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Spirit of the Rainforest: A Yanomamo Shaman's Story
The Yanomamo of the Amazon- endangered children of nature or indigenous warmongers on the verge of destroying themselves? Now for the first time, a powerful Yanomamo shaman speaks for his people. Brutally riveting,the story of Jungleman is an extraordinary and powerful document.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
67 people are currently reading
624 people want to read
About the author
Mark Andrew Ritchie
7 books9 followersMark Andrew Ritchie is a veteran commodities trader and co-founder of Chicago Research and Trading (CRT), once the largest options firm in the industry. He spent over 20 years in finance, trading on the Chicago Board of Trade and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Also an author, he wrote God in the Pits and Spirit of the Rainforest. A former theology student and prison guard, he has traveled extensively as an amateur anthropologist with a deep interest in global poverty.
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October 12, 2011
A CROSS-CULTURAL CRITICAL REVIEW OF
SPIRIT OF THE RAINFOREST
Summation and Content
The broken heart of a Yanomamö shaman expresses the story of his people in this vivid account of an Amazonian tribe and their passage through the spirit world to meet the great creator Spirit. Spirit of the Rainforest reveals a people imprisoned in darkness, captive to lives of murderous vengeance, savage raping, and unceasing fear for their enemies hidden both in the shadows of the rainforest and lurking in the darkness of the spirit world. The story gives a glimpse into Yanomamö wars, the shamans’ interactions with their spirits, and the journey of a few Yanomami who have found forgiveness and life.
Narratives of the Yanomamö people have been told many times by missionaries, anthropologists and other interested parties, but Mark Ritchie offers a perspective in Spirit of the Rainforest that differs from most of his predecessors. This account arrives through the storytelling of Jungleman, one of the fiercest shamans of the Yanomamö people. Whereas many others have described the Yanomamö as living in Eden, a fortunate people unaffected by the evils of the modern world; Jungleman, the narrator, describes his people in vividly darker tones.
His story takes his audience through vicious night raids into villages where warriors seek prestige by taking vengeance on those who have killed or stolen people from other villages. He accounts the stealing, raping, and murdering of women from other tribes, revealing the desperate situation which young girls and mothers find themselves in as subjects to a male dominated society that has little regard for the wellbeing and lives of their females aside from their ability to procreate and increase the size of the village. Jungleman also expresses the fear that captures each Yanomamö community after they have taken revenge on other villages. This fear drives men, women, and children deep into their “shabonos” (village shelters) where they hide fearing to seek out food, dispose of waste, or even to sleep. It is this fear that drives the Yanomami to their shamans and spirits for protection and strength. But the spirits tell “split truths” and only lead the people to longer wars, increased suffering, and greater fear.
Jungleman also gives a Yanomamö perspective toward the “nabas” who arrived in the rainforest in the 1950s and of their continued interaction over the next few decades. Some of these foreigners brought medicine and gifts of superior technology, some just asked questions and studied the Yanomamö, and others took advantage of the people for their own pleasures and greed. However, a few came to tell the Yanomamö villages about Yai Pada.
Spirit of the Rainforest reveals the battle between the spirits of the shamans and Yai Pada, the great creator Spirit. Jungleman describes the inner struggle he and other shamans faced as his spirits urged him to live a life of vengeance, rape, and taking hallucinogenics (to induce trances); on the other hand, Yai Pada offered a different life that rejected their old ways and offered what the nabas call “forgiveness,” a concept for which the Yanomamö had no word. Many of the Yanomami, particularly those in Honey Village and their former shaman leader, Shoefoot, chose to follow Yai Pada. Spirit of the Rainforest is their story of transformation and Jungleman’s struggle with his own spirits who fought to maintain their stronghold in him.
The strengths and weaknesses of Spirit of the Rainforest are one in the same. Many other outside perspectives have been written to describe this endangered rainforest tribe, most being ethnographic observations written by trained anthropologists providing more objective and holistic views of the Yanomamö people. While Jungleman’s account conveyed through Ritchie is more subjective and comes from one individual, his account comes from an insider, one who has lived his entire life knowing the turmoils of the rainforest and its spirits. His story gives a glimpse, albeit a small cross section, of a leader whose heart breaks for his people and whose heart has been broken before Yai Pada. Jungleman demonstrates himself to be one who has come to know the forgiveness, love, and eternal life that only his Creator can give.
Comparison and Contrast
Our battle is against flesh and blood, or so western civilization has nearly convinced us. Jungleman’s perspective clearly takes into account the reality of spirit beings who are at war with our Creator and with us. He understands the attraction that makes these spirits so desirable and the deception that makes them so reprehensible. He states, “I wish I had known the truth about Yai Wana Naba Laywa when I was a young man—it would have saved me so much pain and misery. But how could I? My spirits lied so much to me and tricked me. They were so beautiful, so wonderful, so hard not to want. They were the best at telling me split-truth.”
