5 January 2024
Ten Tips for Standing in Solidarity with Indigenous People and Plant Medicines
By Glauber Loures de Assis, Ph.D., Bia Labate, Ph.D., Joseph Mays, MS.c., Clancy Cavnar, Psy.D.
MAPS Bulletin: Volume XXXIII Number 3 • 2023
“The future is ancestral.” This phrase from Ailton Krenak, Indigenous leader and lifetime member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, reminds us of an important truth: Indigenous peoples and cultures are not museum objects, or a chapter of history already passed. Despite the genocide, epistemicide, and multiple forms of violence experienced by the Indigenous peoples of the Americas throughout the colonizing process, their cultures and knowledge live on and resist. They have been able to preserve and protect not only balanced ways of living and relating to the planet, but also countless sacred plants, animals, and fungi, known to the Global North as “psychedelics.”
These substances have shown promise for the treatment of depression, PTSD, alcoholism, and other ailments, pointing to an auspicious future in healthcare. This therapeutic quality is one of the main elements driving the so-called psychedelic renaissance. However, for the healing potential of psychedelics to be fulfilled and shared collectively, it is essential that the Global North understands the consumption of psychedelics without social awareness is not sustainable, and the psychedelic renaissance needs to take ancestral cultures, knowledge, and sciences seriously.
In this text, we identify some ways this can be done, from our position as non-Indigenous allies working in collaboration with Indigenous partners to support the autonomy of local peoples and the medicines and environments they steward. We are grateful for the help of three Indigenous interlocutors with whom we shared these reflections and who are quoted throughout: Doethiro Tukano, from the Yepa Mahsã people, Cristine Takuá, from the Maxakali people, and Poran Potiguara, from the Potiguara people. While this article is in no way comprehensive, it gives us a place from which to explore the true possibilities of decolonization and cultural exchange in the psychedelic space, integrating the political concerns emphasized by Indigenous activists and honoring their struggles for territorial and cultural autonomy.
1. Problematize the romantic idea that we are all one “global psychedelic community.”
Social markers such as gender, race, ethnicity, language, and economic class produce a great distance between groups and people. While some investors in the sector considered the flooding at Burning Man to be their most dangerous experience in many years, communities in the Amazon are fighting daily for their lives amid both fire and flood, state-sponsored famine and the threat of death from illegal miners; as is the case with the Yanomami (Lyons, 2023).
For true encounters to be possible, we need to recognize our differences. Instead of treating all Indigenous peoples generically, we can start by recovering their specific identities, names, and cultures. In Brazil (Povos Indigenas, 2018) alone, there are approximately 266 different Indigenous peoples, who speak more than 150 languages.
We are engaging with a multitude of geographies and histories. And when we talk about psychedelics, we are also dealing with different plants, animals, fungi, and substances, as well as different sociocultural contexts, epistemologies, ecologies, and ways of seeing the world and psychedelics.
2. Take Indigenous worldviews seriously.
For Western science, the visionary state produced by sacred plants is a manifestation of the effect of these substances on the brain, but for different traditional cultures, plant-induced visions can be associated with the spiritual world and contact with non-human beings and entities.
For the Krenak people, self-designated as the Borum of Watú, rivers and mountains are endowed with life and can be considered “persons”; in other words, they are endowed with their own identity and agency in their relationship with humans and other beings. The visual phenomena of ayahuasca can be seen as a manifestation of the agency of the plants and the diets carried out by the maestros of the Shipibo-Conibo in the Upper Amazon, a concept shared by many other Indigenous peoples from the lowlands to the highlands of the Americas.
This reminds us that relationality is integral to the psychedelic experience. In general, the worldviews of Indigenous peoples propose an intimate relationship between human beings and the environment around them; a relationship of reverence that regards the territory as sacred and honors those who came before (including the rivers, seas, and forests), and is concerned with activity at the intersection of various planes of existence. Relational ways of seeing the world have more than mere philosophical implications, as we have seen in the fight to secure legal protection (Surma, 2021) for forests, plants, and animals in the Amazon.
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3. Be careful with commercialization and trivialization of sacred plants.
The Indigenous uses of sacred plants involve diet, philosophy, spirituality, and the cultivation of relationships aimed at buen vivir (sumak kawsay) on planet Earth (Balch, 2013). The great challenges of our time, such as climate crises, will not be solved through consumption. We need to have the humility to look to the ancestors who survived colonization so that we can build a better, inclusive, and more diverse future.
