‘Ayahuasca tourism’ is a blight on Indigenous peoples and our environment | Nina Gualinga and Eli Virkina
IThe world of the Amazon Ecuadorian, human beings, plants and animals are relatives, and old stories reflect real environmental relationships and original knowledge rooted in deep connections to the earth. But one of these links – the festive medicine known as the name Hayakwaska – It is now marketed as a mystical shortcut to heal and enlighten. Behind the scenes of these “The retreats of healing“A deeper story of cultural eradication, linguistic distortion, and continuous colonialism are delicious and well -being.
The global popularity of “Ayahuasca” has led to the emergence of a new form of spiritual tourism that distorts the original cultures. This growing industry nourishes the strange people of the original peoples, turning our languages, practices and identities into consuming fans of foreigners. The sacred rituals are stripped of context, spiritual roles are marketed, and even plant names are misused, which reduces complex cultural systems to simplified and marketable experiences.
any It means the soul of the dead person, the skeleton, or the corpse. The term ayahuasca is a modern invention, which is largely used in spiritual tourism. In our language, we say.Hayakata UpinaWhen referring to Hayakwaska drinking. Hayaak It is a short form of hayakwaska and means directly bitter, so the translation means drinking “bitter vine”. in contrast, “Ayat Obina“I mean” drinking the soul of a dead person, “which no one said. For this reason, I will use the correct term: Hayakwaska.
Even the name of the drug has been distorted. To correctly understand it, one must understand our society, its structure, its language and its deep relationships to the earth. Unlike English or Spanish, the original languages like Runashimi (Kichwa) are their roots in place. Like modern science, our knowledge depends on observation, but through relationships. We live through a social and emotional relationship with the earth. In rainforests, all beings, including humans and the most human world, have roles and responsibilities.
Despite our Yacax (Traditional therapists) may treat individuals, and their real role is to maintain balance within society and between people’s relations, forests and all beings. Healing, in our view of the world, collectively because we are all interconnected. when Yacax Focus only on tourism “Ayahuasca” for profit, and giving up this sacred responsibility, we must ask: What have they become? Healing centers directed towards tourism often give priority to individual experiences, personal growth, ego work and special disclosure, separate from society, lands and reciprocity. When healing is stripped of its collective foundation, it no longer feeds on the real awakening. Instead, it risk becomes a performance that raises the self, not all, opposes the essence of the original healing, which swings in the relationship, humility and common luxury.
It is not only sad, it is dangerous. When spiritual practices are changed to satisfy strangers, they turn meaning Hayaak And the relationship we have with it. These changes reshape how young generations understand our traditions, not through experience or guidance from the elders, but through offers designed for tourism. It was once sacred, real and real becoming textual. The danger is not only in losing the essence of our celebrations, but in distorting our collective memory, values and roles. When healing becomes entertaining, and culture becomes a scene, the spiritual thread that brings our society together begins to overwhelm.
Hayakwaska Tourism is also a driver for illegal fishing practices. Traditional hunting is rooted in respect and reciprocity, but today’s commercial demand for animal parts threatens both species and original ways of life, and the growing tourism industry not only distorts culture, but also disturbing the threats of biological diversity. Modern research highlights how Jaguar, Indeed, the species close to the threatened, are used to meet the tourist demand. Elements such as Jaguar-Toth and skin bracelets are sold as an enhancer for the Ayahusca experience, exposing both wildlife and sacred balance.
Using original knowledge and medicine holds a deep social and environmental responsibility. Without this responsibility, it becomes more than extractors, and it is another form of colonialism that wears a spiritual language. The real question is: How does the “Ayawaska” tourist repeat? Do they support the rights of the indigenous people, protect the ancestral lands, stand with people who protect this wisdom, and often be in a great personal danger? Many are looking for recovery from the original drugs while ignoring the live facts of those who protect the plants, knowledge and lands from which they come. These societies continue their struggle amid threats of mining, oil extraction and agricultural work. If there is any real cure, it must include justice, reciprocity, solidarity with the people and the land from which this drug grows.
Inspired by their stories and experiences, me, Nina, created Waska: The forest is my family. The film explores the exploitation of the original peoples and the forest. As the granddaughter of Yakak, I wanted to share what it means to live in contact with Hayakwaska and the Earth.