Jungleman tells his story from an animistic perspective. As a shaman he saw spirits behind every rock and log. Sometimes this was certainly the deception of angelic beings who were communicating with Jungleman. Perhaps at times, this was merely his worldview as an animist. Nevertheless, the narrator keenly communicates the existence of demonic spirits and his communication with what the apostle Paul called “angels of light.” Western culture has grounded itself in naturalistic thought and thus rebuffs the reality of angels, a world of spirits, and God. Too often, the Christian community succumbs to this worldview and loses sight of the war that it is within, a war against “spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
On a personal note, Spirit of the Rainforest challenged this writer to evaluate his own beliefs and behavior. Jungleman’s testimony reminds one of the means God has provided to stand firm and to resist the devil. The narrator testifies, “Now I lie in my hammock and talk to him at night just like I used to do with my old spirits. And now even I have stopped many of the old ways.” His story has challenges one to cling to the same privilege in the midst of the battle.
A week after reading Spirit of the Rainforest, this writer spent the night at a coworker’s house to avoid an extra commute the following morning. While there, my pagan friend of western culture asked to share with me a new television series depicting gladiatorial life in the Roman Empire. What ensued was a depiction of orgiastic lusts, violent rapes, and brutal scenes of glorified bloodshed. What was seen of the episode was, in summary, true to ancient Roman gladiatorial culture, but what seized my attention was the parallel between Yanomamö culture and what my friends were celebrating in their own – as entertainment. One of Ritchie’s statements regarding Shoefoot during his visit to America resounded, “He has even identified the signs and symbols of many of the spirits right here in our ‘civilized’ culture. He has no problem understanding the Columbine High School massacre (Colorado, 1999), or any other killing spree. The spirits of anger and hatred that own and drive a person are spirits he has known personally.”
Both, the Yanomamö culture that Jungleman and Shoefoot lived within and the western culture that surrounds the church existing within it, have glorified sin. Sex, violence, abuse of women and children, and narcotics pervade both cultures. The Yanomamö live it and fear it. Westerners watch it and chalk it up to the art of storytelling, yet the more they do so the more it becomes reality in their civilization and they grow to fear it as well. The Yanomamö washed themselves of their murders, waiting long periods of time for purification, but then they returned to their reveling and violence. Westerners wash their hands of it saying, for example, as my friend did, “Wow, pretty disgusting the way they lived!” but then they quickly return for the next round to watch it again. Sin enthralls us. We are enraptured by it. Unless a greater Spirit rescues us from its dark clutches, we are continually imprisoned by it.
Both the Yanomamö and the western worlds continue life day by day. The citizens of both cultures continue on as they provide for their families and take their place within their communities. Men and women marry, children are born, leaders rise and leaders fall as the events of life continue to transpire in both worlds. Their cultures differ greatly in the way they dress, how they eat, how they give and get what they want. Yet both the Yanomamö and westerners are ensnared in their sin and serve (whether they are aware of them or not) the spirits of a heavenly realm that are involved in a battle that began ages ago when the Creator spirit was rebelled against. The Yanomamö can name their spirits and are vividly aware of their presence and control whereas westerners deny these demonic forces and proclaim their freedom of individuality. Their human dilemma remains the same, but even more so is the answer and solution for both peoples.
Communicating a Christian Understanding
The Yanomamö need Jesus just as much as one’s neighbors next door in the American Bible belt. It remains the call of the church to communicate the message of the gospel. But as outsiders the difficulty is finding a way to contextualize the message so that those of another culture may clearly understand its meaning.
Of fundamental importance are the similarities between the dissimilar cultures. All men desire to be loved, are looking for hope in some form, and need to see the transformation that the true God makes in individual lives of those who follow him. To communicate a basic Christian understanding of the spirit world, humanity, and sin to the Yanomamö, the western believer must begin with a transparent life in the presence of the people. Frequent interaction with, or better yet, living with the Yanomamö, will give rise to occasions in which they will witness these qualities in the life of the believer. These are the differences that people of any culture will grow to desire and search out.
As Yanomamö language and culture are learned by the westerner and as the Yanomamö have opportunity to see the believer’s Christian life in action, one can then begin to present the truth about the spirit world. The Yanomamö have a firm grasp on the existence of the spirit world, but the spirits they serve are truly demonic and are at war with the God of Christianity. This writer agrees with the approach which was taken in Spirit of the Rainforest. The Yanomamö need to be presented with the truth that the great Creator spirit is more powerful than all the other spirits and desires to be reconciled with the Yanomamö. He is at war with their spirits, but loves the people. This last truth is the solution to the greatest error in Yanomamö theology and remains the pivot point upon which the gospel message may be presented.