According to Maxakali leader Cristine Takuá, Indigenous knowledge also teaches us about the relationships between plants themselves.
“Not every plant can be taken at the same time. Some don’t go together. Today, we live in a sick Western society, with many people eating food that does them no good and clogging themselves up with allopathic medication; the combination of this food and Western medicine with sacred medicines can generate some short-circuits. Ignorance of Indigenous knowledge is one of the main obstacles to the beneficial use of sacred plants.”
The Indigenous leader, Poran Potiguara, adds to this discussion,
“First, you have to understand what the sacred is. For us, the sacred is something that is not sold and not commercialized. Sacred is something that is passed down from generation to generation and, even if everyone has access to its use, not everyone will have access to the knowledge and manufacture of that sacred.”
Takuá is also concerned about this point:
“This expansion has been happening very quickly and this worries me, in the sense of misuse and the risks that exist when consecrating sacred medicines without proper preparation, without a diet.”
On the other hand, Takuá welcomes the growing interest in the medicines and cultures of the forest. The mission, for her, is to value and invest in education on this subject, promoting dialog and awareness so that people can make their choices in an ethical and respectful way in accordance with the traditions that guard this knowledge.
4. Be aware of the collective dimension of psychedelics.
The psychedelic renaissance, through its lens of biomedicine, focuses on the potential individual benefits of using psychedelics. Indigenous contexts offer awareness beyond the psychotherapeutic, where illness and healing are social processes oriented within a collective experience. We also cannot ignore geopolitical, neocolonial, and industrial dimensions; wars for resource extraction, exploitation of the working poor, patriarchy, and social inequality and alienation all inform the setting in which psychedelic science operates. We’re not going to find the solutions we need with insights derived from an individual psychedelic-assisted therapy session alone.
The problems we live with today, including the millions suffering from depression and anxiety, have deep social causes. The narrative of psychedelics saving the world overlooks the complexity of the psychedelic experience and its intimate relationship with the associated socio-cultural contexts, vital for modulating the individual experience and giving it meaning. Discourse around “access” often misses the significant difference between consuming psychedelics in a clinical or neoshamanic setting, and a ceremony in the forest, with songs, dances, people (both human and non-human), and a collective mutually supporting one another in community (Leite, 2023).
5. Understand that the use of psychedelics has a political dimension.
Who benefits from the psychedelic revolution in the Global North? How are minorities included? Do they have access to the fruits of this movement? What is the impact of the psychedelic renaissance on the Amazon and the forest’s flora and fauna?
The importance of understanding that consumption of plant medicines implies the obligation to defend and protect territories cannot be overstated. As Takuá reminds us,
“I always say that taking ayahuasca is a political act; once you consecrate it from a deep and sacred being that springs from the forest, this medicine only exists because the forest is alive. It is our duty and ethical commitment to fight for all forests to remain standing.”
Healing is political (Capiberibe, 2022). Awakening to a felt sense of interconnectivity comes with the duty indicated by Takuá’s words; our central struggle today is to keep the forest alive. And the most meaningful and impactful way to do that is to support Indigenous-led movements for autonomy and biocultural conservation (Mays et al. 2023).
6. Avoid tokenization and “Indigenous washing.”
No one wants to be associated with the destruction of forests or Indigenous genocide. Appearing to be a friend and ally of Indigenous causes is an economic concern for those in the psychedelic marketplace, lending legitimacy and diverse representation to events and institutions. Unfortunately, tokenization (Fern, 2023)—recruiting selectively for conferences, events, and retreats to give the appearance of social equity—of all kinds is ubiquitous. “Indigenous washing” (McCool & Lewton, 2022) attempts to use the perceived presence of traditional leaders and cultures to legitimize agendas that are antagonistic to Indigenous constitutional rights, benefit sharing, and the well-being of traditional communities.
This highlights why organizers and attendees alike need to research the agents who promote themselves through images and events with Indigenous people, to be able to ascertain whether these are legitimate relationships of friendship and alliance or opportunistic posturing. Evaluate (Leite, 2023) the role and prominence of Indigenous people at events where they appear; on what kind of topic or at which table are they invited to speak, and on what terms? Are traditional leaders in a position of power and decision-making in the spaces where their images are publicized?
