Shamanism in South America, the Magic of the Wichis.

Shamanism in South America

the Magic of the Wichis.

South America is a sub continent crossed in its northern part by the line of the Ecuador that extends, towards the South, towards the Pole. This vast expanse surrounded by the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans presents a great variety of landscapes: the Atacama desert, considered one of the most arid of the planet; The Amazon rainforest, an extensive area that houses innumerable plant species that are constantly discovered by civilization; Coniferous forests located in the southern section of the Andes mountain range; The plain of Patagonia, etc.

The wide variety of cultures, beliefs, religious traditions and customs that this diversity gives us gives way to the existence of numerous magic rituals related to magic, shamanism, and sorcery. For it is not the same conception of the universe and of himself as an individual born in the midst of the rainforest that another whose life has passed on the high mountains or in the cold and windy places of "Tierra de Fuego".

For this reason, I have decided to take advantage of these digital media of today, to share with all my dear readers and followers about the cultures that I have had the opportunity to know and study in the past. Coming from a key country in the South, as is Venezuela, full of immigrants from all South American countries, I have had the opportunity to share with many of these wonderful people from different countries, who, despite sharing the same language, handle Completely different cultures and traditions.

One of these cases is the so-called Wichis or "matacos", whose culture is a delight of folklore and magical shamanism full of color and much traditional mysticism.

Wichi, an indigenous ethnic group from Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay, are known as wichi or wichis, which in the Quechua language (original language of the Andes) means "people", are also known as "matacos", In association with the armadillo (Tolypeutes matacus) coming from Argentina that bears the same name.

Southern three-banded armadillo (Tolypeutes matacus)

The Wichi religious tradition combines traditional animism and magical shamanism, they render a cult very complex to the spirits that inhabit the nature, being these spirits ruled by Tokuah, the king of the spirits and the forests.

The Wichi are known for their use of the seeds of Cebil (Anadenanthera colubrina), a South American tree with thorny trunk and gray that produces flowers between September and December. The seeds of cebil that are collected at the foot of this tree, are dried in the sun and ground to powder, and this powder is used by the shamans of the tribe to cure various diseases because their smoke is considered a smoke Sacred that contains the blessings of Tokuah.

The powder of the cebil seed can be inhaled or included in tobacco leaves to contact spirits, to venerate the dead, and to ask for favors from those who have ascended to live at the right hand of Tokuah. The bark of the cebil tree is used medicinally by tribe shamans. In addition, gum produced from the bark is used to treat infections of the upper respiratory tract, as an expectorant, and to calm the cough.

Another of the magical principles of the Wichi culture is the worship of the so-called "Yucan" or "Palo borracho" (drunken stick)/(Ceiba chodatii), whose pale yellow flowers and black seeds are burned to exorcise evil spirits They bring with them diseases and psychotic madness.

Wichi lunar Calendar

The Wichi believe deeply in magic, although they see it as dangerous and forbidden, that only the most ancient and trained shamans can practice, they believe in the constant struggle between good spirits and evil spirits, as well as in the cycle of The reincarnation, where men reincarnate in animals and women in plants and trees, and when fulfilling a cycle of more than a hundred lives, reach reincarnate as seers.

Seers in the Wichi culture are considered an omen of the gods and a blessing, they are taught from very young to venerate nature and contact the spirits to reach the degree of the shaman who will inherit the traditions.

In addition, the Wichi have a broad dialect, since youngsters are taught to speak Spanish and Quechua language simultaneously, but young people who are taught and trained to be shamans also learn a third language, a language much older and more traditional than Is only taught orally and is transmitted from generation to generation, because it is considered the secret language of the spirits of the forest, and is also sacred.

One of the most closed practices, but also more common in their culture, is the circle of healing, where a group of older men and women sit in a circle with the shaman of the tribe and place the patient lying in the circle. Center of the same, and making use of a rattle, made with the shell of a turtle and a series of songs, heal to the patient of any evil.

Although not historically correct, you can understand magic around Wichi culture by watching Disney's animated film "Pocahontas," where the village shaman reads the future on fire, heals people with songs and rattles, and carries with them A sack of his "magic dust" to burn at the stake as a tribute to the great spirits, which are represented in the film as small golden symbols that wander floating in the wind.

If you have an opportunity to visit at some point, the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, New York. You can find yourself in front of a remarkable and curious collection of artifacts from the Wichi culture, forming part of the South American Collection.

© Elhoim Leafar