Wearing tree bark cloth masks and skirts, dancers representing fish spirits are invited during the season of the peach palm harvest to drink the juice. it is a feast and ritual exchange: the host group offers the spirits large quantities of peach palm juice, smoked meat and fish, and shaman-blessed coca and snuff. the visitors are the costumed dancers impersonating animal spirits. people eat the meat and fish, animal spirits receive the fruits of peach palm, which are cultivated, harvested, and processed by humans. this exchange expresses the idea that people and animals depend on each other for survival and reproduction. vaupes basin, eastern colombia amazon, population: 600

colombian reproduction tree impersonating 600 amazonian developing country vaupes skirt invited south america dressing up animals survival amazon developing countries rainforest spirit basin people snuff season feast tribal eat wearing skirts man face cultural shaman blessed offers amerindian representing mask costume humans depend colombia fish rainforests harvest spirits faces exchange population masks costumes bark visitors colombians south americans drink fruits men male jungles processed indians ritual makuna by receive vertical coca idea masks ceremonial smoked tribes males south american peach dancers costumed third world cultivated expresses juice tribe indigenous –cloth host amerindians verticals palm harvested eastern culture ceremonies jungle meat animal grass skirts