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Wednesday, May 07, 2008

AYAHUASCA PROPOSED AS PART OF THE CULTURAL HERITAGE OF BRAZIL

Gilberto-Gil cartoon

Federal Minister of Culture, Gilberto Gil, is presenting to the National Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN) an application for recognition of the use of ayahuasca tea in religious rituals as a non-material [spiritual] heritage of Brazilian culture.


Link to the original article from Folha in Portuguese.

01/05/2008 - 17h45

Gil Sends Request to Recognize Ayahuasca as a Cultural Heritage

Minister of Culture, Gilberto Gil, will present to the National Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage an application for recognition of the use of ayahuasca tea in religious rituals as a non-material [spiritual] heritage of Brazilian culture.

The drink is made by boiling two plants native to the Amazon forest - a vine and leaves of a bush - that have hallucinogen effect.

The request was delivered to the minister on Wednesday (30 April) in Rio Branco, Acre in a document signed by representatives of three major ayahuasca doctrines - Alto Santo, União do Vegetal and Barquinha.

At the meeting, Gil said that the religions that use ayahuasca tea (also known as hoasca or vegetal) are important features of Brazilian religious culture.

"In this case, specifically, there is also the affection regarding great importance of another dimension to life, which is nature," said the minister.

Gil said that IPHAN, an organ of the Ministry of Culture, will examine the request "with all zeal, love and responsibility".


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is interesting! Was Santo Daime not among the "major ayahuasca doctrines" behind the initiative? If not, do you know why not? ...just curious.

Daimista in the U.S.

Lou Gold said...

Santo Daime was represented by Alto Santo on this petition. Alto Santo (situated in Rio Branco, Acre) is the original Mestre Irineu line of the Doctrine.

Nowadays, there are many Santo Daime lines and even a greater number of ayahuasca lines, both indigenous and mestizo. My impression is that all the lines think this is a good idea.

If you want to learn more about the history of Santo Daime and its several lines, check out the genealogy of the Family of Juramidam .