|
The Use of Psychoactive Plants Among the Hupda-Maku |
|
|
Written by Pedro; translated to English by Joshua Callaghan and Cynthia Simss
|
|
Tuesday, 12 August 1997 |
|
Page 2 of 4
The Xenhet is thought as a son of everyone who has sniffed him, his help and teachings can be invoked even without inhaling the powder; all you have to do is call him affectionately and he will answer.
Extremely valued by the Hupda, the use of Xenhet is fundamental for who wants to be a shaman. Only with Xenhets help can someone be successful in understanding Carpis effects and be a healer.
The powder must be acquired from an experienced shaman who will teach the apprentice in its use and preparation. The apprentice then becomes indebted to the shaman for favors and gifts which he must honor under penalty of death. Indeed, the shaman who has not been satisfactorily paid for his Xenhet can blow in the direction of the apprentice who will die in three days.
In spite of this, the tree is well known and common in the region occupied by the Hupda, the preparation of the powder being simple and known by all Hupda men. The bark of the Virola is cut 50 centimeters from the ground, a piece 40 cm wide and 1.20 meters long is then stripped from the trunk. The exuded resin is then put in cold water where it solidifies, later being dried, pulverized, and mixed with tobacco snuff to be inhaled.
Even counting the high esteem and the enthusiastic terms that the Hupda refer to Xenhet, and in spite of the recognized strength of its effects, Xenhet is thought of as an auxiliary entity to Carpi and it is about this that we will now speak.
For the Hupda, Carpi existed at the time of creation, in the Parmuridúi, when humanity emerged. Carpi formed the bones of the first man, the ancestor of all Hupda. In this way, we can see Carpi is a distinctive legacy of the Hupda. They say that by having the Carpi body they share the knowledge that it has, thus justifying their alleged superiority in knowledge of the world in relation to other peoples.
Indeed, in Hupda culture, Carpi is the principal vehicle for attaining wisdom. Identified in another myth with the veins of the sloth man, the owner of caxiri (a fermented drink made from manioc), Carpi metaphorically represents the strength and the vital sustenance which enables the user to learn and grow.
|
