Trail of Feathers (40 page)
Authors: Tahir Shah
Es tof ado: Thick chicken stew, popular in Andean communities.
Fly agaric: Poisonous hallucinogenic mushroom with a bright red cap.
Garimpeiros: Local self-employed gold miners.
Gaseouse: Peruvian word for a soft carbonated drink.
Guaje: Hard-shelled fruit, high in vitamin C, with yellow-orange flesh, popular in Upper Amazon. Hacienda: Spanish word for a ‘property’, a villa. Hardtack: Hard savoury biscuit once popular fare with expeditions. Harmaline: Alkaloid compound found in
Banisteriopsis caapi
. Hashish: Narcotic resin collected from the female hemp plant. Huaquero: Spanish word for ‘grave-robber’. Icaros: Shamanic songs sung during an
ayahuasca
ceremony. Iguachi: Shuar word for the Devil.
Jaca shoqpi: Andean divinaton technique based on the dissection of a guinea pig.
Jambiyah: Curved Yemeni dagger, traditionally with a handle fashioned of rhino horn. Jivaro: See
Shuar
. Kakaram: Shuar warrior.
Kapok: Tropical tree whose seed pods contain a silky fluff traditionally used for mattress stuffing etc.
Macumba: Brazilian religious sect founded on West African tribal beliefs.
Maestro: Master; a traditional healer or shaman.
Mahasse: Medium-sized tropical rodent, popular as food.
Mahicaris: Slang term for ‘Devil Worshippers’.
Mal de ojo: Evil Eye; popular superstition brought to the New World by the Spanish. Maloca: Traditional thatched hut or long-house. Mandrake: Plant of the Deadly Nightshade family, once used by European witches in flying ointments. Manguaré: Pair of hollowed logs used as signalling drums over the jungle.
MAO-inhibitor: (Monoamine oxidase) Chemical substance (such as harmaline) which restricts the body’s natural ability to filter out specific toxins.
Mapacho: Strong jungle tobacco used in shamanic ceremonies. Masato: Masticated cassava beverage prepared by Shuar tribe. Matamata: Species of ‘prehistoric’ turtle found in the Upper Amazon
[Chelus flmbriatus)
.
Maya: Ancient civilisation and their language, who resided in Mexico and Central America. Mescaline: Hallucinatory alkaloid contained in the peyote cactus. Mestizo: Person of mixed European and Native American ancestry. Mololo: Local name for an infusion of Cramp Bank.
Mormodes rolfeanum:
Species of jungle orchid thought by some to resemble a bird.
Motocarro: Three-wheeled motorbike taxi, as operated in Iquitos. Motorista: Man in charge of driving a boat.
Mumatatchi ant: Species of jungle ant which secretes a toxin when disturbed.
Murrel: Oily sardine-like freshwater fish, commonly found in South Asia.
Musiak: Said by the Shuar people to be a warrior’s avenging soul. Naka-naka: Amazonian slang for lies’. Namaste: Traditional Indian greeting. Nape: Alternative name for
ayahuasca
. Natema: Shuar name for
ayahuasca
.
Native American Church: Religious organisation founded on the ritual use of hallucinogenic peyote cactus. Ocelot: Medium-sized wild cat, found in the Amazonian jungle and elsewhere in the Americas. Paiche a la Loretana: Grilled fillet of piraruca, commonly served with roasted cassava. Pampa: Extensive flatlands of western Peru, as at Nazca. Peki-peki: Local name in the Peruvian Amazon for a dugout canoe driven by a crude motor. Pele: Large balls of cured latex.
Peyote: Cactus-based hallucinogen; used in Native American Church rites.
Phyllobates terribilis:
Most toxic species of poison arrow frog; resides in Surinam’s jungle. Pinde: Alternative name for
ayahuasca
.
Piraruca: Large primitive freshwater fish, found in Upper Amazon and prized for its meat. Pisco: Grape brandy made in the coastal town of Pisco. Pisco sour: Whipped beverage containing Pisco and egg white. Pishtao: Mysterious - possibly erroneous - practice of melting human corpses to acquire fat.
Psyilocybe: Mushroom
[Psilocybe mexicana)
from which is derived a hallucinogen called psilocybin. Punga: Local word for kapok.
