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Ayahuasca Religions in A cre: Cultural Heritage in the B razilian Borderlands
Author(s) -
Labate Beatriz Caiuby
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
anthropology of consciousness
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.117
H-Index - 14
eISSN - 1556-3537
pISSN - 1053-4202
DOI - 10.1111/j.1556-3537.2012.01058.x
Subject(s) - ayahuasca , legitimacy , amazon rainforest , politics , government (linguistics) , state (computer science) , cultural heritage , sociology , history , ethnology , environmental ethics , political science , geography , anthropology , archaeology , law , ecology , philosophy , linguistics , algorithm , computer science , biology
The B razilian ayahuasca religions, S anto D aime, B arquinha, and U nião do V egetal, have increasingly sought formal recognition by government agencies in B razil and other countries to guarantee their legal use of ayahuasca, which contains DMT , a substance that is listed. This article focuses on new alliances and rifts that have emerged between and among different ayahuasca groups as they have sought and in some cases achieved formal recognition and legitimacy at the state and national levels in B razil and abroad. It presents a historical overview of the origin of the main ayahuasca religions, and their connections to the A mazon region and the state of A cre in particular, where the political environment has facilitated petitions seeking the elevation of ayahuasca as cultural and historical heritage in A cre and B razil. This process has resulted in the active selection of certain symbolic, cultural, and historical elements and subtle changes in the ways various ayahuasca groups represent themselves in the public sphere. It also resulted in the reconfiguration of political alliances and a recasting of the historical facts regarding origins. The article reflects on notions of origin, place, authenticity, and tradition throughout the ongoing transformation of ayahuasca from “dangerous drug” to state and national heritage.