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General Comments

The Huichol people of Mexico have lived in the general area of the Sierra Madre Occidental chain, for at least 1800 years, and, throughout that period of time, the spiritual practice of shamanism has remained a fundamental part of Huichol cultural life. In particular, a lesser known type of shamanic practice has also survived into the present, called "nagualism," from Aztec meaning "something hidden." What is hidden from view is a carefully guarded, feared and esoteric spiritual technique, by which, these people believe that they can transform themselves into wolves and back again. This is probably a result of the hallucinogenic plants that they eat, which tend to confuse the issues of reality for these people. Outside of a few western scholars (e.g. Furst, Lemholtz),little of this specialized knowledge and technique has been fathomed into its specific details, and yet, some of its contours can be seen with what has been offered to researchers.

Information collected about nagualism or the rituals for becoming a wolf-shaman accentuates a fundamental knowledge of Huichol creation myths. According to one of its versions, the first people, who were half human and half wolf, lived miserably in darkness and hunger. After some time in that state, their situation was alleviated by Deer Person, Kauyumari, who had allowed himself to be killed by Kumukemai, the Father of the Wolves, and consumed for food. Interestingly, as they ate his body, it turned into the flora, peyote, and thereafter, the wolf people obtained fundamental knowledge about survival. After following the remaining deer out of the darkness into the peyote desert, the birthplace of the sun, the wolves were given the choice of remaining wolves or transforming into humans, of which, Kumukemai agreed to change into a human being. This allowed the deities an opportunity to teach him how to build a number of temples, places at which to offer blood to honor the gods and goddesses for granting the half human half wolf people the knowledge of healing, rainmaking, growing maize and hunting deer.

With this story in mind, we can begin to see how fundamental the relationship was formed between the wolves and the deer, a type of which, is based on a fellowship of reciprocity. Because of his self sacrifice, in other words, the wolves were saved from starvation, and, concomitantly, it became their obligation to ritually protect and uphold that sacred relationship or covenant. It is both a means of thanking the deer (or Game Master) for offering themselves as a continual source of food, and, as a blood sacrifice from the mixed bloods (wolf-human people) to the deities, to ensure the growth of agriculture (e.g. maize) and need for rain.

Now when the peyote heart was consumed, a fundamental and mysterious union was formed between the wolf people and the realm of the gods. It is exactly in this connection that Huichol initiates must recapitulate in order to become a wolf-shaman. Roughly taking six to ten years to complete, and, most of the time under frightening conditions, it is a task to be taken seriously, for if it is not done so, could eventually lead the initiate into serious personal harm and danger.

Again, the process of becoming a wolf, more or less, involves a ritual re-enactment of themes from this Huichol myth. The amount of shrines an initiate must visit corresponds to the same number of different colors wolves can be found to exist in that part of the world. Because each color represents a different degree of power, strength and wisdom, they are arranged in a heirarchy, from red as the lowest level, to that of the highest level of shrine represented by multicolored wolves. At all of these color coordinated shrines the goal is to develop a working relationship with the wolf spirits who variously offer tests of courage, not the least, of which, the initiate is eventually taken into their den by actual living wolves, to prepare him or her for the actual transformation into a wolf.

Here, at the highest level of initiation, atop the sixth (roughly around the sixth year of initiation), the wolves wait for the arrival of the moon, under which, to tell him or her to ceremoniously bath with a jamol plant, and, in two more weeks, during a full moon, the initiate is to do five somersaults, after which, he or she amazingly turns into a wolf.

It is at this point during the transformation that the wolf-shaman is not only given the opportunity to test the physical limits of his or her new body-to try his or her ability at catching a deer and digesting it raw-but, also, to ceremoniously appropriate a portion of the kill back to the ancestor gods, the mystical and original source of game animals. By offering certain portions of the deer-heart and blood-to the spirits of Kauyumari, the Deer Peyote Person, Kumukemai, the Wolf Father, Tatewari, the Great Transformer (allows the wolf-shamans to eat meat raw) or patron of hunting arts, and Takutsi, Grandmother Growth, not only accentuates the degree of indebtedness of that ageless bond, but, also, signals that the initiation process is complete, and, that he or she can become a wolf at will-although each period of transformation can only last for five days at a time, after which, the wolf must resume its human form-lest, remain solely as a wolf forever.