I believe that the Yanomamö are well acquainted with their sin. They may choose to justify themselves and seek life and salvation by other means, but their sin haunts them every sleepless night as they wait for vengeance to come back upon them. It must be communicated that Yai Pada is angry at their sin as well and has guaranteed that he will judge it. He is a God who must bring judgment because of their murders, because of their rapes, and because of any sin committed, for every sin is against him and not just against other Yanomamö. They fear the vengeance of other villages for sins committed, but it must be communicated that it is the vengeance of God that should be taken even more seriously. Yet he desires to be reconciled. He does not want to stay angry at them for their sin.
As this Christian understanding of sin is communicated, of even greater importance is the place of Jesus Christ in the message. The Christian teaching of humanity is that all men were created by Yai Pada, not just the nabas. He created each Yanomamö as well. He also created the spirits, but the bad spirits chose to rebel against him. It was those spirits who then led the nabas and the Yanomamö alike to rebel against Yai Pada. All men sinned against Yai Pada and he promised that death had to be paid by humanity. So Yai Pada became a human and lived as a man, showing them how to live differently. Men still rebelled against him and killed him, but what they did not know was that when he died, he was dying the death that all nabas and Yanomamö alike were supposed to die. He took vengeance on himself so that men could be his friends. Shoefoot’s description of faith seems to be well contextualized and clearly communicates the response required of every man, Yai Pada “is the friend of any Yanomamö who hangs his desires on him.” It is when a Yanomamö man or woman does this that Yai Pada’s anger goes away and he will show that person what it really means to be human.
The message of the gospel can not change, but how it is contextualized will drastically effect whether the Yanomamö understand that message. It is the responsibility and privilege of the church to contextualize this message and present it clearly to the Yanomamö. Yet no matter how hard we try, this writer believes that the message will be most clearly presented through the Yanomamö themselves. Thus it is imperative that Yanomamö believers are trained to preach the word of God and to share the gospel message. They will be able to describe it in words that a westerner could not and will be living demonstrations of their Creator’s work in the life of one of their own people.
Ultimately, it is the Creator’s heart that breaks for the Yanomamö and who desires for them to throw away their spirits so that they may meet him. He offers to throw away his anger and give them life. The truth about the spirit world, humanity, and sin must be communicated clearly so that the Yanomamö people may know their Creator and experience this life with him.
SPIRIT OF THE RAINFOREST
Summation and Content
The broken heart of a Yanomamö shaman expresses the story of his people in this vivid account of an Amazonian tribe and their passage through the spirit world to meet the great creator Spirit. Spirit of the Rainforest reveals a people imprisoned in darkness, captive to lives of murderous vengeance, savage raping, and unceasing fear for their enemies hidden both in the shadows of the rainforest and lurking in the darkness of the spirit world. The story gives a glimpse into Yanomamö wars, the shamans’ interactions with their spirits, and the journey of a few Yanomami who have found forgiveness and life.
Narratives of the Yanomamö people have been told many times by missionaries, anthropologists and other interested parties, but Mark Ritchie offers a perspective in Spirit of the Rainforest that differs from most of his predecessors. This account arrives through the storytelling of Jungleman, one of the fiercest shamans of the Yanomamö people. Whereas many others have described the Yanomamö as living in Eden, a fortunate people unaffected by the evils of the modern world; Jungleman, the narrator, describes his people in vividly darker tones.
His story takes his audience through vicious night raids into villages where warriors seek prestige by taking vengeance on those who have killed or stolen people from other villages. He accounts the stealing, raping, and murdering of women from other tribes, revealing the desperate situation which young girls and mothers find themselves in as subjects to a male dominated society that has little regard for the wellbeing and lives of their females aside from their ability to procreate and increase the size of the village. Jungleman also expresses the fear that captures each Yanomamö community after they have taken revenge on other villages. This fear drives men, women, and children deep into their “shabonos” (village shelters) where they hide fearing to seek out food, dispose of waste, or even to sleep. It is this fear that drives the Yanomami to their shamans and spirits for protection and strength. But the spirits tell “split truths” and only lead the people to longer wars, increased suffering, and greater fear.
Jungleman also gives a Yanomamö perspective toward the “nabas” who arrived in the rainforest in the 1950s and of their continued interaction over the next few decades. Some of these foreigners brought medicine and gifts of superior technology, some just asked questions and studied the Yanomamö, and others took advantage of the people for their own pleasures and greed. However, a few came to tell the Yanomamö villages about Yai Pada.
