FOREST SHAMANISM IN THE CITY: THE KAXINAWÁ EXAMPLE

Based on four years of fieldwork, the author examines a therapeutic ritual led by two young Kaxinawá shamans that involves consuming ayahuasca. The article discusses how Amerindians and non-Amerindians interact through equivocal compatibilities, where mutual understanding arises from a 'synonymous effect'. This effect places spirits and mythological beings on the same psychological and sentimental level as participants, creating a metaphorical continuum in communication. Ethnographic data suggest that urban Nixi Pae rites explore the equivocal compatibility between two key terms: Yube and the unconscious.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Abstract Setting out from interactions experienced throughout four years of field work studies, I focus on a therapeutic ritual involving ayahuasca consumption led by two young Kaxinawá shamans. The article undertakes the discussion of the equivocal compatibilities that make possible the interaction between Amerindians and non-Amerindians in this context. Citing a number of interactive contexts beyond the rite's space-time axis, the text explores the sense of mutual understanding that occurs thanks to a 'synonymous effect'. This effect places spirits and mythological beings, for example, on the same psychological and sentimental level, creating a metaphorical continuum between those involved in the communication. Ethnographic data suggests that urban Nixi Pae rites explore the equivocal compatibility between two terms that give rise to this communication context: Yube and the unconscious.