Guide to Eduardo the Shaman: A Case Study of Culture and Hallucinogens, 1977

Scope and Contents

Full film record explores a pre-Columbian tradition of folk therapy known as curanderismoin northern Peru. Based on seven years of ethnographic research by Douglas Sharon, the footage documents the activities of Eduardo Calderon, a Peruvian fisherman, ceramacist and curandero(healer). Scenes of the healer in various daily interactions with members of his family and local community illustrate the impact of Eduardo's charismatic personality and serve to underscore the importance which a specific cultural context has upon the diagnostic and healing process. Also explored is the importance of the local pre-Columbian ceramic art and iconography to Eduardo's healing practice; the use of herbs (including the San Pedro cactus), divination with the use of a live guinea pig, and the various ritual manipulations of the healer on his mesa(table). Featured are scenes from a number of "seances" or curing ceremonies. The edited film Eduardo the Healer was produced from this footage.

Supplementary materials: written annotation, sound recordings

Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or Anthropology Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.