanism

Françoise Barbira Freedman, Stephen Hugh‐jones

Journal de la Société des Américanistes 2025 DOI: 10.4000/14ya0 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Ethnography Peer reviewed
Population One medicinal plant garden at an ayahuasca center
Topics Ayahuasca Shamanism
Keywords Indigenous Equivocation Vocabulary Constructive Traditional knowledge Amazon rainforest Anthropology Ethnography Element criminal law Ethnology Ceremony Acquiescence Ethnobotany
Key findings Medicinal plant gardens at ayahuasca centers contain a relatively stable set of plants typical of Amazonian vegetalismo, and serve as sites of constructive equivocation where indigenous and biomedical perspectives partially accommodate one another.

Abstract

If ayahuasca shamanism is now well studied, the medicinal plant gardens that form a standard element of ayahuasca centers have received less attention. Based on detailed mapping, recorded commentaries, and an accompanying website (https://yakumamaylivepharmacy.org), this paper provides concise data about the range of plants found in one such garden. Exploring the medicinal gardens’ relations to home gardens and swiddens, we identify a relatively stable plant set, typical of Amazonian vegetalismo, that defines shamans’ gardens as a genre in centers of ayahuasca shamanism. With visitors developing personal relationships with plants and with shamans adopting the vocabulary of biomedicine and psychotherapy, “ethnobotanical gardens” provide sites of constructive equivocation where contrasting cultural assumptions find partial accommodation.

Comparable studies

Other qualitative studies on ayahuasca, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
The antipodes Of the mind Indigenous people, shamans, members of different religious sects using Ayahuasca, and... 2002 Qualitative study
Drug Tourism or Spiritual Healing? Ayahuasca Seekers in Amazonia Westerners participating in an ayahuasca retreat in Amazonia 2005 Qualitative study
Therapeutic Effects of Ritual Ayahuasca Use in the Treatment of Substance Dependence—Qualitative Results Therapists, expert researchers, and individuals who underwent ayahuasca-assisted... 2014 Qualitative study n = 29
Nourishing the Spirit: Exploratory Research on Ayahuasca Experiences along the Continuum of Recovery from Eating Disorders Individuals previously diagnosed with an eating disorder 2017 Qualitative study n = 16
Exploring ayahuasca‐assisted therapy for addiction: A qualitative analysis of preliminary findings among an Indigenous community in Canada Indigenous adults in Canada who participated in ayahuasca-assisted ceremonial retreats 2019 Qualitative study n = 11

Citations in the library

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Ayahuasca Shamanism