Fitio, Spiritual Offerings, Snake Attacks and more

So, the community turned out to be a very interesting experience indeed. My first week there, I took part in the Fitio, the ceremony in which men from the community go to the 'Casa de Fitio' (Fitio House) and make the hallucinogenic tea, ayahuasca (note, it is called ayahuasca when used with shamanism, when used with the Church of Santo Daime it is called Santo Daime, or Daime for short). Each fitio ceremony goes on for about two weeks, and I missed the first week which involved the gathering of the Jagube (the vine used in the tea) and the leaves and brewing of the tea. The week I was there involved more brewing of the tea and a final day was dedicated to cleanup. The process in which the tea is made is not only very interesting, it is very complex. Once the materials are gathered, the outside of the jagube needs to be scraped off with a knife. At any given time during the Fitio, there were in between 5 and 10 men, sitting on stools, scraping away. Then the jagube is put through a machine which shreds it, after which it is put into big pots along with the leaves in specific amounts. Then water is added into the pots, and the pots are placed over a blazing hot fire. I do not really understand the next part of the process, but I believe that the water is continually boiled down until the final product is reached. Daniel, the leader of the Fitio, told me that over the past two weeks 972 liters of Daime were made. Lots of this would stay in Mapia, but lots of it would also be sent to churches all over the world.

During my three weeks in ´la floresta´, I took part in several 'trabalhos' (works), equivalent to a mass in Christianity. The trabalhos range from few to many hours long, depending on the type. They consist of drinking Daime and either sitting and singing hymns, sitting in silent concentration, or singing hymns and dancing at the same time. Allthough the works were strange and I definitely got the feel that the religion is somewhat of a cult, they were very interesting and valuable experiences.

One night, I took place in an offering to the spirits with Tadeo, the man who helped me on the night of my arrival. We all went out into the jungle, laden with fruit, rice, sugar, crackers, bread, tobacco and more. As we walked, Tadeo stopped several times, apparently deciding whether or not we were in the 'correct' spot. After 20 minutes or so, the right spot was found. Tadeo told each of us to write the name of a deceased relative with whom we want to get into contact with on a candle seven times. Then we laid out all of our food on a bed of leaves, before lighting our candles and placing them infront of the offering. Tadeo then proceeded to chant and sing loudly. Eventually, he proclaimed it was time to close the offering and we all got our things together and walked back, leaving a huge feast for the insects and animals of the jungle. Then Tadeo gave me a cleansing bath, which both strange and interesting. We walked down to a spot right next to an 'igarape' and Tadeo told me to strip down. Then he told me to urinate into a bucket he gave me, which I did, despite my guesse as to what it was for. Tadeo took the bucket from me, poured a horrible smelling liquid into it, and started to chant while pouring the gruesome concoction over me. Once the bucket was empty, he told me to wipe myself off, making sure to wipe downwards. Then he told me to go into the igarape and completely wash myself off three times with the same bar of soap. Once I was done with this, Tadeo instructed me to toss the bar of soap over my shoulder. I did as I was told, but put a bit too much power into the toss and sent the bar of soap over the igarape onto the opposit bank, when it was supposed to go into the igarape. Whoops. Then Tadeo gave me a new bar of soap with which I had to wash myself off once more. I got out of the igarape, and tadeo poured another strange solution over me, this time it was warm and smelled really good, kind of like cinnamon. This second liquid made my skin tingle big time, and left me feeling clean and refreshed. And that was the end of my cleansing bath.

Another night, as we were walking back to our house after a work, we noticed some bats flying around in a feild. We decided to walk out into the feild for a closer look, and turns out there was an immense group of at least a hundred bats flying all over the place! Merle and I walked out into the center of the swarm, and these bats were everywhere, flying less than a foot away from our faces!

During my time in the town, I saw a total of four snakes. The first was a bright green tree dwelling snake that was right by our normal igarape crossing spot. Several people told us that yes, this snake was not only venomous, but deadly. There were about five local kids giving this thing hell. They were throwing rocks, sticks, bricks, and planks of wood at this thing and eventually they killed it. The second was a small, black snake I nearly stepped on on a jungle path. The third was a bright red snake a women brought over to our house, hanging it on the end of a stick after she had badly injured it. Yes, this snake was also deadly. The fourth snake I saw involves a very interesting story. Two nights before I left, there was a very important trabalho in the main church. After arriving, I sat down on a chair on a porch that is part of the church. As soon as my butt hit the seat, I felt something move against my side and give me a quick bit under my armpit. I stood up, half laughing, saying 'Something just bit me!' thinking it was an insect or something. Merle shined his flashlight, and as soon as I saw what was there my smile dissapeared and fear that I have never felt before flooded my brain. 'Oh shit, it`s a snake!' Merle said. There, half in the shadows, was the back half of a grey-brown snake slithering off the edge of the porch. Before I knew it the snake was gone, my heart was thumping like a heavy baseline, and I was struggling to keep a grip. I was so terrified, about to cry and go crazy at the same time. Was I going to die? A guy named Miguel told me to lift up my shirt, and I prayed that there were no bite marks. Apparently my prayers went unanswered, because Miguel started squezzing the spot where the snake bit me and Merle and John later told me blood was oozing out of two holes about three inches apart. That means it was probably a big snake, no baby you`d find in your garden. Then Miguel sucked on the spot for a few minutes, after which we all hurried into the main room to ask for help from someone who knows their snakes. In under a minute, I was surrounded by a crowd of at least twenty people, everyone trying to get a look at the kid that got bit by a snake. I spoke with multiple people who inspected the bite marks, and asked me did I feel pain, what color was the snake, etc. I was told that if I was not in serious pain, I was probably ok. One older women then took me to a separate room, rubbed some herbs on the wound and did some prayers over it for about five minutes. Another women gave me a small bottle of liquid, and she told me to put a few drops in my mouth every hour or so. For the nexy half hour or so, I half expected myself to start convulsing and drop to the floor, but it turns out I was fine. That was definitely the scariest ten or fifteen minutes of my life, and I thank God that the situation ended the way it did.

I ended up staying for three weeks. It was definitely an incredible, extremely interesting experience that taught me a lot of things about myself and about life. I was sad to say goodbye not only to the community, but also to Merle and John, who I would not be seeing for at least another two or three weeks. I know I am a little behind, as I left over a week ago but I will update again in a couple days. Tomorrow I begin the four day Inca Trail leading to the famed Machu Picchu, the great city of the Incan empire. I`m keeping my fingers crossed that I am blessed with a rain-free trip, but do not expect that I will get lucky. Adios!