Living Icaros - Healing Songs from the Shipibo Ayahuasca Tradition

This recording was made in the Shipibo village of Puerto Nuevo, at the edge of the peruvian rainforest, about eight hours south of Pucallpa by fast boat on the Ucayali River in October 2004. The village hosts occasional week-long visits by interested parties. Everyone present during this recording was learning about themselves, the jungle and the cosmos. We did this in the same way as the Shipib´s ancestors, by drinking a magical brew made from the sacred visionary plant, Ayahuasca (Vine of the Souls). Our experiences were shaped in untold ways by the icaros (songs) sung by the two curanderos (shamanic healers) who are pictured, on the front cover - Don Antonto (right) and Cesar (left). Singing is an integral part of this traditional form of healing, and the song´s purpose is often to transmit healing to the patient. A proportion of the benefits will be made available to the village for the benefit of the community.