Journal of Ethnobiology
December 1, 2024
Lewis Daly, Glenn H. Shepard
8 citations
In Indigenous Amazonian societies such as the Makushi of Guyana and the Matsigenka of Peru, certain plants are regarded as 'plant persons' with subjectivity, especially those used for healing, harming, seducing, or protecting. The authors examine how chemosensory properties like bitterness, causticity, taste, odor, and texture shape interactions with plants, particularly toxic and medicinal species. Makushi shamanic plants called bina 'charms' have animacy entangled with phytochemical components and preparation methods. Matsigenka knowledge of bamboo species reveals interpenetration of tactile and chemical perceptions with ecological cycles. These examples show plant animacy expressed through sensorial and ecosemiotic processes that defy Western dualisms of mind/body, nature/culture, and subject/object.
Journal of Ethnobiology
September 22, 2024
James Andrew Whitaker, Vikram Tamboli, Lewis Daly et al.
8 citations
Among Indigenous peoples in the Guianas, including the Makushi, Pemon, and Karinya, certain plants are regarded as animate, agentive beings—plant persons—that can act independently or in concert with humans. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork and archival records, the article describes how these plants exert agency in contexts of subsistence, shamanism, assault sorcery, and romantic attraction, as well as within extractive frontiers such as mining, forestry, and plantation agriculture. The authors argue that these botanical agencies shape relationships between humans and plants, raising questions about how plant persons are positioned across different practices and how they interact with shamans, sorcerers, hunters, gardeners, and miners.
Journal of Ethnobiology
July 1, 2021
Hernando Echeverri-Sanchez
1 citation
In western Amazonia, the medicinal plant Cyperus articulatus, locally called chondur, is used as a shamanic tool to combat spiritual agents believed to cause illness. The plant also plays a central role in yagé (ayahuasca) ceremonies. This article examines two distinct folk varieties of the plant in Putumayo, Colombia, each with its own use, purpose, and symbolism. The use of these plants in healing rituals and yagé ceremonies underscores the importance of tools, techniques, and devices in reinforcing therapeutic narratives.