433 Chapter Seven Cosmos For the Matsigenka of Shimaa, kameti ...

man drinks ayahuasca and is visited by Kogapakori, he turns inherently evil. If one prepares
yuca and it turns red, it is a sign one will be visited by such an evil man.
Shamans and the Unseen Ones--.
The Unseen Ones. Countering to some degree the dangerous world of animal
spirits, lost human souls, and demons, are the good spirits, the unseen ones (terira ineenkani =
not he-is-seen-ones). They are also known as the pure ones (saankarite < -saanka- = pure,
clean) although the people of Shimaa rarely used this name when discussing them with me.
These good and powerful beings reside at a distance and must be invoked by a shaman
(seripigari), usually in a hallucinogen-induced trance. The unseen ones are immortal, beyond
pain and death. A shaman can enter into a personal relationship with an unseen one, who then
becomes a guide and protector, curing the ills of this world and accompanying one’s soul on the
perilous journey into the afterlife. A powerful shaman can obtain the help of unseen ones for his
family and loyal followers.
Terira Ineenkani (Unseen Ones)
(Julio 1973)
Once there was a shaman [gavagetacharira “ayahuasca drinker”]. He had many sons and
daughters. Other men came and said, “Give us your sisters. Give them to us!” The old man spoke
up, “Leave them alone! They don’t want to give you their sisters.” On their way home, one of
those men said, “Now, let us wait: their father is getting old. Soon he will die--he will be no more.
Then we will take the sisters. We will kill their brothers, so there will be no one to say, ‘No!’ to
us.”
The old shaman said, “I am dying.” His wife prepared his ayahuasca. He drank it. His
soul flew to the land of the Unseen Ones and returned. He said, “If I die and leave you here, they
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