3 ms·
"One of the greatest gifts you can give a Shaman is tobacco" The relationship with the two sacred plants (tobacco and coca) had by the indiginous people of Sou
by aunty_helen 5y ago
"One of the greatest gifts you can give a Shaman is tobacco"
The relationship with the two sacred plants (tobacco and coca) had by the indiginous people of South America is completely different from the western approach.
If you ever get a chance try rapé, a powdered form of tobacco which is taken by being blown up your nose generally at the commencement of a ceremony.
A long way from smoking a Marlboro red.
- boomboomsubban 5y agoHow is it different from snuff? Why do these types of tobacco now have the most unfortunate names in the modern age?
- RugnirViking 5y agoRapé is not the same as Rape, not even close. I know the letters look similar, but they just... aren't. To people whose native language includes accents, the idea of reading one as the other is bizzare. Not to mention the existence of the common European crop rapeseed, which actually is pronounced exactly the same as "rape" and has been for hundreds of years.
- boomboomsubban 5y agoI'm sure that would matter if I decided to search for videos to see how it is used.
- rad_gruchalski 5y agoI’m not, just out of curiosity, I copied Rapé, pasted in google search and the first thing that came up was: Rapé and Sacred Tobacco. Pretty accurate.
- partomniscient 5y agoThat reminds me of reading about the way Guaica Indians use Yopo (which has many names). http://entheology.com/research/native-hallucinogen-piptadenias/ http://entheology.com/research/native-hallucinogen-piptadeni...
- proc0 5y agoIt's the same objective, even if you romanticize it. You're getting high and enjoying it. (I lived in Bolivia, tried coca leaves in many forms, many people literally use it for energy every day, not shamanistic rituals).
- aunty_helen 5y agoI appreciate your understanding of subtances and their uses as it's part of our bad relationship. However, drinking a coca tea for invigoration vs doing a line in a night club isn't really comparable. And that's at the personal use level, when you participate in a shamanic ritual, it's a complete different opportunity to use a plant for benefit. When in Colombia I never saw anyone go to a shamanic ritual wanting just to get high. It's easier just to order some substance and go to town on that. There's no scarcity premium on out-of-your-mind experiences. If you try rapé, get back to me and tell me how 'high and enjoyable' it was.