Quechua: Ancient Andean language, supposedly predating the Incas. Quenas: Pan-pipes,- popular Andean woodwind instrument. Quinua: Weed found in the Andes whose seeds are ground and eaten. Rashed: Flying vehicle thought to be possessed by King Solomon. Rub
;
al-Khali: The Empty Quarter of the Arabian Desert. Ryuku Kempo: Style of martial art, originating in Okinawa. San Pedro: Andean cactus used as a hallucinogen. Sanango: Hallucinogenic nerve agent; sometimes taken alone as an infusion, or mixed with
ayahuasca
. Santo Daime: Religious organisation of Brazilian origin, founded on the ritual use of
ayahuasca
. Saqqara glider: Model of a supposed glider found in an Egyptian tomb, kept at Cairo Museum. Selva: Spanish word for ‘jungle’.
Sendero Luminoso: Shining Path, Marxist organisation which terrorised Peru from about 1980 until 1992.
Seringueiro: Traditional rubber tappers in Peruvian Amazon.
Shuar: Native tribe residing in the Pastaza region, near the Peruvian-Ecuadorian border. Formerly known as
Jivaro
which means ‘savage’.
Siete raices: Amazonian tonic made from seven roots.
Sillar: Volcanic stone light in colour.
Sinicuichi:
Heimia salicifolia-
, shrub used as an auditory hallucinogen. Sirena: Spanish word for ‘mermaid’. Sol: Currency of Peru.
Solanaceae: Family of plants, which includes numerous hallucinogens and the potato.
Soma: Hallucinogenic beverage drunk in South Asia in antiquity.
Spider monkey: Agile South American monkey with slender limbs and long prehensile tail.
Susto: Literally ‘fear’; idea that a sharp fright splits one’s soul from the body.
Suyos: Agricultural and administrative divisions of Taquile Island. Syrian rue: Middle Eastern plant containing harmaline. Takpa: Ominous interruptuion during an Andean shamanic ritual. Tia: Spanish word for ‘aunt’.
Titanus giganticus:
Enormous species of beetle with very powerful mandibles, growing up to 20 cm. Tobacco water: Bitter water flavoured with an infusion of tobacco,-used in shamanic ceremonies. Toé: Shuar word for
datura
.
Totora: Type of reed found at Lake Titicaca, woven into simple boats. Trachyte: Pale volcanic stone.
Tsantsa: Trophy head taken in a Shuar raid and shrunk to the size of an orange.
Tsentsak: Invisible magical dart regurgitated by a shaman.
Tumi: Sacrificial Incan dagger, sometimes fashioned from gold.
Una de gato: Literally ‘claw of the cat’; a potent Amazonian aphrodisiac and healing potion.
Vimana: Mythical flying machine said to have flown in ancient India.
Virola: Hallucinogenic snuff related to nutmeg, taken in the Upper Amazon.
Volador: Aztec ceremony in which Birdmen swoop down around a towering pole, simulating flight. Vulcanization: Process which makes raw rubber malleable. Wak’a loom: Traditional collapsible loom found near Lake Titicaca. Wakani: Spirit helping bird, faithful to a Shuar shaman. Wawek: Bewitching shaman.
Wayuro seed: Red and black bean, acquired from the pods of a jungle tree, credited with mystical powers. Yagé: Alternative word for
ayahuasca
.
Yarena: Common palm with long slatted fronds, commonly used for building jungle shelters. Yuka: See
cassava
.
