Key terms and definitions:
Curandero – it is the Spanish word for healer. Most westerners use the word shaman. In Peru it is common to use all 3-terms interchangeably. A fourth term is sometimes used by curanderos that work with Ayahuasca in a traditional manner. These type of healers may also refer to themselves and Vegetalistas (*See definition below)
Dietas (diets) or plant medicine (plantas medicinales) dietas – the curandero consults with the spirits of the plants and trees to determine which plant(s) and tree(s) will be used during your healing journey and this is conducted in tandem with a restricted diet (food intake). In some instances the curandero may utilize both palo [tree] and plants for healing purposes. There are generally two distinct types of dietas, those for healing and those for teaching. In some instances, both can occur simultaneously as well.
Icaros – These are the songs which are sung by curandero(s) during ceremony. Icaros assist with moving the energy in the body for the purpose of aiding and intensifying the healing process. Icaros are gifted to curanderos during their dietas. The currandero is a channel for the plant spirits and the palo [trees] spirits they have dieted.
Pasajeros – it is a Spanish word used to refer to the individuals that are in treatment. The English translation is “passangers or travelers,” with the connotation being that the individuals in treatment are “passing through” until their treatment journey is complete.
Shipibo – this is an indigenous tribe that is located in various regions of the Peruvian Amazon rainforest. The actual name is Shipibo-Konibo (or Shipibo-Conibo). This name is more accurate because it identifies the names of the two indigenous groups that merged. While there are various groups that work with Ayahuasca throughout the Amazon, the Shipibo are often recognized as having one of the most powerful relationships with the medicinal properties of the native flora and fauna which comprise their ancient shamanic tradition. The name Shipibo comes from a type of monkey that is named Shipi, where Konibo is fish.
Soi Rawa Spiritual Healing Treatment Center – The physical location of the center is approximately a 3-hr drive by land from Pucallpa, Peru and it is contained within the small Shipibo community named Vista Alegre (Cheerful View). There are a string of Shipibo communities that dot this part of the Amazon region and many of them are adjacent to a large river named the Rio Ucayali.
The word Soi refers to the designs created in the body when the cuarandero sings the icaros. The word Rawa refers to the spiritual ancestral connection and traditions which are intimately connected to the plant medicine methodology of the Shipibo people.
Vegetalismo is another less commonly used term to refer to a practice of mestizo (mixed blood) shamanism in the Peruvian Amazon in which the shamans — known as vegetalistas — are said to gain their knowledge and power to cure from the vegetales, or plants of the region. Many believe to receive their knowledge from ingesting the hallucinogenic, emetic brew ayahuasca. Also, keep in mind that many indigenous shamans/curanderos have adopted the term, referring to themselves as Vegetalistas.