In conclusion, wolf-shamanism or nagualism, is an astute blend of myth, covenant and ritual for transformation. It is a reminder of the cultural richness and breadth of Huichol spiritual life, par excellence.

Bibliography:

Schaefer and Furst. People of the Peyote. Huichol Indian History, Religion and Survival. Univ. of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque. 1996

Bernstein, Susan ed. Mirror of the Gods: Proceedings on the Huichol Indians. 1989

Larsen, Stephen. The Shaman's Doorway. Station Hill Press. New York. 1988

Vandalism in w

In the spanish version of this page, one subject begin to put bad references. In this case was the W reference ( nawal ), is a wrong spelling promoted by FDH, Frank Diaz Herrera, and the term Nawalli have not any reference in PAPER. Please check the spanish vandalism case,or the profiles of FDH and Darakan--Darakan

Nagual Band

Nagual is a psycho-folk band from Belorus Republic as well. Know more at http://nagualia.net/.

Merger

support Two spellings for the same idea. I've seen it more commonly with a "g" in both English and Spanish, so I think it should get merged here.--Rockero 04:23, 23 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

support I'd agree that Nagual should be the destination.--cjllw | TALK 09:22, 12 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

support Carlos Castaneda uses both meanings presented here as Nahual and Nagual and spells them both as Nagual. Unless there are other more serious anthropological studies that suggest they have separate origins, I would say the two articles should be combined.It appears to me by reading these articles that both concepts could have derived from a same central belief and the difference is due to distance of peoples separated by natural barriers. That they are spelled differently does not make too much difference, as they would have become a Spanish loan-word from a native language that is pre-literate. I also have a preference that, unless shown false or unable to be referenced, the excellent history of the word on this talk page be included in the merged article as appropriate. L. Greg 21:20, 14 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]


support (but split)I suppose I can concede as do you make a good point esp. about including the history of the word on this talk page. At the same time I believe it important to make a clear distinction between the modern New Age definition and the older anthropological definitions.--Cyberhero 03:46, 15 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

commentInterestingly, this article mentions a late 19'th century book that references Nahual in a manner similar to the one Castaneda meaning of 'a person of power' and in the article itself it mentions something similar to the earlier Castaneda contrast of 'tonal' (our normal world) and 'nagual' (a world containing the tonal but which also contains those things which can't be expressed in language). L. Greg 06:25, 15 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Support. It is extremely important that Castanedas ideas be kept separate from the concepts of mesoamerican religion since they are not really related at all. This, however, could be done by a different distinction than between nahual/nagual. I would propose that this article be renamed into somethin like Nagual (Castaneda) or Nagual (New Age). The same was done with the article on the Toltecs, where there is now an article on the actual Toltecs and another on Toltec (Castaneda).Maunus 09:08, 2 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I have changed my vote to support because I have now split out Castañeda related material into its own article at Nagual (Castañeda). Nagual is the most commonly used spelling for the concept in mesoamericanistics so I think both concepts should be treated here.

Oppose Nahual in this entry should be more about the supernatural shapeshifting spirit that is believed to exist in some areas of rural Mexico. Examples of Nahuales are like warewolves or vampire bats, though the larger meaning would encompass "Spirit Animals". Nagual, on the other hand, is part of the same cultural traditions but is not the same thing. Naguales are healers, witchdoctors, sorcerers, "Men of knowledge". Though some naguales may claim that they can transform into nahuales or have the knowledge to create nahuales, the definitions are clearly distinct. I think this entry should definitely be cleaned up as it does confuse these two DIFFERENT ideas, but given that these two different entities are NOT the same, the articles should not be merged. P.S.- The Indian tribe spelled "Yaki" on this page is wrong. It is spelled "Yaqui". ~~Flora (This comment by USer:65.98.196.2 moved here from Talk:Nahual)

oppose It is arguable whether or not Nahual and Nagual are the same idea. No one has any proof that the two words have the same origin. It is possible that the words sound the same and have similar meanings but are not the same thing. To be truly accurate we would have to speak to a Mesoamerican shaman practitioner who is versed in this sort of thing. Other wise all we have is second hand knowledge and it would be wise to at least make clear the various distinctions between these two words. (This anonymnous comment was posted by User:207.255.30.159)

