Hallucinogenic Music

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Hallucinogenic Music: An Analysis of the Role of Whistling in Peruvian Ayahuasca HealingSessionsAuthor(s): Fred Katz and Marlene Dobkin de RiosSource: The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 84, No. 333 (Jul. - Sep., 1971), pp. 320-327Published by: American Folklore SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/539808 .

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FRED KATZ andMARLENE DOBKIN DE RIOS

Hallucinogenic MusicAnAnalysis f theRoleof Whistlingin PeruvianAyahuascaHealingSessions

DIscuSSION FTHE USE of hallucinogenic rugs n primitiveandpeasanthealingand religiousactivitieshas appeared n scatteredanthropologicaliterature ormanyyears.With the exceptionof somestudieson peyoteanda few otherdrugs,however,anthropologists avepaid little attention o the crucialrole thatmusicplays n structuringhe areaof culturally eterminedsubjective xperience risingfromdrug-inducedtates.'This paper,basedon an analysisof ayahuascawhistlingincantations ollectedin the PeruvianAmazoniancity of Iquitosand taped duringa hallucinogenichealingsessionon Augustio, 1968, will attempt o examine he veryimportantplacethat musichas in evokingparticular isionary-typexperiencesn the wakeof planthallucinogenic se. It is believed hatsuchstudiesareimportantn clarify-ing the often-neglecteddeterminancyhat musichas in manynon-Western o-cieties,wherepowerfulmind-alteringubstances ave beenused to heal, to com-municatewith the supernatural,ndto openup worldsof heavenand hell.2EthnographicDataOne of the authors(Dobkin de Rios) spent a yearstudyingpsychotherapywith the woodyvine ayahuascan the PeruvianAmazoncity of Iquitos,situatedsome2,300 milesinlandfrom the AtlanticOcean.3Here,asin manyotherregionsof Peru,variousplant hallucinogenshave a long historyof use in healingac-

1 Marlene Dobkin de Rios, "Cultural Variables Effecting Drug-Induced Altered States of Con-sciousness," in Proceedings, 39th International Congress of Americanists, Lima (in press).2 In Western society, the best discussion of the importance of the nonverbal in drug-adjunctedpsychotherapy can be found in Betty Eisner, "The Importance of the Non-Verbal," in The Use ofLSD in Psychotherapyand Alcoholism, ed. Harold Abramson (New York, 1967), 542-560.3 This study was supported by the Foundations Fund for Research in Psychiatry, G67-395, fromJune 1968 to May 1969. A debt of gratitude is acknowledged to Dr. C. A. Seguin, former Directorof the Institute of Social Psychiatry,National University of San Marcos, Lima, Peru.


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HALLUCINOGENIC MUSIC 321tivities.4A potionprepared romboilingayahuascabelongingto variousspeciesof Banisteriopsis nd often mixedwith additionalpsychedelics ontainingeitherindolic substances r datura), is administeredby a healer,calledayahuasquero,to agroupof patientsn eveningsessions hat areheldgenerallyn jungleclearingson the outskirts f the city.Treatment f illness is set within a matrixof magicalbeliefs concerningdiseaseetiology.Mostinfirmitieshatmark he populations furbanized, ivilizedIndians (calledcholos) or middle-classmestizopopulationsfromsurrounding rbanandruralareas,canbe classifiedasemotionalorpsycho-logical in origin.They correspondo the generalsuccess hat otherfolk healersaround he worldappear o have in treatingsuchillnesses.5 llnessis believedtobe causedbythe capriciouswhimof offendedspiritsof nature,or else attributedto the evil of people,who for motives of envy, revenge,orplainmeannesspayawitch to causehorrendousdamage o anotherperson.The mainpurposeof thepowerfulplanthallucinogenayahuasca,when used in healing,is diagnosticandrevelatory.Duringthe courseof the therapeuticession,a patient s given a drinkto induce visions which will permithim to see just what forceor individual sdeemedresponsibleor evildoing.It is onlythenthatthe evil magiccausing ll-ness is believedto be deflectedor neutralizedby the healerand returned o itsperpetrator.

