Magical Death (1973)

• 82%
• 1973
• Documentary
• Napoleon Chagnon

This film is an exceptionally vivid portrayal of shamanic activity, as well as an exploration of the close connection between politics and shamanism in Yanomamo culture. The shaman plays a vital role in Yanomamo society, for it is he who calls, commands, and often is possessed by spirits, or hekura. "Like myriad glowing butterflies dancing in the sky," the hekura come down invisible trails from the mountain tops when they are summoned. A powerful shaman such as Dedeheiwa, who is known even in distant villages, manipulates not only the spirits of the mountains but also those that live within his own body. The body is a vehicle for the hekura: lured by beautiful body paint, they enter the feet and eventually settle in the chest. MAGICAL DEATH shows how shamanic drama is enacted, led by Dedeheiwa. Dedeheiwa and other shamans prepare by taking hallucinogenic drugs which enable them to speak to and become the spirits. Dedeheiwa calls a "hot and meat-hungry" hekura to devour the children's souls with fire. Then the shamans become their victims, as they writhe like dying children in a pile of ashes. Becoming hekura spirits again, they devour the ashes representing the dead children. The first day's drama ends when Dedeheiwa himself falls unconscious, attacked by a magical hook sent from another enemy. The second day, the elaborate drama resumes, as Dedeheiwa becomes a young man from the enemy village who dodges the shamans' attacks but eventually is destroyed.