Wizard of the Upper Amazon, F. Bruce Lamb
Wizard of the Upper Amazon, F. Bruce Lamb
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Wizard of the Upper Amazon
The Story of Manuel Córdova-Rios

Author: F. Bruce Lamb

Narrator: Kirk Magoon

Unabridged: 4 hr 44 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/05/2020


Synopsis

A richly-detailed real-life account of ancient tribal life and the fascinating role of Ayahuasca in the heart of the Amazon.

Wizard of the Upper Amazon provides an insightful depiction of a South American tribal society at the turn of the 20th century. It delves into the captivating world of the Huni Kui tribe and their deep-seated connection with Ayahuasca, a powerful hallucinogenic plant. With the resurging interest in Ayahuasca today, this account offers a valuable and historical perspective, unveiling its traditional uses in day-to-day tribal life.

Our narrator, Manuel Córdova-Rios, takes the reader along on his extraordinary journey from a young boy taken in by the tribe to a respected healer. His accounts illustrate a unique societal fabric where plant medicine is a teacher, telepathy a communication mode, and clairvoyance a revered skill. In comparison to the modern ceremonial use of Ayahuasca, Córdova-Rios paints an enlightening picture of how this substance is entwined with various aspects of tribal life, from hunting practices to dispute resolution.

Wizard of the Upper Amazon is a rare look into a world that remains largely unexplored and elusive. According to reader reviews, the book delivers engaging insights into tribal life and Ayahuasca's role within it. This real-life tale invites readers to immerse themselves in the tribal world's intricate dynamics and to appreciate the deep wisdom and traditional practices of the Amazonian people. A classic read for those interested in indigenous cultures, shamanism, or plant medicine, this book offers a robust exploration into a time and place far removed from our own.

About The Author

F. Bruce Lamb was born in Colorado in 1913 and holds B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Michigan. He has traveled widely, in North, South and Central America, as well as Africa and Asia, and has held many posts and consultancies in the field of forest engineering, specializing in tropical forestry. He has published two books and numerous articles in this field. Married and father of one daughter, he lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and is retired Technical Director, Forest Resources for Champion International Corporation.Kirk Magoon graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Ferris State University. After years playing baseball, and a short stint on the Amazon bestseller list as a mystery writer, he is now a professional voice over artist. He currently resides in the Midwest with his wife and is a stay-at-home dad with two wonderful children.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Letitia on March 20, 2015

This English account of the early like of Manuel de Cordova is an easy read, and just as fascinating as it is educational. My students began the semester with this book as a way to ease them into discussions of ethnocentrism, oral histories, isolated tribes and what it is like to be dropped into a c......more

Goodreads review by Erik on January 24, 2013

One of the major problems of cultural anthropology, other than our rapid extermination of indigenous peoples, is that of perspective. Even with years of immersion, the trained anthropologist may be suspected of lacking much of the fundamental mindset of those studied. Wizard of the Upper Amazon, how......more

Goodreads review by wallacescott on March 26, 2014

This is a fascinating book. One of the most interesting things about it is what Rivas-Cordova describes as "collective dreaming" among the community. While a number of anthropologists dismissed this story at the time, I found it to be a credible tale. The collective dreaming seems to be corroborated......more

Goodreads review by Cameron on June 20, 2023

In the late 1960s, F. Bruce Lamb was doing a forest survey in eastern Peru and was introduced to Manuel Córdova-Rios, who accompanied him as a guide. As they got to know each other, Lamb learned that Córdova had been kidnapped by the Amahuaca Indians at the age of 15 and had spent seven years living......more

Goodreads review by Darryl Knudsen on May 06, 2024

Fascinating. This autobiography reads more like an anthropological field study than a personal tale. Given that I just traveled via whitewater kayak for fourteen days down the Rio Marañon (not too far from the location of Xanadu), I perhaps had a special interest. Nonetheless, I found the descriptio......more


Quotes

"This is one of the three or four best books I have ever encountered."—Peter Warshall, The CoEvolution Quarterly"A rare glimpse of the private life of a Peruvian healer."—Andrew Weil, M.D., author of the The Natural Mind