Brazilian Ayahuasca Religions
Fieldwork in Religion – April 12, 2008
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
The ritual use of ayahuasca has evolved significantly, attracting diverse groups from Indigenous peoples to urban seekers. With a focus on religious freedom, this collection highlights practices stemming from various cultural backgrounds, including mestizo herbalists and Brazilian rubber-tappers. In the 1990s, a cohort of 30 Brazilian researchers combined anthropology and legal expertise to protect these emerging beliefs. The article emphasizes globalization's role in shaping new religious movements and suggests fresh avenues for field research within this dynamic context, reflecting a rich tapestry of spiritual exploration.
Abstract
This article reviews the forthcoming issue of FIR containing an important collection of articles on the origins and developments of religious movements and, later, research movements focused on a powerful psychoactive beverage consisting of the mixture of certain vines (ayahuasca) and leaves (chacrona) found mainly in Western Amazonia. The religious interpretations resulting from the ritual ingestion of the beverage have produced the most varied practices and beliefs, beginning with the indigenous peoples and mestizo herbalists, then migrant rubber-tappers from northeastern Brazil; in the 1960s, urbanites from major cities in Brazil and Europe seeking alternative forms of religious inspiration; and, in the 1990s, a group of Brazilian researchers who have combined anthropological and religious understanding of the phenomena along with legal expertise for the protection of the religious freedom necessary for the religions’ developments. With the diversification and globalization of these new religious movements, the article points to new directions for field research in these religions.