AyahuascaMusic:ItsSettingandAnalysisForemost n importancen the healingsession,the psychedelicpotion is dis-tributedbythe healerto thoseseatedarounda circle.His primary ole is thatofguide. He whistlesspecial ncantations r at timessings. On occasionhe mayac-companyhimself with a rattlemade fromthe leavesof a plant,calledschacapa(Cerberaperuviana),which aretied togetherat theirbaseby a thin vine. Thehealer s generallyskilled in the preparation nd administration f the infusionandtheinterpretationf theayahuascaisions.There s realdifficultynherent n recording ndanalyzinghis typeof musicaldata. For one thing drug-induced,lteredstatesof consciousnessreoften quali-tativelydifferentfrom other ceremonialbehaviorwith which anthropologistswork.Attending estivals n junglehamletsorin citysettlementswheredancing,drinkingand gaietyabounded,presented he juniorauthorwith no difficultieswhatsoever n establishingrapportand obtainingmusicaltapes. However, al-thoughcontactwas made with about en healersduringtheyear's ieldwork,onlyone wouldpermitrecordingof his music.Technicalproblemssuch as the move-ment of the healeraround he circle,the generalquietudeandaugmented ensi-tivityto sounds nherent n the drugstate,andthe generaldisinclinationor oneandall to probe,askquestions,or engagein inconsequentialerbalizedbehaviormade t lessthaneasyto obtain he typeof data hatmightreallybeuseful in cor-relatingparticularmusicalmodeswithtypesof hallucinatoryision.

4Marlene Dobkin de Rios, "Folk Curing with a Psychedelic Cactus in Northern Peru," Inter-national Journal of Social Psychiatry, I5 (1968), 23-32; "Banisteriopsis Used in Witchcraft andHealing Activities in Iquitos, Peru," Economic Botany, 24 (July, 1970), 296-300.5 Ari Kiev, ed., Magic, Faith and Healing: Studies in Primitive Psychiatry Today (Glencoe, Ill.,1964).


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324 FREDKATZAND MARLENEDOBKINDE RIOSDescription faSession

The musicanalyzedhere was tapedduringa sessionconductedbyDon Jos6,afairly successfulayahuasca ealerwho lived in an outlyingsectionof Iquitos.Presentwere sevenpeopleand the healer.Eachpatientwas selectedbythe curerhimself,andtendednot to be knownto the otherpatients n attendance.The ses-sionwas held in thehealer'sorchard, omewhat emoved rom the noisesof pass-ing carsorhowling dogs. He wasaccompanied y one apprentice,whomhe hadpreviouslyhealed,andwho alsowhistledwith himaseriesof traditional yahuascamelodies.Most healersduringtheir period of apprenticeshipwhich can lastseveralyears), seclude hemselvesn open jungle,learning he effectsof differentplantson theirbodies,and how to prepare pecialtonics,medicines,salves,andthelike.Theyworkcloselywitha teacher,who instructs hem in traditionalmelo-dies. Basicmelodiesare learnedduringthisperiod,althoughhealerstendto im-proviseandiniaovate n these themesoncetheytakeuptheirownpractice.In this particularession,the whistling began right afterthe drugpotionwasgiven by the healerto his patientsand continued hroughoutmostof the session,which lastedfromapproximately:00 P.M.until x:00 A.M.the followingmorn-ing. Interspersedwas occasionalcounselingby the healerto eachof severalpa-tients.Somepatientswerenot given the drink becauseof the natureof theirill-ness,whichmayhavebeenchronicordebilitating.Onoccasion, healerwill advisea patient o foregothe drugexperience ntil he has taken hepurgehimself to seethe natureof theillness.Sincemuchof the music found in ayahuascaessionsconsistsof whistlingin-cantations,t is importanto mention he widespreadbelief in the area hatwhis-tling is the wayin which the spiritual orces of natureandthe guardian piritofthevine,itself,canbeevokedbythehealer.

