The Shaman's Apprentice

The Shaman's Apprentice
"The Shaman's Apprentice" is the remarkable documentary of Mark Plotkin's ethnobotanical adventures and work with shamans in the Amazon rainforest of Suriname. The film is compelling for its insights into the ecology and people of the Amazon, both the indigenous tribes and the maroons--Africans who have adapted to the South American rainforest after fleeing slavery. The Indians over generations have used plants to treat such illnesses as diabetes and fungal infections. The maroons are able to treat sickle cell anemia and many other health problems.

The film is heartbreaking in documenting the loss of tropical rainforests around the world--over half have fallen to saws and fires in the past century. The tribes and knowledge that have been lost are comparable to the destruction of many libraries. Plotkin contrasts western science and medicine with the indigenous tribes that use plants in every aspect of their lives.

"The Shaman's Apprentice" is my all-time...

The Shaman's Apprentice
I was pleased to see that Mr. Plotkin refused to divulge the information he gathered from the many Shaman to drug companies who were salivating at the prospect of cheap research done over millennia by indigenous people. As it stands (under the GATT trade agreement)drug companies glean this information, synthesize the drugs, and sell them back to indigenous peoples whose rain forests have been cut down to satisfy other commercial exploiters. Mr. Plotkin's plan to educate the Shaman as to the value of their knowledge (before any contact with commercial interests) is commendable.

Shaman's Apprentice, nice film
This was very informative and interesting. My wife is from Suriname, so she really enjoyed it because you get to hear alot of the language that they speak in that area and she could understand it all.

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