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Ritual e xamanismo    

Ritual e shamanism

::01

 

Apart from nomination, two other Maku rituals use hallucinogens from the banisteriopsis genus. One of these is the jurupari ritual, in which boys are initiated into adulthood. During this rite - which comprises a theatrical representation of the arrival of the ancestral anaconda at the stretches of river nowadays occupied by the Tukano - the men play the sacred flutes, which cannot be seen by women. The other rite is the kaapi wayá dance and chant, also originating from the riverine populations, in which the serpentine path of the anaconda is performed, but without the sacred flutes. In addition to these rites, there is dabocuri, again deriving from the river Indians. This is a profane festival, light-hearted and fuelled by alcohol. Among the Maku, very often this ends in veritable battles, with slapping, stick beating and early morning shouting, whose consequence - besides fairly extensive bruising - is usually the dispersion of the co-residents to various hunt camps or a strategic change of village.

Shamanism. In general, it may be said that all older Maku men are shamans. These, though, are of two types: the curers (bididu) and the jaguar-men (nyaam hupdu). The former cure by using spells. The latter by extracting the affliction by means of suction. Frequently, the same individual performs both functions. In neither case does the shaman inspire much fear among his peers: he is instead one of the favourite targets for mocking. But sometimes he may be accused of malice and sickness, whereupon the people who believe they have been attacked change village or "stay in the forest until the anger passes."

 

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Jorge Pozzobon (1955-2001)
Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi
January 1999
01:: Pidu Bu village. Making fire with stone shards
photo: Jorge Pozzobon, 1997
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