MODALIDADES DE USOS E SABERES DO CIPÓ CABI

Abstract

The term Cabi refers to a type of vine native from Amazon forest, which belongs to the family of Malpighiáceas, botanical name of a plant family with 68 genres and about of 1200 species, distributed in tropical regions of South America. With very different nomenclatures, the Cabi is widely found in Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Brazilian Amazonia. On Amazonia, it is used in different socio-cultural situations of every day’s populations, with different purposes. It is, however, well known for its participation in the formation of a psychoactive beverage of indigenous origin, known by a diversity of names like: Ayahuasca, Yage, Kamarampi, Cipo, Daime, Vegetable, Hoasca. This paper aims to describe some modalities of use of the vine named Cabi and constellation of knowledge that involve s it, pointing its use in indigenous communities and traditional practices of healing among mixed population that lives on island of Colares, in state of Pará. The description of the knowledge was based, methodologically, in studies about the use of ayahuasca among indigenous and rubber tappers living on Juruá River Valley (AM), characterizing as bibliographic nature. In turn, the knowledge of Cabi vine on Colares were analyzed from a field search, that still in progress, which were made interviews with some residents of Terra Amarela and Ovos, two places formed by descendants of ancient slaves and where it is still possible to find a considerable quantity of Cabi feets. Theoretically, the text is based on the idea of knowledge of Martinic, cultural mediators of Gruzinski and on several studies about the referred vine.