Tobacco and Shamanism in South America

While tobacco is not generally considered an entheogenic drug, let alone a drug at all, many Native Peoples of NeoGaia consider it the shamanic plant par excellance.It is widely used amongst all the horticultural societies in South America and is licked, chewed, snuffed, smoked, drank, and taken by enema.

How some could consider the substance of modern cigarettes and cigars shamanic is curious to most contemporary Americans, even though countless numbers of those same Americans are devotees of the same substance. Wilbert's extensive study of tobacco use by the Native Peoples of South America examines the growth, cultivation, preparation, and use of tobacco. Of particular interest is Wilbert's discussion of the shamanic uses and ideologies of tobacco. Bridging the gap between Western use of tobacco and its shamanic uses, Wilbert's book is strong work of ethnobotany on an increasingly controversial subject.