Ayahuasca is a brew made from the leaves of the Psychotria viridis shrub along with the stalks of the Banisteriopsis caapi vine. The drink was used for spiritual reasons by ancient Amazionian tribes and to this day it is used as a sacred beverage used by some religious communities in South America. A shaman is someone who practices shamanism, which is s a religious practice that involves a practitioner who is believed to interact with a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct these spirits or spiritual energies into the physical world, mainly for healing people. My great uncle Caesar (my grandmothers brother) happens to be a very famous shaman in Peru. He does ayahuasca retreats with people and helps them stop bad addictions, its opens peoples third eyes and can make them see their lives in a different way. He was featured in the netflix movie “The Last Shaman” at 13 minutes. I think it is awesome that his practice was brought to America through netflix, which is one of the most popular movie streaming platforms here. I love how my families practices are being brought here and shared with people all over. 

– I.B.

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant