“My grandfather gave ayahuasca to Mestre Irineu”: Reflections on the entrance of indigenous peoples into the urban circuit of ayahuasca consumption in Brazil

Abstract

This article presents a reflection on the entrance of indigenous peoples into the urban ayahuasca circuit. We describe the process of contact of different indigenous populations, such as the Kaxinawa, Guarani, Apurinã, Kuntanawa and Yawanawa with the Brazilian religions and the neo-ayahuasqueros. We observe the claim of some of these groups that they had been responsible for presenting ayahuasca to Mestre Irineu, the founder of Santo Daime. We consider the penetration of the discourse of some of these actors in the public debate, with the intention of understanding their demand for the participation of indigenous peoples in the process of recognizing ayahuasca as immaterial cultural heritage by the Institute of National Historic and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN). We analyze the way in which the entrance of these indigenous peoples into this circuit, or the participation of non-indigenous peoples in ceremonies in Acrean indigenous villages, are reconfiguring the field of Brazilian ayahuasca religiosity.