Dalla punta della lingua, lo spirito : Il canto ikaro come mezzo di comunicazione interspecifica e come essere sonoro

In the Peruvian Amazon, the ability to exchange information with non-human entities is considered a major way of accessing knowledge. This essay examines the ikaro, a shamanic song used for healing and for communicating with plants and spirits. Draw ing on my experience with the Kichwa Runakuna, I suggest that the music emitted through shamanic whistles and intonations is not considered a mere immaterial element. On the contrary, the sound of the ikaro represents a kind of incorporation of the healing properties of plants. By assuming a tangible form through chant ing, they can generate real effects in the world and influence the subjects living there. The essay is divided into three sections. The first one outlines the shamanic learning process, illustrating how healers are encouraged from a young age to interact with medici nal plants through preparations, dietary restrictions, and extended isolations. The second presents the local ethnophysiology, show ing that in the Amazon region all knowledge is expressed mainly through the body. The third part focuses on the analysis of field recorded ikaros: by focusing on the spiral progression of the texts and the redundancy of the melodies, I will show how the native healers try to give concreteness to these songs, while maintaining their own agency. In a context where intentions and words belong to the same material order as corporeality, it is not surprising that music is considered as a “sonic being” that intentionally partici pates in the everyday life of both humans and non-humans.