Support Your contributors seem to be unaware that standardized spelling is a fairly modern invention. The early Spaniards had several letters they could chose from to "spell" newly encountered indigenous words. Indeed, attested forms for this word include not only "Nagual" and Nahual" but, "Xagual" as well, (see From The Doc below). (signed: James B Porter) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 169.229.207.140 (talk) 23:28, 9 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Rewrite

I got really tired of looking at both of those really misinforming pages and boldly rewrote the whole thing and completed the merger. In doing so I put the Castañeda related material in a new article called Nagual (Castañeda). I think this puts us a step forward.·Maunus· ·ƛ· 11:46, 22 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Good call, Maunus.--cjllw | TALK 01:29, 21 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Nagualism and/or Zen

Apithecanthropus Apithecanthropus (talk) 12:38, 13 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The tabletop metaphor, or analogy, depending on whether you give it credit for moving parts, of the Tonal is much like the Self in the 'Nothingness' of Zen.

The 'Nothingness' of Zen is not nothing. Nothing is quantifiable, definable. Nothingness, like the Nagual, is indefinable because that which can be anything is nothing in particular.

The Tonal is not separate from the Nagual, as the Self is not separate in the universe of Nothingness. And as such it too, in the constant course of change, is nothing in particular as something that can be anything.

Metaphysics is not required for this. Just physics, as it is known that atoms are constantly changing, degrading, into other kinds of atoms that will join to reform matter, endlessly.

The metaphysical aspect is the same for both Zen and Nagualism in ascribing force or control to a single Universal Consciousness.

What can be accepted or not, agreed with or not, as you please, is that for Sorcerers or for those of Zen, both the physical and metaphysical are equally real. Whether in the physical world, or in meditative visions, what we experience is equally real to us.

In the physical world, only the physical world is real. In visions, only the metaphysical world is real. It takes some getting used to, and whether you call it meditation or dreaming is just, you know, a word or two.


To Apithecanthropus

Are you going to give us a lecture & philosophical poetic dribble; Or are you going to discuss the wikipedia topic?

-Bill-

Monday June 16, 2008

To Apithecanthropus

Where can I get some of what you're smoking? (James B Porter) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 169.229.207.139 (talk) 02:38, 13 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Knowl?

All I want to know is why Knowl redirects to this article. The article makes no reference to anything called a "Knowl".

-Knowl- Saturday October 4, 2008 —Preceding unsigned comment added by Knowledge Incarnate (talkcontribs) 10:18, 4 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Theres no reason. I've nominated the redirect for deletion. Maunus (talk) 06:28, 4 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Donkey Versus Owl

Someone changed the animal from "Donkey" to "Owl" but left no explanation or citation yet. Can anyone confirm which is correct?

-Knowl -<(I am questing for Knowledge!) (talk) 06:53, 16 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The most common is donkey I will source this to Nutini& Roberts later today. ·Maunus·ƛ· 12:41, 16 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Dubious

This article attempts to imply that there exist modern day practices of nagualism that have decended directly from those described in pre-columbian writings, however, I know of no reliable sources that have ever documented such a connection. Without any reliable sources to support such a claim, the statement should be deleted post-haste. Mmyotis (^^o^^) 03:49, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

