Art and Shamanistic symbols in the Amazon

• 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: Amazonian idols; Lithic Art; Shamanism; Alter egos; Guardian spirits
• Online Access: http://www.museu-goeldi.br/editora/bh/artigos/chv5n1_2010/arte(porro).pdf

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.