The yoco from heaven is cultivated: perspectives on Paullinia yoco in airo-pai shamanism (western secoya-tucano)
This article associates Airo-pai shamanistic vision and interpretation of dreams with their silvicultural management of yoco (Paullinia yoco), a wild vine rich in caffeine, endemic to the pleistocene refuge of Napo. According to Airo-pai ethnobotanic notions, yoco is a plantthat «gives advice» to th...
| Autores: | , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2008 |
| País: | Perú |
| Institución: | Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú |
| Repositorio: | Revistas - Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú |
| Idioma: | español |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/1614 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://revistas.pucp.edu.pe/index.php/anthropologica/article/view/1614 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Amazonian chamanism Silviculture and extraction of medicinal plants Airo-pai Secoya Paullinia yoco Chamanismo amazónico Silvicultura y extracción de plantas medicinales |
| Sumario: | This article associates Airo-pai shamanistic vision and interpretation of dreams with their silvicultural management of yoco (Paullinia yoco), a wild vine rich in caffeine, endemic to the pleistocene refuge of Napo. According to Airo-pai ethnobotanic notions, yoco is a plantthat «gives advice» to those who intake it. From the analysis of a shamanic chant of yajé (Banisteriopsis caapi), myths and interpretation of dreams, we show how the management of this species is conceived from contrasting perspectives: for celestial beings, yoco is a domesticated plant that grows in the celestial gardens; for cuacuiyó (yoco’s «Master»), a seed-dispersing bird, yoco is its own plantation; and for terrestrial human beings, the collection of wild yoco is like hunting, associated in dreams with the nocturnal curassow (Nothocrax urumutum). This study thus illustrates the relevance of a perspectivist approach to understand the ethnobotanic lore underlying the management and extraction of a wild species of ritual and practical importance. |
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