Local News Kambo ceremonies – um, what about the frog? Heidi Greaves
For those not aware of the Kambo ceremony (also known as many other names such as Sapo, Kampu and Acate), it is a method whereby the secretion is scraped from the body of the South American Phyllomedusa Bicolour Tree Frog, then dried on sticks. This is later rehydrated with water or spit, to be administered to shallow wounds burnt into the skin. As the secretion is absorbed, the human body goes through a severe physical reaction that people often say feels like dying. Traditionally, Kambo is used to heighten the senses of hunters from Amazonian tribes, yet has been growing in popularity as a new-age alternative medicine since 1994, when the late rubber tapper Francisco Gomes took Kambo to the suburban streets of Brazil. Another indigenous use is to lift ‘panema’ – an indigenous name for dark or negative energy. Presently there are Kambo ceremonies being held in the Shire, and this is my experience of my ‘treatment.’
Alt medicine? What the peptide-rich substance actually does in the way of healing seems yet to be confirmed. Reading the many Kambo practitioners’ websites, it seems that the same information has been taken from a small handful of sites and repeated over and over, making it challenging to discern fiction from fact. An increase in practitioners will mean an increase in customers and an increase in demand for Kambo. I fear that the frogs will suffer as a direct result and the true spiritual purpose of this supposedly light-working ceremony will turn to darkness, like so many other beautiful things in this world. We need to make sure that does not happen with Kambo. We need to make sure that the most valuable and sacred part of Kambo, the frog, remains respected and protected from unnecessary
Amazonian tribes extract frog secretion to heighten awareness and energy for hunting, as well as healing, and now that tradition is being appropriated in the Shire. It’s also not much fun for the frog. Photo www.thesun.co.uk
cruelty or threat. If our actions cause otherwise, then I feel that we should not be doing this. Kambo extraction can involve inserting twigs inside the frog’s nostrils and anus until it cries out! Can this ceremony be done ethically and without harm to the frog? Kambo practitioners can register with the International Association of Kambo Practitioners (IAKP) and my Kambo IAKP-certified practitioner answered that the Kambo sticks used in their ceremonies were sourced from the Matsés tribes who ‘supposedly extract their Kambo ethically’. My own Kambo experiences have been genuinely beautiful – for the connection I made with the 100 or so lovely people over my three sessions, for the vulnerability and courage each of us shared and expressed, for the communal co-operation to help one another through the intense experience, and for what I believed at the time was a connection with nature, a higher source, and an animal of great magic. I also want to thank my Kambo practitioner and their assistant. They were both lovely, and though I am critical of them as facilitators, I feel that it was no fault of their own, but rather something that needs to be addressed by IAKP through more thorough guidelines and training.
My treatment To make the treatment worthwhile, I undertook the full three sessions in one lunar cycle.
Owing to the travel plans of the practitioner, that turned into three sessions over six days. Over those three sessions I received a total of 26 decent-sized and deeply burnt ‘points’, to my lower right ankle. If the ‘medicine’ needed a chance to work, I gave it a damn good shot! After my own experiences and also after assisting 100 or so people through theirs, I was left with some troubling questions. When I search the internet for what this ritual is used for by the indigenous who traditionally practise it, all I can safely find is that it is used as a means of purification of the body, supposedly bringing luck to hunters, possibly through the elimination of body odour and the removal of ‘panema’, a type of negative energy; increasing stamina; a possible guard against malaria and for enhancing physical and sexual strength. However when reading the many practitioners’ websites, they claim Kambo is used for a multitude of ailments, ranging from anything such as Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, bacterial infections, fertility issues, depression, AIDS, an energy clearer and much more. Yet there have been deaths reported as a result of Kambo, and I can see why. It is really intense on the body. When I signed up to partake in the ceremony, I was asked a few basic physical and mental health questions. I was not asked for my full medical history or what ailments I was hoping to heal. During the ceremony we
measured our own blood pressure and anyone who was not within the safe zone was asked to consume something sweet and wait until their blood pressure was considered suitable. Before the administration of Kambo, we were each asked to state our intention. Most of the intentions that I heard were for emotional and not physical reasons. In regard to the treatment aiding in spiritual and physical healing, it is hard to say. The life change I was hoping to trigger has not yet manifested; however, perhaps there have been subtle changes that I have not been consciously aware of? To be absolutely honest, it does not feel like Kambo changed anything in my physical, mental or spiritual states. Perhaps it did something under the surface, but I am certainly not aware of those changes. As for healing others, I have friends who believe that it helped them in various ways. However I have to wonder how much is power of the mind and how much is actual Kambo.
Community grants on offer Local sports clubs, school P&C committees, charities, men’s sheds and Scouts or Girl Guides are just some of the groups that benefit from the Community Building Partnership Program, which is now open for applications. Member for Ballina Tamara Smith MP said $330,000 is available this year for projects
in the electorate, ‘which is an increase of $30,000 on 2017.’ ‘I encourage local councils and not-for-profit groups to apply for the funds they need to deliver projects with social, environmental and recreational outcomes,’ said Ms Smith. Applications close Friday June 15. For more information visit www.nsw.gov.au/cbp.
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Tourism management workshop this Wed A public tourism management plan workshop will be held at the Mullumbimby Council Chambers on Wednesday May 9 from 4pm till 6pm. Council say, ‘Under the current LEP 2014 legislation,
a commercial venue for weddings or events is defined as a function centre.’ ‘In the rural zones, RU1 and RU2, function centres are prohibited.’ Given some adverse impacts on neighbours and
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the rural amenity from unapproved wedding venues, Council are seeking public input to help determine how rural function centres can be managed without resulting in unacceptable negative impacts. The Byron Shire Echo May 9, 2018 5