In the little Amazonian village of Cachoeira Uapui in Northwestern Brazil, an unusual group of students will be getting an education in folk medicine, Western medicine, the cultivation of medical plants, and all the metaphysical knowledge needed to care for the spiritual and health needs of indiginous people. This school, called Malikai Depan, is the first school for shaman in Brazil, possibly the world.
Founded by the Foundation for Shamanic Studies in California, with supervision from cultural anthropologist Robin Wright and staffed by the children of a prominent shaman, the school aims to preserve not just knowledge, but an entire way of life that is threatened by Western-style homogenization. This is the first year for the school, and it is hoped that this initial class of 12 will go on and share their knowledge and help preserve the ancient way of life for future generations of Brazilians.
One of the hardest things in the world is to preserve the old languages and old ways. Hopefully, the relative isolation of these tribes and the proactive measures will help keep shamanism and traditional culture from going the way of American Indian culture and language. If neopaganism and Wicca can make a comeback after a thousand years, anything’s possible.
Tags: school for shaman, shaman school, Amazon, Malikai Depan, indigenous people, shamanism, Cachoeira Uapui, Foundation for Shamanic Studies, traditional medicine, folk medicine, Robin Wright, anthropology