Soul-foods as pharmaka: female bodies and poisons in the Upper Rio Negro

In this article, we explore the origins, properties, and ritual uses of a series of psychoactive substances among indigenous peoples of the Upper Rio Negro. Setting out from the mythical genesis of tobacco, coca, paricá, and caapi (ayahuasca), we examine the relationship between these substances and...

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Main Authors: Pedro Lolli, Geraldo Andrello
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Société des américanistes 2024-09-01
Series:Journal de la Société des Américanistes
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/jsa/22902
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author Pedro Lolli
Geraldo Andrello
author_facet Pedro Lolli
Geraldo Andrello
author_sort Pedro Lolli
collection DOAJ
description In this article, we explore the origins, properties, and ritual uses of a series of psychoactive substances among indigenous peoples of the Upper Rio Negro. Setting out from the mythical genesis of tobacco, coca, paricá, and caapi (ayahuasca), we examine the relationship between these substances and diverse aspects of female bodies and their reproductive powers, suggesting that these psychoactives can be conceived as pharmaka in the classic sense of the term, acting both to increase a person’s vital force and/or to harm and kill. As we show, these effects relate to the practice of blown magical incantations, used to both cure and provoke diseases, a connection that allows us to explore indigenous notions of life force, speech, and breath as ways through which bodies affect each other.
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institution Kabale University
issn 0037-9174
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language English
publishDate 2024-09-01
publisher Société des américanistes
record_format Article
series Journal de la Société des Américanistes
spelling doaj-art-7887cfbe49d349948e6cbf73b64dd46c2025-02-05T15:55:01ZengSociété des américanistesJournal de la Société des Américanistes0037-91741957-78422024-09-011101659210.4000/12ki9Soul-foods as pharmaka: female bodies and poisons in the Upper Rio NegroPedro LolliGeraldo AndrelloIn this article, we explore the origins, properties, and ritual uses of a series of psychoactive substances among indigenous peoples of the Upper Rio Negro. Setting out from the mythical genesis of tobacco, coca, paricá, and caapi (ayahuasca), we examine the relationship between these substances and diverse aspects of female bodies and their reproductive powers, suggesting that these psychoactives can be conceived as pharmaka in the classic sense of the term, acting both to increase a person’s vital force and/or to harm and kill. As we show, these effects relate to the practice of blown magical incantations, used to both cure and provoke diseases, a connection that allows us to explore indigenous notions of life force, speech, and breath as ways through which bodies affect each other.https://journals.openedition.org/jsa/22902poisonTukanopsychoactivepharmakonsoul-foodYuhupdeh
spellingShingle Pedro Lolli
Geraldo Andrello
Soul-foods as pharmaka: female bodies and poisons in the Upper Rio Negro
Journal de la Société des Américanistes
poison
Tukano
psychoactive
pharmakon
soul-food
Yuhupdeh
title Soul-foods as pharmaka: female bodies and poisons in the Upper Rio Negro
title_full Soul-foods as pharmaka: female bodies and poisons in the Upper Rio Negro
title_fullStr Soul-foods as pharmaka: female bodies and poisons in the Upper Rio Negro
title_full_unstemmed Soul-foods as pharmaka: female bodies and poisons in the Upper Rio Negro
title_short Soul-foods as pharmaka: female bodies and poisons in the Upper Rio Negro
title_sort soul foods as pharmaka female bodies and poisons in the upper rio negro
topic poison
Tukano
psychoactive
pharmakon
soul-food
Yuhupdeh
url https://journals.openedition.org/jsa/22902
work_keys_str_mv AT pedrololli soulfoodsaspharmakafemalebodiesandpoisonsintheupperrionegro
AT geraldoandrello soulfoodsaspharmakafemalebodiesandpoisonsintheupperrionegro