WISDOM OF THE FOREST
The ethnographic intention of this documentary series is to accompany indigenous experts in the preparation of some of the substances that are consumed in both ritual and non-ritual contexts. While processing rapé and ambil (both from tobacco), or masato (a cassava beer), we follow these three experts in their daily lives. This series was produced by the Banco de la República de Colombia, through its Cultural Area in Leticia.
The Gods Became Rapé
William Yukuna, a traditional healer from the Kamejeya people (also known as the Yukuna people), shows us how to prepare rapé [tobacco snuff], which the Kamejeya use in ritual contexts, both for healing purposes and during collective dances, which are performed to cure the world and the relationships between the beings that inhabit it.
Masato for the Minga
Ruth Lorenzo is a knowledge holder of the Magütá People, and she lives in a community on the outskirts of Leticia. In this documentary, Ruth shows us how to prepare masato—a fermented drink made from cassava, used in both collective work (the minga) and ritual contexts, particularly in the Yüü ritual, which celebrates the transition from childhood to adulthood among the women of her people.
Ambil in the City
Cristóbal Farirama is a knowledge holder of the Murui people who migrated from the Igaraparaná River to Leticia, capital of the department of Amazonas, Colombia. Cristóbal continues to practice the customs of his grandparents. In this documentary, he shows us how to prepare ambil (a tobacco paste consumed for ritual purposes) while he reflects on life in the city.
