Our Book Reviews
Spirit of the Rainforest
A compelling true story about spiritual forces, told by an ex-Shaman who became a Christian.
Decision Making & the Will of God
Gain freedom to make wise decisions, and find several kinds of guidance about God's will for your life.
Spirit of the Rainforest
by Mark Andrew Ritchie
Reviewed by Sig Feser
23-Feb-06
You'll easily find books representing outsider ("etic") views and outsider theories of other persons' cultures and religions. Do you already get the hint that this might introduce a cultural and spiritual bias? Rarely do we get an insider ("emic") view of a person's own culture. So-called "primitive people" usually don't have the tools or the opportunity to represent themselves or their culture to the "outside" world.
Spirit of the Rainforest by Mark Andrew Ritchie is an unexpected, eye-opening, emic-insider view of the Yanomamö (Venezuela, South America) culture and spiritual life, both before and after Jesus enters their scene. It's a true story, which makes it all the more fantastic! Shoefoot (brother-in-law of the Shaman, Jungleman) is a former Shaman, converted to Christianity ("thrown away his spirits") and is now a spokesman for his people. Jungleman speaks very frankly and openly about all aspects of Yanomamö life; the American "author" is merely his scribe and translator.
With our Western education and materialistic-"scientific" bias, many of us (Christians included) have begun to act as if spiritual forces are some sort of superstition! This book, Spirit of the Rainforest, will open your eyes to the reality of the spirit world. Consider how central the issue of the spiritual world is to Christianity. When Jesus steps into ministry (see the Gospels in the Bible) demons manifest, the demon-possessed are set free, pigs filled with demons drown themselves in a lake, angels appear.... Try to separate the spiritual world from the Gospel of Jesus and you have little left. In this book, not only do we learn about the reality of the spirit world and the awesome authority which resides in the name of Jesus, we also get a Yanomamö view of the people who come to study them! Oh, you won't like this view of our Western Anthropologists. I was not at all pleased to have our culture represented as people specializing in sexual perversions and preconceived notions of "primitive man", encouraging the native's brutal, death-ridden existence.
Chapter 11 is entitled, "They Think We're Animals". The Yanomamö are at odds with each other. The Anthropologist has been pushing the people to keep their old ways of vicious battles and revenge and bloodshed. The Missionary has been advocating change! The new way is peace with "Yai Pada" and his son, whom we call "Jesus". Jungleman feels that the Anthropologist wants them to retain their old ways simply because he wants to study them, like he might study animals in a lab. The realities of dead bodies, fear, and ruined lives are just grist for his mill.
The book is classified as "Anthropology/Spiritual/Rainforest". Take your choice, you'll be surprised and informed about all three topics. Things aren't always the way we think they are!
You might also be impressed that all the royalties from the sale of this book go to the Yanomamö people of the Rainforest of Venezuela, South America — and don't forget to ponder the confrontation between Shoefoot and the Anthropologists, at the Anthropology meeting in the San Francisco Hilton!!
Borrow it, and you'll read it from cover to cover! Buy it, and you'll read it cover to cover and lend it to your best friend to read! It's really good; an eye-opener!
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