May 2022, ScientificAmerican.com 81THE ASHANINKA BELIEVE that all creatures, as well
as features of the landscape such as the Amˆonia River
( opposite page ), are sentient and connected to one
another by reciprocal relationships. Visions induced
by a brew from the ayahuasca vine ( left ) reinforce the
empathy that the Indigenous people feel for other beings.
Francisco Piyãko ( above ) communes with a kapok
( Ceiba pentandra ) tree, believed to have powerful life-
giving abilities.