That is ridiculous there are loads of ethnographic sources that make this connection - except for the few attempts to link nagualism with european medieval witchcraft - which have been quite thoroughly refuted - it is simply accepted as fact by mesoamerican scholars that there is a direct link between modern nagualism and precolumbian belief systems. If you want to introduce an element of doubt then the burden of evidence that nagualism is not seen as a continuous mesoamerican practice in the field of mesoamericanists is on you: the buklk of ethnographical and ethnohistorical schlars seem to be convinced that it is the case.·Maunus·ƛ· 19:04, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I agree completely with Maunus. A brief search of the literature can turn up refs. Miller & Taube in An Illustrated Dictionary of the Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya ISBN 0-500-27928-4, p.122 has:
"Although the concept of nahual recalls European concepts of witchcraft, it is clealy of native origin..."
Simon Burchell (talk) 19:29, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Well, I appreciate the feedback, though not so much the condesension. I think you guys are misunderstanding me, but the misunderstanding could well be mine. I freely admit (and admitted) my ignorance on the subject and am hoping to verify that what I'm reading here is accurate. Could someone please provide a readily attainable source to support the statement that there is a connection between ancient and modern-day practices of nagualism? You see, what I'm actually questioning is whether there exist any modern day practicing naguals at all. So, in fact, any text that documents the practices of a modern day practicing Nagual would satisfy me. Thanks. Mmyotis (^^o^^) 20:56, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry for the perceived, but unintentional condesension. I don't know what sources you consider readily attainable but the "Dictionary Gods and Symbols ..." is a standard handbook. Other studies such as those mentioned in the article by Nutini, Stratmeyer and Kaplan document the beliefs of Nagualism in modern mesoamerican comminties based on ample fieldwork. However your question about reports of a modern practicing nahgual is a little besides the point. Nagualism is a beliefsystem - the sources report that there is a popular belief in many mesoamerican communities in the existence of naguales and a popular belief about what being a nagual is and is not. Obviously people are not actually capable of changing into animal form - but sometimes their neighbors think that they are and treat them as if they are (this is well documented e.g. for the Jacaltec community by Stratmeyer). Your question is like asking whether we could prive that there was actual practicing witches in medieval europe - there wasn't - but there was a popular belief of witchcraft and people were treated differently when their neighbors believed them to be witches. I think that it may be understood in this way (it is original reasearch so don´t put it in the article): Precolumbian nagualism was a shamanistic practices where shamans would claim to be able to change shapes into animals and perform "dream journeys" in animal form. (Plenty of preconquest iconography show shapeshifting shamans)In postconquest mesoamerica this practice was seen as diabolical and the shamanistic practice dissapeared but the belief that some people still practiced the old ways and were able to cause harm to other in their animal forms continued, now in the guise of a witchcraft belief system where people would accuse eachother of being naguales, but no one (or hardly anyone, there are repors of modern day shamanistic practices in the mixe area )was actually practicing the shamanist part of the tradition.·Maunus·ƛ· 23:27, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
A search for the term nagualismo in GoogleBooks will turn up multiple, readable anthropological works that document and describe the continuation of the practice and belief in contemporary mesoamerican communities. Good examples would be Garry Gossen's Telling Maya Tales, and A. James Arnold's Monsters, Tricksters, and Sacred Cows.
Likewise due apologies for any perceived condescension, that was certainly not my intention. As an aside, when doing internet searches, it's best to try various spellings since at least 3 are in reasonably common use: nagual, nahual and nawal. Simon Burchell (talk) 08:54, 29 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Read, Tedlock, Barbara 1982, Time and the Highland Maya, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque. This is the most reliable, and least cited, source on modern Maya calendar religion. Tedlock discusses the office and role of modern Maya Nagualli. (James B Porter) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 169.229.207.139 (talk) 02:35, 24 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Mimbres fantastic animal-people as naguals?

Has anyone seen anything published linking Mimbres culture, and other similar prehistoric pottery from the SW US, to the nagual tradition? It seems like an obvious link.

Huh. I can only find one Mimbres pottery photo at Commons, and no SW nagual-analogs. But see, forex, the third bowl here.