Spirit of the Rainforest reveals the battle between the spirits of the shamans and Yai Pada, the great creator Spirit. Jungleman describes the inner struggle he and other shamans faced as his spirits urged him to live a life of vengeance, rape, and taking hallucinogenics (to induce trances); on the other hand, Yai Pada offered a different life that rejected their old ways and offered what the nabas call “forgiveness,” a concept for which the Yanomamö had no word. Many of the Yanomami, particularly those in Honey Village and their former shaman leader, Shoefoot, chose to follow Yai Pada. Spirit of the Rainforest is their story of transformation and Jungleman’s struggle with his own spirits who fought to maintain their stronghold in him.
The strengths and weaknesses of Spirit of the Rainforest are one in the same. Many other outside perspectives have been written to describe this endangered rainforest tribe, most being ethnographic observations written by trained anthropologists providing more objective and holistic views of the Yanomamö people. While Jungleman’s account conveyed through Ritchie is more subjective and comes from one individual, his account comes from an insider, one who has lived his entire life knowing the turmoils of the rainforest and its spirits. His story gives a glimpse, albeit a small cross section, of a leader whose heart breaks for his people and whose heart has been broken before Yai Pada. Jungleman demonstrates himself to be one who has come to know the forgiveness, love, and eternal life that only his Creator can give.
Comparison and Contrast
Our battle is against flesh and blood, or so western civilization has nearly convinced us. Jungleman’s perspective clearly takes into account the reality of spirit beings who are at war with our Creator and with us. He understands the attraction that makes these spirits so desirable and the deception that makes them so reprehensible. He states, “I wish I had known the truth about Yai Wana Naba Laywa when I was a young man—it would have saved me so much pain and misery. But how could I? My spirits lied so much to me and tricked me. They were so beautiful, so wonderful, so hard not to want. They were the best at telling me split-truth.”
Jungleman tells his story from an animistic perspective. As a shaman he saw spirits behind every rock and log. Sometimes this was certainly the deception of angelic beings who were communicating with Jungleman. Perhaps at times, this was merely his worldview as an animist. Nevertheless, the narrator keenly communicates the existence of demonic spirits and his communication with what the apostle Paul called “angels of light.” Western culture has grounded itself in naturalistic thought and thus rebuffs the reality of angels, a world of spirits, and God. Too often, the Christian community succumbs to this worldview and loses sight of the war that it is within, a war against “spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
On a personal note, Spirit of the Rainforest challenged this writer to evaluate his own beliefs and behavior. Jungleman’s testimony reminds one of the means God has provided to stand firm and to resist the devil. The narrator testifies, “Now I lie in my hammock and talk to him at night just like I used to do with my old spirits. And now even I have stopped many of the old ways.” His story has challenges one to cling to the same privilege in the midst of the battle.
A week after reading Spirit of the Rainforest, this writer spent the night at a coworker’s house to avoid an extra commute the following morning. While there, my pagan friend of western culture asked to share with me a new television series depicting gladiatorial life in the Roman Empire. What ensued was a depiction of orgiastic lusts, violent rapes, and brutal scenes of glorified bloodshed. What was seen of the episode was, in summary, true to ancient Roman gladiatorial culture, but what seized my attention was the parallel between Yanomamö culture and what my friends were celebrating in their own – as entertainment. One of Ritchie’s statements regarding Shoefoot during his visit to America resounded, “He has even identified the signs and symbols of many of the spirits right here in our ‘civilized’ culture. He has no problem understanding the Columbine High School massacre (Colorado, 1999), or any other killing spree. The spirits of anger and hatred that own and drive a person are spirits he has known personally.”
Both, the Yanomamö culture that Jungleman and Shoefoot lived within and the western culture that surrounds the church existing within it, have glorified sin. Sex, violence, abuse of women and children, and narcotics pervade both cultures. The Yanomamö live it and fear it. Westerners watch it and chalk it up to the art of storytelling, yet the more they do so the more it becomes reality in their civilization and they grow to fear it as well. The Yanomamö washed themselves of their murders, waiting long periods of time for purification, but then they returned to their reveling and violence. Westerners wash their hands of it saying, for example, as my friend did, “Wow, pretty disgusting the way they lived!” but then they quickly return for the next round to watch it again. Sin enthralls us. We are enraptured by it. Unless a greater Spirit rescues us from its dark clutches, we are continually imprisoned by it.
Both the Yanomamö and the western worlds continue life day by day. The citizens of both cultures continue on as they provide for their families and take their place within their communities. Men and women marry, children are born, leaders rise and leaders fall as the events of life continue to transpire in both worlds. Their cultures differ greatly in the way they dress, how they eat, how they give and get what they want. Yet both the Yanomamö and westerners are ensnared in their sin and serve (whether they are aware of them or not) the spirits of a heavenly realm that are involved in a battle that began ages ago when the Creator spirit was rebelled against. The Yanomamö can name their spirits and are vividly aware of their presence and control whereas westerners deny these demonic forces and proclaim their freedom of individuality. Their human dilemma remains the same, but even more so is the answer and solution for both peoples.
