After almost a complete extinction of Siona shamans and their rituals in the second half of the 20th century, yaje performances have reemerged in recent decades among this Western Tukanoan group of Colombia’s northwest Amazon Basin. The revitalization of yaje rituals among the Siona is part of a larger process throughout Latin America in which shamanism has come to be associated with ecological preservation, traditional medicine, ethnic identity, and community well-being (Conklin 2002; Ulloa 2005). In the lowland region of Putumayo State in Colombia, shamanic yaje rituals play a central role in the complex field of negotiations between indigenous communities, the state, nongovernmental organizations, extractive industries, and the diverse armed groups (paramilitaries, drug traffickers, military, and guerrillas)(Carrizosa 2015). In addition, Siona taitas, the current designation for low-land ayahuasca shamans, currently receive important recognition for their participation in contemporary shamanic networks in the Colombian high-lands as well as in several countries in the Americas and Europe (Caicedo Fernandez 2013).
This article outlines three historical periods of yaje use among the Siona: (1) the colonial period in which the shamanic role transformed into that of the powerful cacique curaca despite repression; (2) the first half of the 20thcentury that resulted in near extermination of shamans and yaje rituals; and (3) the revitalization of shamanism and reincorporation of the shaman and yaje rituals into the political process. It examines the factors that have contributed to the current revitalization, arguing that, unlike vegetalismo in Peru(Gow 1994) or the folk healing (curanderismo) system in Colombian popular culture (Taussig 1980), current Siona yaje shamanism has deep roots in their autochthonous practices and strategies to resist colonial control, although contemporary practices also reflect the discourse, aesthetics, expectations,and demands of the larger society that have arisen in the last 30 years
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