Incidentally, there's a nice Tonala nagual plate at [1]. I'll ask the photographer for permission to use it here, as we currently have no contemporary nagual photos. Cheers, Pete Tillman (talk) 19:39, 22 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

From the Doc

The following comments were left in the actual article, however they belong here in the disucssion section so I'm pasting them here for the good doctor. I would like to note for Dr. Porter, should he return, that wikipedia is edited by multiple authors and as long as he can cite valid sources then all of this can be fixed. -Knowl -<(I am questing for Knowledge!) (talk) 04:34, 6 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

(This article has several disturbing qualities which the author refuses to correct:

1. The confusion between the Tonal (the day spirit proper) and the Nagual (the day spirit's animal familiar) exhibited in this article is unique to the fictionalized, and very funny, account of an apprentice to an indigenous religious practitioner presented in the work of Carlos Castenada.

2. Rather than address the culture historical issues leading to the translation of the term, as 'Transforming Witch', the author has simply removed references to the Nagual as an indigenous religious official who works with a Familiar spirit or Power animal, (Tedlock, Barbara 1982: 'Time and the Highland Maya', New Mexico University Press, Albuquerque). The accusations of 'witchcraft' (which western religious/civil authorities have directed against Indigenous religious practitioners for the past 500 years) have far more to do with Christian/European ethnocentrism than with the true role of such specialists.

3. The author clearly prefers the notion that the Nagual concept is an import from Spain and will not acknowledge the widespread Indigenous belief in personal, clan and national Tutelary spirits in animal form, (the indigenous matrix from which the nagual concept ultimately arises). Further, the author provides no social mechanism for the introduction of a foreign 'wearwolf' concept from Spain. To what part of Spain is this concept endemic? How was the concept forced upon the new (and unwilling) converts? Indigenous religion is quite resiliant and continues to survive alongside various versions of Abrahamic religion.

3a. Many of your contributers seem to have a direct and remakable insight into the intentions of dead artists from (pre and non-literate) cultures which are not their own. Without speaking to the artist, how is it possible to assert that any precolumbian art works 'depict' or 'represent' a Nagual?! Further, your contributors claim that Olmec artists depict people 'transforming into animals'. The Olmec did not have motion pictures. How do your contributors know these depictions represent process as opposed to status? Where is the Olmec text which identifies these people with animal characteristicts as depictions of 'transforming witches'? I have no problem with the obvious indigenous nature of the Nagual concept. However, I do have serious problems with people who make completely unfounded and untestable claims about indigenous art and its meanings! Assertion may create "truth" in politics, crime and magick, but assertion does not create truth in science!

4. The widespread conception of the Nagual as a particular organism which shares a single soul and life with a particular person, a 'spiritual symbiot', does not appear at all in this article (Laughlin, Robert 1976: 'Of Wonders Wild and New, dreams from Zinacantan' Smithsonian Contributions to Anthropology #22, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington. Voight, Evon 1969: 'Zinacantan, a Maya community in the highlands of Chiapas', Harvard University Press, Cambridge). Another example from a first contact situation: A female slave of the Kan Ek' of Tayasil, 'was a great "magician" and "witch", whom he had instructed in his "diabolical cult", treating her, as it were, like a priestess.' When asked, by the Spaniards, where she was coming from, she replied: 'it was from seeing the Xagual (her suitor) who always came out to visit at the shore of the lake, Lake Peten Itza, in the form of a "lion" or "tiger", and presented her with "rabbits", "pheasants" and other fowel and game. [Note how all of these animals are indigenous to the Old World. Even in 1701 the Spaniards did not know where they were!] She refused to conduct the Spanirds to him, for, if they killed him she herself would die.' (Juan de Villagutierre y Soto-Mayor 1701: 528-529. Historia de la conquista de la provincia de Itza, Madrid). Here, we also have clearly documented testimony that the bond between the person and the nagual is one of love.

5. The article presents a restrictive and narrow view of one of the most important and complex of Native American religious concepts, the spiritual unity of all life. Much of the existing article is based upon Church polemics, Western works of fiction, armchair theorizing and cultural ignorance! Indigenous religion and people deserve fair and full treatment by someone without a religious/cultural ax to grind! --James B Porter BA. MA. PhD.)