Communicating a Christian Understanding
The Yanomamö need Jesus just as much as one’s neighbors next door in the American Bible belt. It remains the call of the church to communicate the message of the gospel. But as outsiders the difficulty is finding a way to contextualize the message so that those of another culture may clearly understand its meaning.
Of fundamental importance are the similarities between the dissimilar cultures. All men desire to be loved, are looking for hope in some form, and need to see the transformation that the true God makes in individual lives of those who follow him. To communicate a basic Christian understanding of the spirit world, humanity, and sin to the Yanomamö, the western believer must begin with a transparent life in the presence of the people. Frequent interaction with, or better yet, living with the Yanomamö, will give rise to occasions in which they will witness these qualities in the life of the believer. These are the differences that people of any culture will grow to desire and search out.
As Yanomamö language and culture are learned by the westerner and as the Yanomamö have opportunity to see the believer’s Christian life in action, one can then begin to present the truth about the spirit world. The Yanomamö have a firm grasp on the existence of the spirit world, but the spirits they serve are truly demonic and are at war with the God of Christianity. This writer agrees with the approach which was taken in Spirit of the Rainforest. The Yanomamö need to be presented with the truth that the great Creator spirit is more powerful than all the other spirits and desires to be reconciled with the Yanomamö. He is at war with their spirits, but loves the people. This last truth is the solution to the greatest error in Yanomamö theology and remains the pivot point upon which the gospel message may be presented.
I believe that the Yanomamö are well acquainted with their sin. They may choose to justify themselves and seek life and salvation by other means, but their sin haunts them every sleepless night as they wait for vengeance to come back upon them. It must be communicated that Yai Pada is angry at their sin as well and has guaranteed that he will judge it. He is a God who must bring judgment because of their murders, because of their rapes, and because of any sin committed, for every sin is against him and not just against other Yanomamö. They fear the vengeance of other villages for sins committed, but it must be communicated that it is the vengeance of God that should be taken even more seriously. Yet he desires to be reconciled. He does not want to stay angry at them for their sin.
As this Christian understanding of sin is communicated, of even greater importance is the place of Jesus Christ in the message. The Christian teaching of humanity is that all men were created by Yai Pada, not just the nabas. He created each Yanomamö as well. He also created the spirits, but the bad spirits chose to rebel against him. It was those spirits who then led the nabas and the Yanomamö alike to rebel against Yai Pada. All men sinned against Yai Pada and he promised that death had to be paid by humanity. So Yai Pada became a human and lived as a man, showing them how to live differently. Men still rebelled against him and killed him, but what they did not know was that when he died, he was dying the death that all nabas and Yanomamö alike were supposed to die. He took vengeance on himself so that men could be his friends. Shoefoot’s description of faith seems to be well contextualized and clearly communicates the response required of every man, Yai Pada “is the friend of any Yanomamö who hangs his desires on him.” It is when a Yanomamö man or woman does this that Yai Pada’s anger goes away and he will show that person what it really means to be human.
The message of the gospel can not change, but how it is contextualized will drastically effect whether the Yanomamö understand that message. It is the responsibility and privilege of the church to contextualize this message and present it clearly to the Yanomamö. Yet no matter how hard we try, this writer believes that the message will be most clearly presented through the Yanomamö themselves. Thus it is imperative that Yanomamö believers are trained to preach the word of God and to share the gospel message. They will be able to describe it in words that a westerner could not and will be living demonstrations of their Creator’s work in the life of one of their own people.
Ultimately, it is the Creator’s heart that breaks for the Yanomamö and who desires for them to throw away their spirits so that they may meet him. He offers to throw away his anger and give them life. The truth about the spirit world, humanity, and sin must be communicated clearly so that the Yanomamö people may know their Creator and experience this life with him.
April 1, 2023
This is my second time reading this book and I can once again affirm my strong belief that this book is ABSOLUTELY worth reading.
The first four chapters are incredibly violent. Read them anyway. Stick it out. Let our fellow brother tell the story of his people in his own way, which will include many, many acts and truths that make you uncomfortable.
While the setting and lifestyle can be hard to imagine for someone growing up in the Midwest like me, the truth of the Powerful God who makes himself one of us to free us from the power of evil is not hard to imagine at all. We need the reminder of the gospel from those who are so different from us and yet in the same desperate need for a Savior.
The first four chapters are incredibly violent. Read them anyway. Stick it out. Let our fellow brother tell the story of his people in his own way, which will include many, many acts and truths that make you uncomfortable.
