Shamanism in Moche Art and Iconography - Maya Exploration Center

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of known shamanic content in Moche art, the enthnographies of themade!rn Amaaoni an tribes are once again of invaluable assistance.Koidza is fermented manioc and Culina women make it(the samewomen are the ones who sing to call the spirits of the forest incuriny ceremonies). 67 cup of Knidra is part of the cul.inahealing ceremony.As menti,oned earlier, the fermented manioc isfor the visiting spirits; and is said to q~~ell their violenttendencir?s(F'ollocI.: 19C?2;34).Matisigcmka people with special so~~ls are said to have "eyesouls" lucated in the pupils.Those peop1.c are said to livema]. r1l y on divi nc! manioc, the non-poisunous variety given to theMatisigenkia by the Father Moon ( B~er 1992; 81).4.Ilesana patismts drinl: hoi led manioc juice t r ~ cleanse thc!m,purg.".' them tnetaphorically o.f illne%~;(Huchil kt 1992j2113).Mochcshamans and attendants bnth snuff alcohol out of a flat shell inthw prnrszs do!.icribed as raising the tabla. T~F! purpnsc? c ~ f thisaction ie; to purify and protect the table."raised"(Gi1lin 1947;20).' .The pati.ent is alsoThe cnnnection between the series of accounts above is theprocess of ritually purifying the area in preparatinn for. ..hea1,ing. In eai:::h case 1.t. involves the use of alcohol. Despite,tl,r?fact that in the jungle it is made from manioc and in modernMach?? i t is bo~lght at the store, alcohol as LISC~ in healincjritual i.5 similar in both contexts.The ancient Mochc? may haveLISC~ *:hi'cha, or corn beer, considering manioc dues not grow in
that part of the coast.he sacredness of manioc, however wasstrong enough for it to remain in the shamanic portrayals inMoche art and stand as one more prsce of evidence that Mocheculture had its origins in the Amazon.The Si ona Novice Experi enreAs the final section of this paper, the story of a Slonanovice shaman's first experience in contacting the ntherworldw i l l be recounted:A person apprentices to a master shaman and becomes hisattendant.To prepare for the first journey to the otherworldthe novice goes through isolation, fasting, enemas and celibacy.':Next comes days of drinking YagolBanisteropsis). The novice hasvisions of his death and of being reborn as a child of the JaguarMother. Its frightening and exhausting. The first two days ofthe drinking prudl.rce visions familiar to every Siona hecatase theyare compared tu an often told creation story.'In Sionamythology, stars once walked on the Earth.They were called thePleiadcs people and they were the first to drink Yage. Theyoungest brother, a trickster involved in a n~~mber of- stories,was the first to drink it. He vomitad, feinted, urinated andwent crazy, rubbing feces over himsel+.The Moon is said to havegone through the same process and he was taught by hisgrandfather, the 9~1n. During the visions of death the apprenticehas visions of snakes p~tl ling him underground, wrapping aro1.1nd
Page 1: &RH 395Spring 1994
Page 7 and 8: that Elizabeth Nenson called the Fa
Page 9 and 10: connected to shamanism and the call
Page 12 and 13: individuals as the individ~~als on
Page 15: At 10,200.Ft, the site of Chavin de
Page 21 and 22: other indicators.Henson notes that
Page 23 and 24: scenes of prisoners in the process
Page 25 and 26: skeletal death figures(Henson 19723
Page 27: depicted in association with shaman
Page 31: caught in the head.Once trapped, th
Page 35 and 36: 1947 -- Moche - A Pert-~vian Coasta

Shamanism in Moche Art and Iconography - Maya Exploration Center

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