Tsentsak are invisible

pathogen In biology, a pathogen ( el, πάθος, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of") in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a germ ...

projectile A projectile is an object that is propelled by the application of an external force and then moves freely under the influence of gravity and air resistance. Although any objects in motion through space are projectiles, they are commonly found in ...

s or magical

darts Darts or dart-throwing is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small projectile point, sharp-pointed projectile, missiles known as dart (missile), darts at a round shooting target, target known as a #Dartboard, dar ...

utilized in

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

and

mestizo (; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed Ethnic groups in Europe, European and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also r ...

shamanic Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritu ...

practices for the purposes of

sorcery Sorcery may refer to: * Magic (supernatural), the application of beliefs, rituals or actions employed to subdue or manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces ** Witchcraft, the practice of magical skills and abilities * Magic in fiction, ...

and

healing With physical trauma or disease suffered by an organism, healing involves the repairing of damaged tissue(s), organs and the biological system as a whole and resumption of (normal) functioning. Medicine includes the process by which the cells i ...

throughout much the

Amazon Basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...

. Anthropologists identify them as objects referenced in

emic In anthropology, folkloristics, and the social and behavioral sciences, emic () and etic () refer to two kinds of field research done and viewpoints obtained. The "emic" approach is an insider's perspective, which looks at the beliefs, values, ...

accounts that represent indigenous beliefs. ''Tsentak'' are not recognized in

scientific medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practices ...

. __TOC__

Etymology

The term ''tsentsak'' is derived from the

Shuar The Shuar are an Indigenous people of Ecuador and Peru. They are members of the Jivaroan peoples, who are Amazonian tribes living at the headwaters of the Marañón River. Name Shuar, in the Shuar language, means "people". The people who speak ...

language, which belongs to the Jivaroan language family. The

are members of the

Jivaroan peoples The Jivaroan peoples are the indigenous peoples in the headwaters of the Marañon River and its tributaries, in northern Peru and eastern Ecuador. The tribes speak the Chicham languages. Their traditional way of life relies on gardening, and ...

who reside in the

Amazon rainforest The Amazon rainforest, Amazon jungle or ; es, Selva amazónica, , or usually ; french: Forêt amazonienne; nl, Amazoneregenwoud. In English, the names are sometimes capitalized further, as Amazon Rainforest, Amazon Forest, or Amazon Jungle. ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

and

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

. This term is also used interchangeably with ''virote'' (primarily by mestizo shamans), a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

term for

crossbow A crossbow is a ranged weapon using an elastic launching device consisting of a bow-like assembly called a ''prod'', mounted horizontally on a main frame called a ''tiller'', which is hand-held in a similar fashion to the stock of a long fi ...

bolt which was applied to the blow darts made by the Jivaroans from the spines of the ''

Bactris ''Bactris'' is a genus of spiny palms which are native to Mexico, South and Central America and the Caribbean. Most species are small trees about tall, but some are large trees while others are shrubs with subterranean stems. They have simple o ...

'' and ''

Astrocaryum ''Astrocaryum'' is a genus of about 36 to 40 species of palms native to Central and South America and Trinidad. Description ''Astrocaryum'' is a genus of spiny palms with pinnately compound leaves–rows of leaflets emerge on either side of th ...

'' palms.

Use

''Tsentsak'' are stored by the shaman in his or her ''

yachay is a special type of phlegm generated by shamans and sorcerers of the Peruvian Amazon Basin which is believed to contain the essence of their power in the form of , , darts, arrows, or splinters of bone that are believed to be contained in the p ...

'', or phlegm, located in the chest and stomach. The ''tsentsak'' are embedded within this phlegm and either the ''tsentsak'' or the ''

'' may be projected out of the shaman into a victim to cause illness and death. This phlegm is the materialization of the shaman's power; it is used to remove ''tsentsak'' from the bodies of victims as well as to protect the shaman from being harmed by the ''tsentsak'' of others. ''Tsentsak'' are only visible under the influence of a

psychoactive substance A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, psychoactive agent or psychotropic drug is a chemical substance, that changes functions of the nervous system, and results in alterations in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition or behavior. Th ...

called ''natemä'', which is the '' Jívaro'' word for ''

ayahuasca AyahuascaPronounced as in the UK and in the US. Also occasionally known in English as ''ayaguasca'' (Spanish-derived), ''aioasca'' (Brazilian Portuguese-derived), or as ''yagé'', pronounced or . Etymologically, all forms but ''yagé'' descen ...