Explanationf theWhistlingncantationsSectionA: This represents he beginning of the taped ceremony.The melodyis nonmetricaland pentatonic,with inter-

mittentgracenotesE b toE L4. he mode consistsof thenotesC, D, E, G, andA. The tonicin this instances C.ThroughoutSectionA, the tonicnote C is reachedbythestartingnote G. Bracketsn SectionA, line 2, meanthatthose notes areveryfaint and unevenin duration.SectionAl: Continuesnmuch hesame ashion.AfetronomicMarking: Onequarter ote= 148 pulsesperminute.SectionB: In thissection, he tonicnoteCis reachedbythestarting

note E. According o the musicaldata,the tonicnote Cis neverreachedasa finalcadence.Rather, he tone G ispredominantn thissection.

SectionC: This represents musically epeatedmotif whichis met-rical,interspersed etweenSectionsB and Al. Note thesymbol,representsa shortpause.


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HALLUCINOGENIC MUSIC 325MetronomicMarking: Onequarter ote= 148pulsesperminute.SectionD: Note that bracketed otes n D represent pivotalmusi-cal phrasethat predominates hroughoutthis section.Also speciallyannotated n this section is 4, signifyingthat the actualsound is lower thanthe writtennote.SectionE: This section,interestingly nough, is a hexatonicscale,as contrastedo the earlypentatonic cale. The melodycontainedhereinhas,we suspect,a closerelationship ndpossiblederivation rom Amazonianrain forest melo-dies. Note the 3/4bar,which appears ust priorto therepetitionof the melody.The melodic structure n thisstarting ectioncanbe fragmentednto sub-structures,B,A andcoda.MetronomicMarking: Onequarter ote= 148pulsesperminute.

CommentsAyahuascamusic is utilizedonly in drugceremonies.Thereis a considerablecorpusof musicthatfalls within the realmof festivalmusic,eithercommemorat-ing happyoccasions uchasreligiousholidayswithinthe RomanCatholicChurch,or elsemelodiesthatareplayedduringwakes,whenfriendsandrelativesaccom-panythe bodyof the deceased hroughout n eveningto dawnvigil. Thesemelo-dies aregenerallyplayedwith a drum (tambor), quena (woodenreedlessflutefound in the Andeanhighlands), and a four-stringviolin, probablyof Spanishorigin.It is tempting osuggestacomparisonetweenayahuasca histling ncantationsas discussedn this articleandsuchmusicasthe Gregorian hants,at least insofarasbasicfunctiongoes.Justas one canargue hatGregorian hantsandecclesiasti-calmodesrepresentonalrelationshipsnwhichscalesarestructuredoas to evokeaspiritual xperiencewithinthecontextof Christianity,o toomighttheayahuasca

music be viewed as an essentialcomponentof a nonordinary ealitysustainedbythe sensoryoverload nherent n drug-induced lterationn consciousness. uchmusiccannotbedivorcedromits socialcontext.We shouldreflect, or amoment,on the natureof hallucinogenic xperience,per se, andthe qualityof realityal-teration or the individual.Suchphenomenaasthe slowingdown or changingoftimeperceptionmustbe related o how music s perceivedbythe individualunderthe effectsof the powerful alkaloids,harmineand harmaline,presentin theayahuasca otion. The numberof metronomicmarkings isted earliermaynot,indeed,beperceived stheywouldin anordinarytate.The juniorauthor'sexperienceunderayahuasca ointed up some interestingaspectsof the relationship of the music and the content of visions. At first, visionswere very fast moving and difficult to focus upon, as the mind's eye filled with arather complex and detailed panorama of primary colors and variegated forms.This effect perhaps could be correlated with her perception of the speed of thehealer's music. The healer then slowed down his pace, and a full-sized portrait,so to speak, of a woman appeared before her. This dramatic representationof a


