UJ #13 - Health & Wellness

SPIRITUALITY AND SYNCRETISM
Left:
The Chanquillo site in the
department of Ancash is
considered to be the oldest
solar observatory in America.
Right:
The Tipon archaeological
complex in Cusco is notable
for its perfectly functioning
Inca irrigation channel.
In Alto Marañon, near the border with Ecuador, the
Aguaruna women sing icaros —a style of chant that
makes those who listen to it want to change— when
they go out to their fields of cassava. In those anem,
a term that also refers to the heart and mind, the women
plead with Nunkui, the deity of the earth, to be
generous and to let the cassava grow plentiful and
disease free. Meanwhile their menfolk sing ícaros to
the “mother” of the Huanganas asking for permission
to hunt the wild boar and requesting that there be no
accidents. The animals and plants have their “mother”,
who is the spiritual entity or collective essence of the
species. In turn, the old wachiperis, in the jungle of the
Amarakaeri Communal Reserve, sing eshuva, songs
that cure disease and have been recognised as world
intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO.
The faith healers of Chiclayo and Huancabamba (Piura),
two of the major centres of shamanism in Peru,
perform elaborate ceremonies that make use of a
wide range of products. Some are from the ancient
traditions of cultures that once lived there. Others are
clearly influenced by Catholicism, as can be seen from
the images of saints and the Virgin Mary, prayers, crucifixes
and a variety of other religious regalia.
Near Chiclayo is Ventarron, where archaeologist Ignacio
Alva discovered some of the oldest polychromatic
wall paintings in the Americas (2600 B.C.) One of
them shows a deer trapped in a net. The painting is
located in a ceremonial setting containing seats and
ritual hearths. These ancient and pioneering Peruvian
farmers would pray to their gods to protect their small
fields of cotton, pumpkin or beans from attack by deer.
Humanity is shared
We are all human beings. Plants, animals, waterfalls,
caves and mountains all share a humanity that us not
exclusive to the human race. We live in an animist universe
in which the beings that populate it have different
degrees of humanity and enjoy intent and will. Being
human is normal and differences arise from appearances
and how we see each other and relate to the
world. In western thought, nature is “something” that is
Rodrigo Cabrera
Carlos Sala / PROMPERU