While the setting and lifestyle can be hard to imagine for someone growing up in the Midwest like me, the truth of the Powerful God who makes himself one of us to free us from the power of evil is not hard to imagine at all. We need the reminder of the gospel from those who are so different from us and yet in the same desperate need for a Savior.
June 6, 2024
One of the most fascinating books I have read in years. I studied the Yanomamo culture in college, but all of the reading content was from the anthropologists' points of view. This book is written from the perspective of the Yanomamo people, and I found it hard to put down. Incredibly eye-opening, this book pulls no punches in talking not only about the culture itself but the impact of outside influences on their society, both good and bad. I would recommend to anyone interested in sociology/anthropology, with a note that there are some very brutal and disturbing events in the book.
September 9, 2019
Crazy history of God's power and demonic strongholds in the Amazonian Rainforest.
May 29, 2025
Read this because Joe Gordon said it was his favorite book. I started it last year and couldn’t get past the weird demonic stuff in the first chapter. Gave it another go this week after a bit more time studying spiritual warfare and so glad I did. It’s unfortunate this book isn’t a best seller. It’s not written from a Christian perspective, per se, but it’s one of the best stories of truly how Christ transforms individuals and communities. Warning for those who have experienced abuse or violence, this book is incredibly gruesome. But, it’s truly redemptive to see how the Spirit of God can transform any heart, any where.
June 27, 2023
A modern day Iliad. The kingdom of God is conquering anger, spirits, and the hearts of man all over the world. It is amazing to see the life of this tribe from the inside after reading the ironically pagan accounts of their life from the anthropologists. It is amazing to see a story by a new convert that gives the inside story of the first contact with the savage white "nabas" and how God broke through a culture of violence and transformed a people whom the anthropologists considered "noble savages", into a beloved people of saints.
October 4, 2017
This book is difficult to rate. On the one hand, the senseless, cruel brutality (especially to women and children) is hard to stomach – and I’m somebody who has read many tomes on ethics and human rights abuses. Some of the recounts of Spirit of the Rainforest I can’t un-read nor images un-see in my mind and I wish that I could. On the other hand, this book is a “no bones” description of the days in the lives of the fierce Yanomamo Indians living in the deep jungle of southern Venezuelan’s Amazon basin; how they exist, think, and behave, told by a shaman. The shaman referred to as “Jungleman” (since they culturally do not speak their names) candidly tells of their spirit world, the deceptions of the spirits, and how they grew up fearing the one enemy spirit, the unfriendly spirit, whom Jungleman and other shamans eventually came to know as Yai Pada. The shamans’ perspectives here begin to recognize Yai Pada as not an enemy, after all, but the one Great Spirit, greatest of all, the Creator, God, who is the real source of love and peace. One by one, they end up casting all their other spirits, who had been guiding them down evil and violent paths, to seek only Yai Pada. Daily life begins to change for them as a result. The book certainly is not propaganda for missionaries or anthropologists, for a handful of them in those particular fields were not portrayed at all in a good manner, in fact, some were downright unlikable and nasty. Overall, I think I’m glad to have read this book. It really lent profound insight into a fascinating culture believed to be the most primitive. God is there, reaching into the hearts of man with strings of truth before and against outside influences, according to the words of a powerful and respected shaman. Spirit of the Rainforest is a vicious yet distinctive story.
January 25, 2016
This is such an egregious example of Christian propaganda that at a few points I burst out laughing at how silly it is. Ritchie portrays the Yanomamo as mostly wretched and "miserable," and so it's up to us more civilized people to help them learn better ways. (Ritchie responds to the charge of propaganda by pointing to a couple of his unflattering portrayals of missionaries in the book, but this isn't even remotely convincing.) The surprising thing is that the story is actually really compelling at points. Though it ought to be labeled as fiction, and all the conversion and epiphany scenes are just ridiculous, I have to admit I enjoyed reading it, and it even conveyed a few aspects of Yanomamo culture relatively well.
December 31, 2014
An absolutely incredible book. I so appreciated the blunt writing of this author and the willingness to share this story. Of course, as readers, we're at the mercy of the authenticity of authors, but after being exposed to multiple credible sources from which these same stories came, I fully believe this tale to be true. A tough read for anyone of any age. It would be more appropriate for mature readers due to some of the graphic nature of daily life for the tribesmen. Would recommend to anyone wanting to see the supernatural power of God still at work in the world through the Holy Spirit.
April 1, 2021
One of the most unique, most brutal, and most worldview opening (and yet truth confirming) books I have ever read. I don't know how to describe it. When people ask me what my favorite books are, I will talk about this one.
