Brief history of the reinterpretation of the Ayahuasca beverage in the Santo Daime religion doi:10.5007/1807-1384.2010v7n2p316

Abstract

Ayahuasca is a tea with psychoactive properties that has been used for more than a thousand years by the native population in the region of the Amazon forest. In the early twentieth century, the non-native population came in contact with it and new contexts of use -as well as new meanings for the beverage - were developed. Among these new contexts is the Santo Daime religion, which is a Brazilian Christian religion based on a strong oral tradition. This study analyzes the process of Ayahuasca's redifinition within this religion between the 1930s and 1960s. The hypothesis is that the redefinition process fits into a larger dialectical process of social construction of meanings which underlies Santo Daime's establishment. This investigation assessed the content of individual memories as well as current folk stories that have been passed on through generations via oral communication. The results indicated that Ayahuasca's redefinition process is a continuous event in the dialectical formation of the religion. In addition, it was noted that the beverage was initially perceived by followers as a drug and gradually gained the meaning of a Christian sacrament. Recently, another meaning for the drink is being formed: as a historical and cultural patrimony of the Brazilian nation.