The Master Plant: Tobacco in Lowland South America

Description

For many indigenous groups living in lowland South America, tobacco is a seminal ‘master plant’, a blessing from the gods that is an essential element in human and non-human relationships, as well as a source of everyday health and wellbeing. This contrasts markedly with the demonic position it holds in contemporary public health discourse. This book presents contemporary accounts from leading anthropologists and other researchers who have first-hand experience of the role of tobacco in the lives of indigenous peoples of lowland South America: the ‘source’ region of this important plant. Offering the first critical overview and comparison of tobacco in local ethnographic contexts, this study will be essential reading not only for those interested in the culture, society and history of Latin America but also for public health academics and practitioners working in tobacco control who are seeking alternative perspectives on this ubiquitous plant. Cover Half-title Title Copyright Dedication Contents List of Illustrations List of Tables Contributors Foreword Acknowledgements Introduction: The Changing Landscape of Tobacco Use in Lowland South America Part I: Tobacco in Ecological and Historical Contexts 1. A Deep History of Tobacco in Lowland South America 2. Methods of Tobacco Use among Two Arawakan-Speaking Peoples in Southwestern Amazonia: A Case Study of Structural Diffusion 3. Tobacco and Shamanic Agency in the upper Amazon: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives Part II: Shifting Perspectives 4. Singing White Smoke: Tobacco Songs from the Ucayali Valley 5. Cool Tobacco Breath: The Uses and Meaning of Tobacco among the People of the Centre 6. Tobacco and Water: Everyday Blessings Part III: Changing Landscapes 7. Commercial Cigarettes and Tamï Ale among the Wayana in Northern Amazonia 8. Landscapes of Desire and Tobacco Circulation in the Yanomami Ethos 9. Of Tobacco and Well-being in Indigenous Amazonia 10. Smoking Tobacco and Swinging the Chicha: On Different Modes of Sociality among Guna (‘Kuna’) People Bibliography Index