The back quarter of the this book (the third edition) regard the controversy Jungleman's story and Shoefoot's testimony caused in the anthropology community. And I understand why. The book portrays both many anthropologists and several missionaries in an extremely bad light. To say their behavior was criminal is a gross understatement. Some also probably read the book as some sort of expose or slander of famous anthropological work among the Yanomamo. I am less interested in this debate, and have not read the literature on the subject. I give Jungleman and Shoefoot the benefit of the doubt. They believe what they are saying and reporting, and they were there.
The back quarter of the this book (the third edition) regard the controversy Jungleman's story and Shoefoot's testimony caused in the anthropology community. And I understand why. The book portrays both many anthropologists and several missionaries in an extremely bad light. To say their behavior was criminal is a gross understatement. Some also probably read the book as some sort of expose or slander of famous anthropological work among the Yanomamo. I am less interested in this debate, and have not read the literature on the subject. I give Jungleman and Shoefoot the benefit of the doubt. They believe what they are saying and reporting, and they were there.
September 22, 2022
Spirit of the Rainforest: A Yanomamo Shaman’s Story. 2nd Edition. By Mark Andrew Ritchie. Chicago: Island Lake Press, 2000, 268pp.
This book is both a petition for secular anthropologists in their fields of study and informant to Christians looking to complete missions work in remote parts of the world.
As an amateur anthropologist himself, Ritchie revealed a new field of possibilities which Dr. Neil Whitehead described as “those who are studied might offer their own self-understanding in place of our ethnographies.” (257) Jungleman’s story is a lesson for anthropologists in both a unique way to study culture through the eyes of those studied and a critique of the current methods that have elicited animosity towards “anthros” (anthropologists). At one point, one of the primary characters, Shoefoot, bluntly says “I’m not an animal to be studied…we want people who will help us improve our way of life, not just write books about us.” (243)
Ritchie encourages his Christian reader to think in two different ways. He first implores Christians to gain a new understanding of how to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a way that will be both understood and accepted as the true Gospel. The second understanding is a spur in Christian ministry towards further mission’s work in unreached people groups. Noting the depraved and at times repulsive nature of humanity left to its own devices, this work encourages the Christian reader to empower movements of the Gospel to unreached people groups.
As a result of the investment of the Dawson family and other Christian missionaries in Venezuela, some of the Yanomamo began to accept the things of Yai Pada (God). They came to understand that Omawa (Satan) had tricked them to seek revenge, steal, and rape women. Shoefoot, the leader of Honey Village, explained that Yai Pada brought a new way of life even though Yai Pada would later experience death. This death was for the Yanomamo (159). Yai Pada’s power meant He could come back from the dead and cut the trail to live with him (160).
When asked why he could not get rid of his spirits without converting to Christianity, Shoefoot simply responded that there was no other way to remove your spirits without being killed unless being protected by the power of Yai Pada (251). Though at times the Gospel seemed to be too simplistic, Christian faith is detailed in simplistic terms in Romans 10:9 in that “if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Shoefoot and Jungleman believed this doctrine and expressed that faith through the ways they shared with others and repented and turned from their old ways of spirit worship, rape, and murder.
In critique of Spirit of the Rainforest, this book straddled these two audiences of secular anthropologists and Christian laypersons resulting in too narrow of a satisfied reader. For the secular anthropologist, there was too great of a focus on the narrative arc of the story rather than this being a purely scholarly resource. Rather than focusing strictly on the culture, the anthropologist was forced to siphon through a litany of short stories and literary jargon to uncover the truths of the Yanomamo. Anthropologists were also shown to be ignorant and heartless in their study of the Yanomamo. Though some anthropologists may see this as the proverbial “call to arms” and change their ways of approaching anthropological study, many might respond with a list of rationales and frustrations of a false characterization of their purpose of study.
Though both an enhancement and a rebuttal to current anthropological practices, Ritchie’s reliance upon unverifiable spiritual warfare may also be too abstract to be overcome for the common anthropologist. However, as an anthropological work this study develops an understanding of the psyche and spiritual religion of the Yanomamo people in a way that few other anthropological works dare enter.
The Christian layperson may find this work too graphic for common study and too simplistic in its Gospel presentation. There were times that the reader is horrified at the depravity of a culture devoid of a Godly purpose. Occasionally, missionaries were even to blame for the depravity of the culture. Though modern missionaries and missions’ pastors would argue that their congregation must be aware of the horrors of a culture left to its own devices, many Christians may have difficulty stomaching such work. At times Ritchie includes material pointing to Yai Pada, but it may be appraised as overly simplistic and leave the Christian layperson unsatisfied with an understanding of how to share the Gospel with a culture that has such a unique cultural context.
