CAMPOS - Revista de Antropologia Social
December 31, 2005
Marcelo S. Mercante
23 citations
A review of Beatriz Caiuby Labate's 2004 book, which examines how the traditional Amazonian psychoactive brew ayahuasca has been adapted and re-signified within urban settings. The book explores the sociocultural dynamics involved in the transformation of ayahuasca use from indigenous and rural contexts to contemporary urban centers, focusing on the reinvention of rituals, the emergence of new religious and therapeutic practices, and the negotiation of legality and legitimacy. Labate analyzes the interplay between tradition and modernity, highlighting how urban ayahuasca use reflects broader cultural and spiritual shifts in society.
CAMPOS - Revista de Antropologia Social
October 15, 2007
Edilene Coffaci de Lima, Beatriz Caiuby Labate
14 citations
Since the mid-2010s, the use of the secretion from the frog Phyllomedusa bicolor, known as kambô, has spread in large Brazilian cities. Traditionally used as a stimulant and invigorator for hunting by indigenous groups of the southwestern Amazon (including Katukina, Yawanawá, and Kaxinawá), kambô has attracted dual interest in urban centers: as a 'science remedy'—emphasizing its biochemical properties—and as a 'soul remedy'—valuing its indigenous origins. Its urban diffusion occurs mainly in alternative therapy clinics and within Brazilian ayahuasca religious settings. Applicators are diverse: indigenous people, former rubber tappers, holistic therapists, and doctors. This article presents an ethnography of kambô's diffusion, analyzing the discourse these various applicators have developed about the secretion, understood by some as a kind of 'power plant,' analogous to peyote and ayahuasca.
CAMPOS - Revista de Antropologia Social
January 10, 2019
Domingos Bueno Da Silva
3 citations
This text provides an informative overview of the Indigenous Ayahuasca Conference held in Acre. It describes the event as a gathering where indigenous leaders, shamans, and community members discussed the cultural, spiritual, and social significance of ayahuasca within indigenous traditions. The conference focused on sharing knowledge about the ceremonial use of ayahuasca, addressing challenges such as cultural appropriation and legal issues, and strengthening indigenous voices in the broader psychedelic and drug studies discourse. The account emphasizes the conference's role in promoting indigenous autonomy and protecting traditional practices.
CAMPOS - Revista de Antropologia Social
December 31, 2003
Marcelo Simão Mercante
2 citations
This is a review of the collection O Uso Ritual da Ayahuasca, edited by Beatriz Caiuby Labate and Wladimyr Sena Araújo and published in 2002. The book compiles interdisciplinary perspectives on the ritual use of ayahuasca, a psychoactive brew used in indigenous and religious contexts in South America. The review describes the volume's organization, which covers historical, anthropological, legal, and therapeutic dimensions of ayahuasca use, and highlights contributions from various scholars. It notes that the collection addresses both traditional practices and contemporary urban religious movements, as well as debates about regulation and potential therapeutic applications. The review assesses the book as a significant contribution to the literature on psychedelic substances and their cultural contexts.