Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Indigenous People of Colombia - Shamanism / Worship of the Dead














1. Two Goajiro musicians, one blowing in a deer skull and the other in a flute.

2. Goajiro man sniffing the Yopo (Anadenanthera peregrina).

3. The Goajiro sorcerer isn't afraid by the scolopendra (centipede) poison.

4. The "Kabayana" (shaman) infuses his strenght for a sick.

5. The Kabayana wave his magical leaves bouquet for a sick woman.

6. The fetishes of Kabayana are placed above the altar before which he officiates.

7. Group of Indians surrounding the old priest sorcerer leaning on a stick.

8. Designated by the sorcerer, a woman prepares the "chicha" (a kind of maize beer) which will serve for its intervention with the spirits or "Kay".

9. Páez Indians of Tierra Adentro. Funeral wake.

10. Opogadó, Middle Atrato region. In the absence of a next of kin male, the bones of a dead unearthed at a previous party are wrapped and placed on a branches shelf sheltered under a small roof sheets.

11. A Catio man dig the vault side of the burial pit on the ground.

12. Arhuak village

13. Stone statue. Tierra Adentro region.

14. Prehistoric statue. Tierra Adentro region.

8 comments:

Janas said...

Book cover

Scans source: Marquis de Wavrin - Chez les indiens de Colombie - Plon, Paris. 1953.

Marquis de Wavrin biography

. said...

Wondeful gruop of pictures. The portrait of the man with the centipede is very special.

Thanks much and thanks again for the L'Albanie Mysterieuse record you gave me a long time ago. I haven't stopped listening to it, it's a masterpiece. I will always miss your music posts.


Jose Osvaldo.

Janas said...

You are always welcome, Jose and thanks for your appreciations.
In the book it says that the centipede venom is used by Goajiro tribe together with a decomposition mixture of poisonous snakes, scorpions, temblador (electric fish), various plants and some minerals to make poisonous arrows.

. said...

Wow! Nice collection of venoms! Maybe also venom from poisonous frogs, since there are lots of species of these in Colombia.

Janas said...

I hope that colombian frogs can croaking in quiet :(¦)

I found another description in Handbook of South American Indians - Julian H. Steward, Editor that matches with that of de Wavrin.

To prepare arrow poison, scorpions, centipedes, and poisonous spiders are mashed, snake venom is added, and the mixture is allowed to putrefy for several days. The poison will retain its potency for six months. It is kept in a short section of bamboo, which is carried around the waist, together with the arrow points, each in a hollow reed. Before shooting, an Indian dips the point into the poison and inserts it in the shaft. (The cultures of northwest South America - The Goajiro, by John M. Armstrong and Alfred Metraux - page 374.)

Awor said...

Absolutely stunning. Thank you very much.

Also I wondered, will it be possible to access to the files on Fileden ? I just dropped on these and all the links seem dead...

Keep up the good work.

Janas said...

Welcome, Cłeister.
Thank you, I am glad you liked this post. Unfortunately, fileden closed its doors from a couple of months.
I will try to upload the audio files in another host soon.

Awor said...

Thank you so much !