Tinker Nave Research Interns
Summer 2002
Ayahuasca in a Global Perspective
Evgenia's project was intended as a first exploration into the use of Ayahuasca (a hallucinogenic vine of the Amazon jungle) in Peru.
The school of the community of Isolaya Click on the photo to see a larger view
For this project she spent time in Lima, Cuzco, Iquitos and Pucallpa and Piro, both communities on the Cushabatay River. She visited libraries, conducted interviews and discussions with Peruvian scholars and NGO activists, people linked to the tourist industry, as well as interviewed indigenous people that have used Ayahuasca for centuries.
Discussing traditional healing methods with a Piro shaman Click on the photo to see a larger view
During her stay she made valuable contacts for her future professional career and research. Of her experience Evgenia writes:
I was exposed to the difficulties and the lifestyle of doing research in lowland South America. Now I have a better idea of what it means to do research in very poor communities. I am more prepared about what preparations I need to make when I return for longer periods of time and what equipment I need to take with me. In addition, now I am much more aware of the problems and challenges indigenous people face in the 21th century.
Working in the garden Click on the photo to see a larger view
