This short essay reflects on the spirituality that tobacco represents for the native people of the Amazon, specifically the Shuar people of Ecuador. The intake of tobacco makes the subject aware of his or her environment, of the surrounding beings of the forest, helps to scare away unwanted spirits and to communicate with other beings.
During 2018, I had the opportunity to participate in a tobacco drinking ceremony at the Shuar community of Consuelo, Pastaza Province (Ecuador). The ceremonial tobacco consumption is done by cold brewing dry leaves of this plant, then it is consumed by drinking it through the nose.
Tsanku means “tobacco” in Shuar Chicham, the original language of the Shuar people. This photo essay is my approach and interpretation of the ritual in this specific geography.
This essay was featured on Visura.co