''. When the shaman imbibes ''natemä'', the world of spirits becomes visible. It is at this time that sorcerers and bewitching shamans can send ''tsentsak'' to their victims, while conversely, healers and curing shamans can remove ''tsentsak'' from their afflicted patients. ''Tsentsak'' are believed to possess their own

agency Agency may refer to: Organizations * Institution, governmental or others ** Advertising agency or marketing agency, a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients ** Employment agency, a business that ...

and volition as living spirits that constantly desire to kill and consume human flesh.Beyer 2009, pg. 85 A shaman must learn to control their darts lest they escape and cause unintended harm. To facilitate control of ''tsentsak'' they must be nourished by the consumption of ''mapacho'' (

Nicotiana rustica ''Nicotiana rustica'', commonly known as Aztec tobacco or strong tobacco, is a rainforest plant in the family Solanaceae. It is a very potent variety of tobacco, containing up to nine times more nicotine than common species of ''Nicotiana'' such ...

), which can be smoked or imbibed as an

infusion Infusion is the process of extracting chemical compounds or flavors from plant material in a solvent such as water, oil or alcohol, by allowing the material to remain suspended in the solvent over time (a process often called steeping). An inf ...

. A shaman who does not possess the necessary restraint to swallow their ''tsentsak'' when they rise to the back of their throat will become a sorcerer or bewitching shaman, while a shaman who can learn to control these urges will become a healer or curing shaman. An

apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

shaman who receives their first ''tsentsak'' from a predominantly bewitching shaman is likely to become a sorcerer, while the apprentice that receives their first ''tsentsak'' from a curing shaman will most likely become a healer.

Sorcery

Throughout much of the

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...

, ''tsentsak'' are believed to be the primary cause of

illness A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that ar ...

and nonviolent death. These magical darts are utilized by '' brujos'', (shamans specializing in attack sorcery) to bring suffering and death to their victims. The darts can be regurgitated at will by the sorcerer and projected from the mouth into the body of the victim. If the dart passes entirely though the victim they will die in three to seven days, however, if the dart becomes lodged in the victim's body, it may be removed by a curing shaman. The shaman can collect

plants Plants are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic eukaryotes of the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all curr ...

insects Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs of j ...

and many other objects small enough to be swallowed, which he may then convert into ''tsentsak''. Each variety of ''tsentsak'' possesses its own specific attributes and degree of ability to cause

. The amount and variety of ''tsentsak'' collected by a shaman is directly proportional to his power and ability to kill and heal.

Healing

While sorcerers may use ''tsentsak'' for malevolent purposes, healing shamans use these magic darts to create a barrier of protection around their body. They also possess the ability to suck ''tsentsak'' from the body of a victim, which can then be sent back to the sorcerer from whom it originated. The healing shaman must imbibe ''

'' to make the darts visible in the victim's body in order to remove them. To remove the malevolent ''tsentsak'' the curing shaman must suck it out of the victim's body. In preparation for this act the shaman must first regurgitate two of his own ''tsentsak'' into the back of his throat. The first is used to block the shaman from accidentally ingesting the malevolent ''tsentsak'', which would most likely lead to his death. The second is used to absorb or dissolve the malevolent ''tsentsak'' which the shaman then spits out or sends back to the sorcerer.

Commodification

A shaman will typically receive his first ''tsentsak'' from a practicing shaman to whom he has apprenticed. The practicing shaman will regurgitate some of his ''

'' containing the ''tsentsak'', which the apprentice must then swallow. The apprentice can then keep the darts in his stomach indefinitely. Many shamans will travel great distances to trade ''tsentsak'' with other powerful shamans from distant regions. They may also buy and sell ''tsentsak'' to increase the potency of their power. To transfer ''tsentsak'' to another individual, both the buyer and seller must consume ''

'' to make the ''tsentsak'' visible. The seller must then drink an infusion of ''

'' to regurgitate the ''tsentsak'', which is then displayed to the buyer. The buyer then swallows the ''tsentsak'', thereby adding it to his collection. ''Tsentsak'' may also be sold in the more tangible forms of tree thorns, insects, small stones, and even pieces of razor blade.

Dietary and sexual restrictions

In the context of Jivaroan

shamanism Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a Spirit world (Spiritualism), spirit world through Altered state of consciousness, altered states of consciousness, such as tranc ...

, an apprentice shaman must abstain from sexual intercourse and follow a special

diet Diet may refer to: Food * Diet (nutrition), the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group * Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake ** Diet food, foods that aid in creating a diet for weight loss ...

for a period of at least three months after receiving their first ''tsentsak''. If these restrictions are broken, the darts will leave the body of the shaman and the process must be started from the beginning. To gain the power to kill and cure, a shaman must observe these restrictions for a period of five months.Harner 1973, pg. 20 Mestizo shamans adhere to a similar restrictive diet in preparation for the consumption of

before shamanic

ritual A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized, b ...

s. These restrictions help to instill self-control and emotional mastery in preparation for a career as a healer. A shaman who breaks the restrictions cannot control the urges of their ''tsentsak'' and will become a sorcerer.

Notes

References

* * *

External links

{{wiktionary
Singing to the Plants
Website of Stephan Beyer

Interview with Michael Harner Anthropology Magic (supernatural) American witchcraft Shamanism of the Americas