Medicine Man, Curandera, Machi

Black Elk, Ultima, Don Eduardo:

Medicine Man, Curandera, Machi

¿No es éste el carpintero? Eliseo Pérez-Álvarez, Marcos

“The Deathwalk. Everyday life leads to deeper experiences tan we would ever dream. But returning after these experiences to ordinary life is not always easy, for this mythic return means nothing less than living the dreamingbody and the ancient, wondrous world of the shaman in the here and now, where such experiences often seem forbidden.” Arnold Mindell, The Shaman’s Way

“A poet’s function—do not be startled by this remark—is not to experience the poetic state: that is a private affair. His function is to create it in others. The man of genius is the one who infuses it into me.” Paul Valery, quoted by John Dominic Crossan, In Parables: The Challenge of the Historical Jesus

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Black Elk

They told me I had been sick twelve days, lying like dead all the while, and that Whirlwind Chaser , who was Standing Bear's uncle and a medicine man , had brought me back to life. I knew it was the Grandfathers in the Flaming Rainbow Tepee who had cured me; but I felt afraid to say so. My father gave Whirlwind Chaser the best horse he had for making me well, and many people came to look at me, and there was much talk about the great power of Whirlwind Chaser who had made me well all at once when I was almost the same as dead.

Everybody was glad that I was living; but as I lay there thinking about the wonderful place where I had been and all that I had seen, I was very sad; for it seemed to me that everybody ought to know about it, but I was afraid to tell, because I knew that nobody would believe me, little as I was, for I was only nine years old. Also, as I lay there thinking of my vision, I could see it all again and feel the meaning with a part of me like a strange power glowing in my body; but when the part of me that talks would try to make words for the meaning, it would be like fog and get away from me.

 

Black Elk Speaks, Black Elk, with John Neihardt
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Ultima

“Buenos día le de Dios, Ultima,” I muttered. I saw in her eyes my dream. I saw the old woman who had delivered me from my mother’s womb. I knew she held the secret of my destiny.”…”This was the last child I pulled from your womb, María. I knew there would be something between us.”….“As you wish, Grande,”… “I have come to spend the last days of my life here,” Ultima said…“You will never die, Ultima,”…“And with Ultima came the owl…In many cuentos I had heard the owl was one of the disguises a bruja took…”

“Give me your face,” Ultima demanded. “Have you not the strength to face an old woman? Why do you keep your back to me?..I am a curandera, Ultima said softly, “and I have come to lift a curse…”

“They can’t see him, Tony, they can’t see him. I know every man from Guadalupe who fishes, and there ain’t a one who has ever mentioned seeing the golden carp. So I guess the grown-ups can’t see him—…The Indian, Narciso, Ultima—“

Bless Me, Ultima, Rudolfo A. Anaya

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HAWKS OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN

--for René San Martín

I.              Arriving

This medicine

of the machi

is not medicine

of today,

esta medicina

tiene mil años,

the young man says,

holding up the urine

from his suegro

who has skin problems

German doctors

from Temuco can’t heal.

The Machi, is man

and woman al mismo

tiempo, he says.

He is not mágico,

but he was born

knowing the culture.

He has been Machi

since 11 years old.

II.            Learning

Blue makes us happy

because it is where

rain begins. But

there is too much rain.

Rain is the flowering

of el campo, but

it is also aggressive.

Do you understand?

Bad spirits exist

with the good.

Machi protects

el pueblo.

Family is important.

Because we lived

only with family

we could fight

the Spaniards

for 300 years.

Your Hitler studied

Mapuche guerreros.

III.           Beginning to Listen

It is not easy

to know the culture

so well that

one only fits

as machi.

The dream only says,

You’re different.

Then you must be able

to say: I am.

I am Machi.

Yo tengo

la capacidad

a ser curandero.

I value the pain.

Then I must act

to protect el pueblo.

IV.          Going In

Going between

gods and pueblo,

la lucha con la fuerza mal,

bailen, cantan, tocan,

one must go with a map

and one makes the map

as he goes. All machis

know this. It is not

the map into dis-ease

that causes trouble

for machi. Anyone

can fall into

a sick mind. Trouble

comes with the machi

who doesn’t have his map

back to el pueblo.

V.           Machi Before the Fire

Reading the urine

of the sick, talking

trying to find what

provoked the spirits,

this is from our fathers.

But as we sing

when we walk, we walk

on this road, under

these feet, we must

sing a new song.

Urine is part

of the ancient music

like this fire

in this ruka,

this thatched roof house,

with this ancient fire

on this dirt floor. We

are very far from

the banks and markets

of the cities

where we sit now,

surrounded by smoke

of this fire. I know this.

And like I know

our young people go

to the markets in Temuco

and Santiago, I know

what happens when

my people bring children

or fathers to the ruka

who are ill. We lay

them before the fire,

surround them with

this land you call Chile.

We have their families

and we have fire. The smoke

opens up time.

The family stands

and we beat the drum

and sing. When I go in

seeking the trouble,

Dungu Machife, beside me,

memorizes all

that I do. He knows

where I am. His map

will help me return.

I know something

of maps. I know

how far on the map

you have come to see

the machi. I know.

The maps are different.

It is all right.

I like your maps, too.

Impulse to Love, Jim Bodeen

Temuco, Chile

with Don Eduardo, Machi

July, August, 1991

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"Writing is an art, translation is a religious art, even when it is heretical and going its own way, since God of the sacred original is hanging over the shoulder of the translator, along with his critical angels, hunting for any shift in dogma, smelling out disobedience, assuming total authority. The inspired translator is a friend of disobedient Eve, a Gnostic who rejects imposed faith and believes her life is a return to the realm of light where both her soul and the soul of the original writer (speaker) will merge and reside in a new interpenetrating permanent third text. The way to that text, however, is not through the eye of the Demiurge nor by obedience to his first created word.” Pierre Grange, Dream time and Other Earthly Signs.

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“It is hard to follow one great vision in this world of darkness and of many changing shadows. Among those men get lost.” Black Elk, from Black Elk Speaks, with John Neihardt