7. Cultivate reciprocal relationships with Indigenous peoples.
According to the chief of the Yepa Mahsã people, Doethiro Tukano, it is important that non-Indigenous people cultivate relations with Indigenous peoples based in solidarity. Not only should they invite leaders to take part in their events, but they should also visit their territories, learn about their cultures, get to know their ancient rituals, and take part in their traditional festivals. Doethiro says that relationships cannot be based solely on money either; while financial contributions play an important role for Indigenous causes, reciprocity goes far beyond that, including a genuine interest in listening to what Indigenous peoples have to say and getting involved in their political causes.
Cristine Takuá believes that to build bridges between worlds and create relationships of reciprocity and respect towards Indigenous peoples, it is important to know that plants involve a whole body of knowledge: the singing, the way they are prepared, the way they are used, and the specific linguistic and cultural containers therein. It is a long road to the collective sharing of these plants, and that road comes with responsibilities to be recognized and honored.
In recent years, there have been multiple Indigenous ayahuasca conferences (Dias, 2018; Chacruna Institute, 2022a; Chacruna Institute, 2022b) where the psychedelic renaissance and all its associated issues have been discussed. It is worth reading the declarations produced by these conferences, as well as other documents (López et al., 2020; Union of Traditional Yagé Medics of the Colombian Amazon [UMIYAC], 2019) written by traditional peoples in relation to sacred plants. Curious individuals can begin by exploring another language, learning the names of Indigenous peoples, their cultures, histories, and contemporary struggles, or attending their events when invited. These are small examples of simple actions to promote exchange, friendship, and reciprocity, along with following and investing in programs such as Chacruna’s Indigenous Reciprocity Initiative of the Americas (2022), the Indigenous Medicine Conservation Fund (n.d.), or the Urban Indigenous Collective (2023), which includes the often-overlooked work of diaspora and urban Natives, and other Indigenous organizations.
8. Discern best practices before participating in ceremonies.
An important skill, amid the whirlwind (Chacruna Institute, 2019) of sacred plant ceremonies offered in the Global North, is knowing how to choose a responsible and trustworthy place and facilitators. According to Poran Potiguara:
To participate in certain ceremonies, I need to analyze the places, the people, the origin of what is being offered, be it drink, food or smoke. I realize that the rituals that take place in the villages are sometimes very different from those that take place in the cities, even though they have the same objectives in common. There are elements that are not allowed in village rituals that are used in city rituals, for example. And then I ask myself: where did it come from? How did they manage to insert this new element into the same ritual that doesn’t allow the use of this element when it is held in the village? Therefore, I believe that we need to investigate the places and the people who conduct these ceremonies, so as not to fall into the fad of believing that everyone can be a “shaman” and all it takes is a good intention for creating a sacred space.
Cristine Takuá shares a similar view:
Many people go into the forest and come back with a very large headdress claiming to be a great spiritual leader, and this demands attention. Just as the movement of Indigenous people through the cities requires attention. It’s not easy to identify a prepared person from an unprepared person. But there are some important markers in this identification: knowing the origin of the facilitator, where they come from, which territory; knowing the history of the group in question, and the background of their relations with traditional cultures.
9. Address the roles of women, caregivers, and young people.
Psychedelics remain surrounded by stigma and taboo in the Global North, and there is legitimate concern over who can use psychedelics and participate in ceremonies. However, before unconsciously upholding Eurocentric perspectives as universal, it is imperative to look at the way non-Western societies organize themselves to understand the different ways of existing and relating to sacred plants.
In various South American traditions, pregnant women and children can consume sacred plants—there are even childbirth rituals (Loures de Assis, 2022) that use psychedelic substances. This invites us to reflect on the emerging theme of psychedelic parenthood (Rodrigues & Loures de Assis, 2023) and the places reserved for children, mothers, and caregivers in the psychedelic renaissance. Simultaneously, the presence of cultural traditions prohibiting ayahuasca while nursing, pregnant, or menstruating, for example, points to the complexity of Indigenous views and our duty to reject generalizations and the projection of Western frameworks onto diverse practices.
10. Have humility and an open heart.
Healing is a holistic affair involving one’s relationship to self, community, and a world of non-human and more-than-human beings. People interested in receiving healing from sacred plants need an open heart and the cultural sensitivity to learn from the immemorial traditions linked to these plants.