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326 FRED KATZ AND MARLENE DOBKIN DE RIOSperson,who under other circumstancesmight have been identifiedby a givenhealerasthepersonresponsibleorbewitchment, ouldmostdefinitelybe relatedto thevelocityof thehealer'swhistling ncantationsnduseof his schacapa attlein rhythmicmotions.Visions do changefrequently rom fast to slow, and arecontrolledandevokedby the healer,who is the creative orcein decidingwhichmelodiesto callupon.When further ntothe drugexperience, ne of the authorsexperiencednauseaand heavyvomiting.The healer's attentions ncludedreas-surancehathiscontinuingmelodieswould alleviate henauseaand cause t topassaway.Both healerand patientin the courseof the drug sessiontake ayahuascao-gether.Thehealer,however, s generallyquiteoccupiedn theperformancef hisritualactivities.This includesblowingtobaccosmokeover the bodiesof his pa-tientsandoccasionallyuckingat a dolorousarea o extracta thornmagicallybe-lieved to have been introducedby an evil witch. The patientis generally eftseatedbyhimselffor majorportionsof theceremony ndonlyoccasionallyoun-seled andtreateddirectlybythehealer.Healersstate t is theirdecisionas towhich melodies o electthatevokescertaintypesof visions.As mentionedabove,slower ncantationsmaybe responsibleorthe often-reported isions of men and womenwho are later identified as evil-doers.Perhaps-and one mustremainat a speculativeevel here-faster incan-tationsare crucial n the changeover rom one realityto another.Suchsensoryoverload has been frequentlyreported o produceanxiety n the individual,es-peciallyin initial drug-inducedtates. In Westernsociety,LSD-likesubstanceshave beenutilizedin psychotherapy,ften byFreudian-orientednalysts.Vomit-ing andnausea,whichmayoccur n suchcases,haveoccasionally een related othe inabilityof individuals o dealwith anxietygeneratedby rapidaccess o un-consciousrealms.One Peruvianpsychiatrist,makinga presumptivediagnosisofan ayahuascaessionin the mid-g96os,stated that approximately5 percentofinitialayahuascangestionsresult n heavyvomitingor nausea.6 n fact,ayahuascais locallyreferred o as the purge,becauseof this frequentside effect.To returnto the role of musicduringthis anxietystate, t maybe that the whistlingincan-tationshelpcarry he individualmoreeasily nto this secondrealm.In addition,one majorfacet of drug-induced xperience s the role thattheguide or guruplaysas an importantother to whom the patientmayturnin theanxiousor highly suggestiblestatethat accompanies is alterationn conscious-ness. MastersandHouston,in an authoritativeolume,discuss he vitalplaceofthe guru in guiding such sessions.7 t is possiblethat the patient'saugmentedsuggestibility ncounters,n thepresence f thehealer,acreative ourceandoriginof music,whichalleviatesanxiety, ranquilizes, ndcausesa turning nwardbythemusicalevocation f particularisions.Froma musicologicalpoint of view, we might also suggestthatthe prepond-eranceof the toneG couldbe viewed asthedominant r active oneaway romthetonic C.Perhaps his contrastive ituationpotentiatesheactivityof the ayahuasca

6 Personal communication, Dr. OscarRios Reitegui.7 R. E. L. Masters, and Jean Houston, The Varieties of Psychedelic Experience (New York,1966), ch. 5.


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HALLUCINOGENIC MUSIC 327alkaloids.As a finalcomment,we mightnote thatin the experienceof the fieldresearcher,ack of vision in variousayahuascaessionscouldgenerallybe cor-relatedwithinadequatemusicalabilityon thepartof particular ealers.California tateCollegeFullerton,California

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Hallucinogenic Music