Amazonia – until October 22, 2017, Pointe-à-Callière

Amazonia. The Shaman and the mind of the forest

The Museum will be transformed into the Amazon forest in an immersive and multi-sensory experience that will showcase the shamanism and mythology of traditional Amazonian societies, while at the same time focusing on their rights, the defence of their ecosystem, and their ways of life.

Necklace
Photo: © MEG, J. Watts

On display are shimmering feathered finery, blowpipes, bows and curare-tipped arrows, everyday objects, basketry, masks, musical instruments, and items required by shamans in their use of hallucinogens. The exhibition features objects from some thirty different ethnic groups, from nine countries in the Amazon basin.

The exhibit features close to 500 exceptional objects from the collections of the Musée d’ethnographie de Genève (MEG) and the Royal Museums of Art and History, Brussels.

Feathers play a big role in this collection, not just for their colours and ornamental qualities, but because of the fascination they have always held among European collectors. Along with the aesthetic and decorative aspects, practical and sacred elements will also be examined. Arrows coated in curare, a deadly poison used in hunting and made from unique recipes that vary from one village to another. The sources of these poisons can also be employed—in smaller doses—in hallucinogenic powders used by shamans to contact the invisible world.

For more information: pacmusee.qc.ca    514-872-9150