FLIGHT
The Prehistory of Flight
, Clive Hart, 1985, University of California Press, Los Angeles
Interpretive History of Flight
, M. J. B. Davy, 1937, Science Museum Press, London
Men in the Air
, ed. Brandt Aymar, 1990, Wings Books, New York
Nazca, Flight of Condor I
, Jim Woodman, 1977, John Murray, London
Vimana Aircraft of Ancient India and Atlantis
, ed. David Hatcher Childress, 1991, Adventures Unlimited Press, Illinois
Flight Before Flying
, David Wragg, 1974, Osprey Publishing, Reading
Wings
, ed. H. G. Bryden, 1942, Faber and Faber, London
The Inventions of Leonardo da Vinci
, Charles Gibbs-Smith, 1978, Phaidon Press, London
The Dream of Flight
, Clive Hart, 1972, Faber and Faber, London
PERUVIAN HISTORY
The Conquest of Peru
, William H. Prescott, 1896, George Routledge and Sons, London
In Search of the Immortals: Mummies, Death and the Afterlife
, Howard Reid, 1999, Headline, London
The Incas and their Ancestors
, Michael E. Mosley, 1992, Thames and Hudson, London
Peru: A Short History
, David P. Werlich, 1978, Southern Illinois University Press, Edwardsville
The Ancient Civilizations of Peru
, Alden J. Mason, 1957, Penguin Books, London.
Peruvian Prehistory
, R. W. Keatinge, 1988, University of Cambridge
Shamanism, Colonialism and the Wildman: A Study in Terror and
Healing
, Michael Taussig, 1987, University of Chicago Press, Illinois
TRAVEL &. GUIDES
Exploration Fawcett
, P. H. Fawcett, 1953, Hutchinson, London
Masks, Mummies & Magicians
, Roger and Simone Waisbard, 1965, Oliver and Boyd, London
Inca Cola
, Matthew Parris, 1998, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London
The Inca Trail
, Richard Danbury, 1999, Trail Blazer Publications, Surrey
Peru
, E. George Squier, 1877, reprinted 1973, AMS Press Inc, New York
Eight Feet in the Andes
, Dervla Murphy, 1983, John Murray, London
Insight Guide to Peru
, 1999, Insight Guides, London
Footprint Guide to Peru
, Alan Murphy, 1999, Footprint Handbooks, Bath
THEINCAS
Highway of the Sun
, Victor Von Hagen, 1956, Victor Gollancz, London
History of the Inca Empire
, Bernabe Cobo, reprinted 1991, University of Texas Press, Austin
Lost Cityofthelncas
, Hiram Bingham, 1951, Phoenix House, London
Inca Land
, Hiram Bingham, 1922, Constable &. Co, London
The Conquest of the Incas
, John Hemming, 1970, Bookclub Associates, London
The Incas, Empire of Blood and Gold
, Carmen Bernand, 1994, Thames and Hudson, London
Peru Under the Incas
, C. A. Burland, 1967, Evans Brothers, London
Everyday Life of the Incas
, Ann Kendell, 1973, Dorset Press, New York
Popul Vuh
, ed. Dennis Tedlock, 1985, Simon and Schuster, New York
The Incas and Other Men
, George Woodcock, 1959, The Travel Bookclub, London
The History of the Incas
, Pedro Sariento de Gamboa, 1573
Inca Myths
, Gary Urton, 1999, British Museum Press, London
TEXTILES & ART
Ancient Andean Textiles
, Rebecca Stone-Miller, 1994, Thames and Hudson, London
The Weavers of Ancient Peru
, Moh Fini, 1985, Tumi, London
Culturas Precolombinas Paracas
, 1983, Banco de Crédito del Peru en la Cultura, Lima
Textile Traditions of Mesoamerica & the Andes
, Margo Blum Schevill, 1996, First University of Texas Press, USA
Arts of the Amazon
, Barbara Braun, 1995, Thames and Hudson, London
Art of the Andes
, Rebecca Stone-Miller, 1995, Thames and Hudson, London
Early Nazca Needlework
, Alan Sawyer, 1997, Laurence King, London SHUAR
Off With their Heads
, Victor Von Hagen, 1937, The Macmillan Company, New York
Jivaro: People of the Sacred Waterfalls
, Michael Harner, 1972, University of California Press, Berkeley
Jivaro: Among the Head-shrinkers of the Amazon
, Bertrand Flornoy, 1953, Elek Books, London
Mission to the Head Hunters