“You have to be humble; it’s not by taking a plant once, twice or three times that you become a great connoisseur. The great shamans don’t even call themselves great; they are holders of silent knowledge. The path to spirituality is a slow one where a lot of care and dialog is needed,”
By cultivating humility, dialogue, and openness, everyone can play a role in this movement, according to Doethiro Tukano. For Doethiro, people from the Global North who are genuinely interested in Indigenous causes can lend their voice to defend Indigenous rights and fight for a fairer world in solidarity. But to do so, we must slow down, open our ears, and be willing to listen, learn, and engage in critical conversations.
References
Assis, G. L. (2022, March 9). Ayahuasca and childbirth in the Santo Daime tradition: Solidarity among women and psychedelic cultural resistance. Chacruna Institute. https://chacruna.net/ayahuasca-and-childbirth-in-the-santo-daime-tradition/
Balch, O. (2013, February 4). Buen vivir: The social philosophy inspiring movements in South America. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/blog/buen-vivir-philosophy-south-america-eduardo-gudynas
Capiberibe, A. (2022, May 4). Real reciprocity: The people who brought you sacred plant medicine need your support. Chacruna Institute. https://chacruna.net/chacruna-supporting-indigenous-struggles/
Chacruna Institute. (2019). The commodification of ayahuasca: How can we do better? Chacruna Institute. https://chacruna.net/the-commodification-of-ayahuasca-how-can-we-do-better/
Chacruna Institute (2022a, January 30). Declaration of the 3rd Brazilian Indigenous Conference on Ayahuasca. Chacruna Institute. https://chacruna.net/declaration-of-the-3rd-brazilian-indigenous-conference-on-ayahuasca/
Chacruna Institute (2022b, December 6). Declaration of the 4th Brazilian Indigenous Ayahuasca Conference. Chacruna Institute. https://chacruna.net/declaration-of-the-4th-brazilian-indigenous-ayahuasca-conference/
Dias, M. (2018, July 12). 1st Indigenous ayahuasca conference – Yubaka Hayrá, Acre, Brazil: The wisdom of the elders. Chacruna Institute. https://chacruna.net/1st-indigenous-ayahuasca-conference-yubaka-hayra-acre-brazil-the-wisdom-of-the-elders/
Fern, M. (2023, September 12). The shadows of visibility: Transcending tokenization in the psychedelic ecosystem. Chacruna Institute. https://chacruna.net/the-shadows-of-visibility-transcending-tokenization-in-the-psychedelic-ecosystem/
Indigenous Reciprocity Initiative of the Americas (IRI). (2023). Giving back to Indigenous communities. Chacruna-iri.org. https://chacruna-iri.org
Indigenous Medicine Conservation Fund. (n.d.). Come into right relationship. Imc.fund. https://imc.fund
Leite, M. (2023, June 26). This is how ayahuasca is brewed at a Santo Daime Church in Brazil. Chacruna Institute. https://chacruna.net/this-is-how-ayahuasca-is-brewed-at-a-santo-daime-feitio/
Leite, M. (2023, July 17). Psychedelic Renaissance: Anthropologist questions psychedelic sector on Indigenous exclusion. Chacruna Institute. https://chacruna.net/psychedelic-renaissance-anthropologist-questions-psychedelic-sector-on-indigenous-exclusion/
López, R. A., Flores, I. G., & Alcántara, S. P. (2020, May 6). Mazatec perspectives on the globalization of psilocybin mushrooms. Chacruna Institute. https://chacruna.net/mazatec-perspectives-on-the-globalization-of-psilocybin-mushrooms/
Lyons, C. (2023, July 11). Six months on, the Yanomami crisis continues amid rising violence. Mongabay. https://news.mongabay.com/2023/07/six-months-on-the-yanomami-crisis-continues-amid-rising-violence/
Mays, J., Peluso, D., & Labate, B. C. (2021). Indigenous Reciprocity Initiative of the Americas: A respectful path forward for the psychedelic movement. MAPS Bulletin, 31(3). https://maps.org/news/bulletin/indigenous-reciprocity-initiative-of-the-americas-a-respectful-path-forward-for-the-psychedelic-movement/
McCool, A., & Lewton, T. (2022, March 10). Canadian pipeline groups spend big to pose as Indigenous champions. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/10/canadian-pipeline-groups-spend-big-to-pose-as-indigenous-champions
Povos Indigenas no Brasil. (2018, February 16). Who are they? Instituto Socioambiental. https://pib.socioambiental.org/en/Who_are_they%3F
Rodrigues, J. A., & Loures de Assis, G. (2023, November 2). Psychedelic parenthood: A new ancestral way of raising a family. Chacruna Institute. https://chacruna.net/ayahuasca-and-childbirth-in-the-santo-daime-tradition/
Surma, K. (2021, December 3). Ecuador’s High Court affirms constitutional protections for the rights of nature in a landmark decision. Inside Climate News. https://insideclimatenews.org/news/03122021/ecuador-rights-of-nature/
Union of Traditional Yagé Medics of the Colombian Amazon [UMIYAC]. (2019, November 14). Declaration from the spiritual authorities, representatives and Indigenous organizations of the Amazon Region. Chacruna Institute. https://chacruna.net/declaration-from-the-spiritual-authorities-representatives-and-indigenous-organizations-of-the-amazon-region
Urban Indigenous Collective. (2023). For urban Natives by urban Natives:
Founded in community voice. Urban Indigenous Collective.org. https://urbanindigenouscollective.org
Glauber Loures de Assis, Ph.D.
