Vihó-mahsë
Desana · deity · primordial · deity
Vihó-mahsë, the 'snuff-person', is the Desana personification of vihó, the hallucinogenic snuff made from the resin of Virola trees. Created by the Sun-Father, he lives in the 'blue zone' of the Milky Way in a state of permanent trance. When a Desana shaman (paye) takes earthly vihó he ascends in vision to this region and must first make contact with Vihó-mahsë, who then serves as the intermediary through whom the shaman may consult the other divine beings such as Emëkóri-mahsë, Diróa-mahsë and Vaí-mahsë. He thus governs the whole apparatus of visionary communication between the human and supernatural worlds.
Domains
- visionary trance
- shamanic mediation
Powers
- to serve as the intermediary between shamans and the other divine beings
- to open visionary trance through the hallucinogenic snuff
Relations
- subordinate to: Sun-Father
Sources
- Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff, Amazonian Cosmos: The Sexual and Religious Symbolism of the Tukano Indians (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1971).
- Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff, The Shaman and the Jaguar: A Study of Narcotic Drugs Among the Indians of Colombia (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1975).