Art and Shamanistic symbols in the Amazon

Although known for over a century, the so-called Amazonian stone idols still represent a category of indigenous artifacts without archaeological, historical and ethnographic context. This article represents the first formal assessment of the known samples and presents hypotheses about their function...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Antonio Porro
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi 2010-04-01
Series:Boletim do Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi. Ciências Humanas
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.museu-goeldi.br/editora/bh/artigos/chv5n1_2010/arte(porro).pdf
Description
Summary:Although known for over a century, the so-called Amazonian stone idols still represent a category of indigenous artifacts without archaeological, historical and ethnographic context. This article represents the first formal assessment of the known samples and presents hypotheses about their function and purpose. The style, symbolic patterns, and functional details of paired holes existing in all samples suggest their association to the ritual snuff of paricá (yakee) and other hallucinogenic substances by ancient Amazonian shamans.
ISSN:1981-8122