Dr. Glauber Loures de Assis is Associate Director of Chacruna Latinoamérica in Brazil. He has a Ph.D in sociology from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and is Research Associate at the Interdisciplinary Group for Psychoactive Studies (NEIP) in Brazil. His main interests include the ayahuasca religions, new religious movements, the internationalization of the Brazilian religions, drug use in contemporary society, and psychedelic parenthood. He is the author of numerous articles and book chapters, and the co-editor of the book Women and Psychedelics: Uncovering Invisible Voices (Synergetic Press/Chacruna Institute, in press). Glauber is also an ayahuasca practitioner with 15 years of experience. He has built this practice in dialogue with his local Brazilian ayahuasca community and with the blessings of Indigenous elders and activists in Brazil. He is also the leader of Jornadas de Kura, a plant medicine center in Brazil that promotes a bridge between the ceremonial use of sacred plants and psychedelic science. He is father to 3 children and lives with his wife Jacqueline Rodrigues in Santa Luzia, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Bia Labate, Ph.D.
Dr. Beatriz Caiuby Labate (Bia Labate) is a queer Brazilian anthropologist based in San Francisco. She has a Ph.D. in social anthropology from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil. Her main areas of interest are the study of plant medicines, drug policy, shamanism, ritual, religion, and social justice. She is Executive Director of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines and serves as Public Education and Culture Specialist at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). She is also Visiting Scholar at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. Additionally, she is Advisor for the Veteran Mental Health Leadership Coalition and the Soltara Healing Center. Dr. Labate is a co-founder of the Interdisciplinary Group for Psychoactive Studies (NEIP) in Brazil and editor of its site. She is author, co-author, and co-editor of twenty-eight books, three special-edition journals, and several peer-reviewed articles (https://bialabate.net).
Joseph Mays, M.S.c.
Joseph Mays received his MSc in Ethnobotany from the University of Kent researching responses to globalization by the Yanesha of central Peru. Graduating with biology and anthropology degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University, he published a medicinal plant guide for the Jama-Coaque Ecological Reserve in the Ecuadorian cloud forest. Joseph also holds a certificate in Psychedelic Assisted Therapies from Naropa University, and his conservation work explores how cultural-conditioning influences approaches to biocultural sustainability. His Indigenous rights advocacy stresses the importance of ground-up structures that emphasize local agency and challenge conventional philanthropic models in attempts to support Indigenous autonomy and biodiversity. Joseph is Program Director of Chacruna’s Indigenous Reciprocity Initiative (IRI), where he partners with Indigenous community organizations throughout the Americas to support Chacruna’s mission of increasing cultural reciprocity in the psychedelic space, raising unconditional funding and engaging with Indigenous and local stakeholders on their own terms.
Clancy Cavnar, Psy.D.
Clancy Cavnar has a doctorate in clinical psychology (Psy.D.) from John F. Kennedy University in Pleasant Hill, CA. She currently works in private practice in San Francisco, and is Co-Founder and a member of the Board of Directors of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines. She is also a research associate of the Interdisciplinary Group for Psychoactive Studies (NEIP). She combines an eclectic array of interests and activities as clinical psychologist, artist, and researcher. She has a master of fine arts in painting from the San Francisco Art Institute, a master’s in counseling from San Francisco State University, and she completed the Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy program at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS). She is author and co-author of articles in several peer-reviewed journals and co-editor, with Beatriz Caiuby Labate, of eleven books. For more information see: http://www.drclancycavnar.com
