Human Studies Film Archives

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

Summary

Collection ID:
HSFA.1988.09
Creators:
Cowan, Richard
Sharon, Douglas
Dates:
1977
Languages:
Undetermined
.
Physical Description:
32 Film reels
color sound; 22,000 feet
16mm
Repository:

Scope and Contents

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 As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today.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.

Administration

Immediate Source of Acquisition
Received from Douglas Sharon and Richard Cowan in 1988.
Processing Information
Titles are supplied by the archivist for untitled films.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Use
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research. Please contact the archives for information on availability of access copies of audiovisual recordings. Original audiovisual material in the Human Studies Film Archives may not be played.
Preferred Citation
Eduardo the Shaman: A Case Study of Culture and Hallucinogens, Human Studies Film Archives, Smithsonian Institution

More Information

Local Number

Local Number
HSFA 1988.9.1

Bibliography

Bibliography
Sharon, Douglas. "The San Pedro cactus in Peruvian folk healing." In Flesh of the Gods: The Ritural Use of Hallucinogens, edited by Peter Furst. Praeger: New York, 1972.
Sharon, Douglas. "Eduardo the healer." Natural History 81, no. 9 (1972): 32-47.
Sharon, Douglas. "Becoming a curandero in Peru." In Enculturation in Latin America: An Anthology, edited by Johannes Wilbert. Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center Publications, 1976.
Sharon, Douglas. The Wizard of the Four Winds. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1979.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
South America Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Peru Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Lima (Peru) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Trujillo (La Libertad, Peru) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Chan Chan Site (Peru) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Moche River Valley (Peru) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Moche (Mochica) (archaeological culture) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Shamanism Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ceramics Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound films Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Calderón, Eduardo, 1930-1995 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Human Studies Film Archives
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