[Koame wemakaa pandza kome watapetaaka kaawa (Baniwa, a story of plants and cures): the pathways to a script].
Traditional curing practices lie at the heart of the culture of the Baniwa, an indigenous people from the upper Negro river in the state of Amazonas. The Baniwa's mythical knowledge guides their understanding of health and sickness and directs the curing action of those who understand plants and of their pajés and benzedores. The documentary explores the permanence of these practices within today's context of interethnic contact. To what extent and in what realms is this knowledge recognized today?
Penido
Stella Oswaldo Cruz
SO
Casa de Oswaldo Cruz/ Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Av. Brasil 4036, sala 602, 21040-361 Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. socpenid@coc.fiocruz.br
D001938:Brazil; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D007199:Indians, South American; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D009040:Motion Pictures; D045483:Rivers