Huni Kuin shamanic chants: ayahuasca cerimonies, cosmologies and bridges between worlds

Abstract

This research addresses the traditional shamanic songs of the Huni Kuin/Cashinaua ethnic group (Acre) sung during ayahuasca ceremonies (nixi pae) and witnessed by the author in multi-ethnic living spaces. The aim is to understand the organization, functions and characteristics of these chants, called huni meka, in these indigenous rituals. Concomitantly, it investigates how the cosmology and cosmogony of this originary people can be represented in these sound expressions, connecting sonic and imagistic, visible and invisible, indigenous and white (nawa) universes. Its methodology included bibliographical surveys, research on virtual streaming platforms, dialogues with interlocutors and ethnography in the field. In conclusion, it is possible to state that the huni meka have intrinsic and inseparable relationships with Huni Kuin cosmology, and are distributed in three moments of the ceremony: pae txanima, to open the rite and call forth "force"; dautibuya, to bring forth visions; kayatibu, to diminish "force" and close the ceremony.