Yopo, ethnicity and social change: a comparative analysis of Piaroa and Cuiva yopo uset.
Journal of psychoactive drugs January 1, 2011 Robin Rodd, Arelis Sumabila 7 citations
Among the Cuiva and Piaroa peoples of the Orinoco region, yopo—a hallucinogenic snuff from the Anadenanthera peregrina tree—remains central to cosmology and identity despite social changes. Cuiva use of yopo serves as a means of resisting persecution and asserting a just reality, while Piaroa attitudes are paradoxical: yopo is both the cause of harm and a means of salvation, required by shamans to create the future yet seen by many laypeople as a relic of the past. Persecution, missionary activity, and shamanic ethics are key factors shaping how hallucinogen use evolves among these groups.