, Frank and Marie Drown, 1961, Hodder and Stoughton, London
Amazon Head Hunters
, Lewis Cotlow, 1953, Henry Holt and Co, New York
Head Hunters of the Amazon
, F. W. Up de Graff, 1923, Garden City Publication Company, New York
Historical and Ethnographical Material on the Jivaro Indians
, M. W. Stirling, 1938, United States Govt. Printing Office, Washington
Blood Revenge, War, and Victory Feasts Among the Jibaro Indians of
Eastern Ecuador
, Rafael Karsten, 1923, United States Govt. Printing Office, Washington
AMAZON & ITS TRIBES
Across the River of Death
, Jorgen Bisch, 1958, The Scientific Bookclub, London
People of the Amazon
, Lilo Linke, 1963, Robert Hale, London
The Lost World of the Amazon
, Franz Eichhorn, 1955, The Travel Bookclub, London
The Rivers Ran East, Leonard Clark
, 1954, Hutchinson, London
Affable Savages
, Francis Huxley, 1951, Rupert Hart-Davis, London
The Rivers Amazon
, Alex Shoumatoff, 1979, William Heinemann, London
The Amazon
, Alain Gheerbrant, 1992, Thames and Hudson, London
Among the Wild Tribes of the Amazons
, Charles W. Domville-Fife, 1924, Seeley, Service and Co, London
FLORA & FAUNA
Insight Guide to Amazonian Wildlife
, Hans-Ulrich, 1992, APA Publications (HK), Hong Kong
Poison-Arrow Frogs
, Ralf Heselhaus, 1992, Blandford, London
The Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants
, Andrew Chevallier, 1996, Dorling Kindersley, London
Notes of a Botanist on the Amazon and the Andes
, Richard Spruce, 1908, Macmillan & Co, London
A Narrative of Travels on the Amazon and Rio Negro
, Alfred Russel Wallace, 1892, Ward, Lock, Bowden and Co, London
AYAHUASCA
Amazon Healer
, Marlene Dobkin de Rios, 1992, Prism Books
The Visionary Vine
, Marlene Dobkin de Rios, 1984, Waveland Press Inc, Illinois
Ayahuasca
, ed. Ralph Metzner, 1999, Thunder’s Mouth Press, New York
Abismos Cerebrales/El Chamanisimo
, Fernando Cabieses, 1999, Lima, Peru
The Spears of Twilight
, Philippe Descola, 1997, Flamingo, London
Forest of Visions
, Alex Polari de Alverga, 1999, Parkstreet Press, Vermont
The Three Halves of Ino Moxo
, Cesar Calvo, 1995, Inner Traditions International, Vermont
The Yage Letters
, William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, 1963, reprinted 1975, City Lights Books, San Francisco
The Alchemy of Culture
, Richard Rudgley, 1993, British Museum Press, London
Vine of the Soul
, Richard Evans Schultes, 1992, Synergetic Press Inc, Arizona
The Cosmic Serpent
, Jeremy Narby, 1998, Victor Gollancz, London
HALLUCINOGENS & SHAMANISM
Plants of the Gods
, Richard Evans Schultes and Albert Hofmann, 1992, Healing Arts Press, Vermont
The Long Trip
, Paul Devereux, 1997, Penguin Arkana, New York
Phantastica
, Lewis Lewin, reprinted 1998, Parkstreet Press, Vermont
The Shaman
, Piers Vitebsky, 1995, Duncan Baird Publishers, London
Hallucinogens and Shamanism
, ed. Michael Harner, 1973, OUP, New York
Wizard of the Upper Amazon
, F. Bruce Lamb, 1974, North Atlantic Books, Berkeley
Dance of the Four Winds
, Alberto Villoldo, 1995, Destiny Books, Vermont
Dreamtime
, Hans Peter Duerr, 1985, Basil Blackwell, London
Tobacco and Shamanism
, Johannes Wilbert, 1987, Yale University Press, New Haven
The Encyclopaedia of Psychoactive Substances
, Richard Rudgley, 1988, Little Brown, London
Consuming Habits: Drugs and History and Anthropology
, ed Jordon Goodman, Paul E. Lovejoy & Andrew Sherratt, 1995, Routledge, London
Narcotic Plants
, William Emboden, 1972, Studio Vista, London
Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice
, Mark J. Plotkin, 1993, Penguin Books, New York
A Witch-Doctor’s Apprentice
, Nicole Maxwell, 1962, Victor Gol-lancz, London
The Healing Journey
, Claudio Nar an jo, 1975, Hutchinson, London