Open AccessOM MARSVINET IANDINSK FOLKLORE: Offergave, krukke, delikatesse, kæledyr, skraldebøtte, varsel og røntgen
Author(s) -
Inge Schjellerup
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
antropologi
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2596-5425
pISSN - 0906-3021
DOI - 10.7146/ta.v0i33.115371
Subject(s) - folklore , ceremony , ethnology , art , sacrifice , history , geography , traditional medicine , humanities , ancient history , archaeology , medicine
Inge Schjellerup: About the Guinea-Pig in
Andean Folklore. Sacrifice, jar, delikatesses,
pet, dustbin, omen and x-ray
The guinea pig from the Andean region in
South America has a long cultural history.
Archaeological evidence dates its use as
domestic animal back to 5000 BC. While the
guinea pig in its native environment has traditionally
been raised for consumption, it also
has an important social and ceremonial
use in folk-medicine and in native religious
practices. The author took part in a healing
ceremony in central Peru where the guinea
pig was used to diagnose a patient's illness.
The curanderismo is an Andean healing
practise which recently has attracted the interest
of western medical physicians.