This book is written as a critique for anthropological study and as a warning, yet encouragement for Christians who are looking to do ministry in places filled with spiritual warfare and extreme human depravity. This book is a resource that might not fit on the bookshelf of a secular anthropologist or a Christian layperson, but must be understood and taught in Christian missionary circles and seminaries. The Christian missionary is left in awe of Yai Pada. This story highlights the depraved nature and fear of humanity without God, the deceitfulness of sin and demons, and the power of God to protect His people from evil. Non-Christian readers and Christians who are cheerful in their own ignorance regarding the depravity of man will find the arduous road to these conclusions fruitless and cumbersome.
This book is both a petition for secular anthropologists in their fields of study and informant to Christians looking to complete missions work in remote parts of the world.
As an amateur anthropologist himself, Ritchie revealed a new field of possibilities which Dr. Neil Whitehead described as “those who are studied might offer their own self-understanding in place of our ethnographies.” (257) Jungleman’s story is a lesson for anthropologists in both a unique way to study culture through the eyes of those studied and a critique of the current methods that have elicited animosity towards “anthros” (anthropologists). At one point, one of the primary characters, Shoefoot, bluntly says “I’m not an animal to be studied…we want people who will help us improve our way of life, not just write books about us.” (243)
Ritchie encourages his Christian reader to think in two different ways. He first implores Christians to gain a new understanding of how to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a way that will be both understood and accepted as the true Gospel. The second understanding is a spur in Christian ministry towards further mission’s work in unreached people groups. Noting the depraved and at times repulsive nature of humanity left to its own devices, this work encourages the Christian reader to empower movements of the Gospel to unreached people groups.
As a result of the investment of the Dawson family and other Christian missionaries in Venezuela, some of the Yanomamo began to accept the things of Yai Pada (God). They came to understand that Omawa (Satan) had tricked them to seek revenge, steal, and rape women. Shoefoot, the leader of Honey Village, explained that Yai Pada brought a new way of life even though Yai Pada would later experience death. This death was for the Yanomamo (159). Yai Pada’s power meant He could come back from the dead and cut the trail to live with him (160).
When asked why he could not get rid of his spirits without converting to Christianity, Shoefoot simply responded that there was no other way to remove your spirits without being killed unless being protected by the power of Yai Pada (251). Though at times the Gospel seemed to be too simplistic, Christian faith is detailed in simplistic terms in Romans 10:9 in that “if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Shoefoot and Jungleman believed this doctrine and expressed that faith through the ways they shared with others and repented and turned from their old ways of spirit worship, rape, and murder.
In critique of Spirit of the Rainforest, this book straddled these two audiences of secular anthropologists and Christian laypersons resulting in too narrow of a satisfied reader. For the secular anthropologist, there was too great of a focus on the narrative arc of the story rather than this being a purely scholarly resource. Rather than focusing strictly on the culture, the anthropologist was forced to siphon through a litany of short stories and literary jargon to uncover the truths of the Yanomamo. Anthropologists were also shown to be ignorant and heartless in their study of the Yanomamo. Though some anthropologists may see this as the proverbial “call to arms” and change their ways of approaching anthropological study, many might respond with a list of rationales and frustrations of a false characterization of their purpose of study.
Though both an enhancement and a rebuttal to current anthropological practices, Ritchie’s reliance upon unverifiable spiritual warfare may also be too abstract to be overcome for the common anthropologist. However, as an anthropological work this study develops an understanding of the psyche and spiritual religion of the Yanomamo people in a way that few other anthropological works dare enter.
The Christian layperson may find this work too graphic for common study and too simplistic in its Gospel presentation. There were times that the reader is horrified at the depravity of a culture devoid of a Godly purpose. Occasionally, missionaries were even to blame for the depravity of the culture. Though modern missionaries and missions’ pastors would argue that their congregation must be aware of the horrors of a culture left to its own devices, many Christians may have difficulty stomaching such work. At times Ritchie includes material pointing to Yai Pada, but it may be appraised as overly simplistic and leave the Christian layperson unsatisfied with an understanding of how to share the Gospel with a culture that has such a unique cultural context.
This book is written as a critique for anthropological study and as a warning, yet encouragement for Christians who are looking to do ministry in places filled with spiritual warfare and extreme human depravity. This book is a resource that might not fit on the bookshelf of a secular anthropologist or a Christian layperson, but must be understood and taught in Christian missionary circles and seminaries. The Christian missionary is left in awe of Yai Pada. This story highlights the depraved nature and fear of humanity without God, the deceitfulness of sin and demons, and the power of God to protect His people from evil. Non-Christian readers and Christians who are cheerful in their own ignorance regarding the depravity of man will find the arduous road to these conclusions fruitless and cumbersome.
May 20, 2009
This book was a really good book. At first I thought it was going to be a missionary story, but it is not. Mark Richie (who I actually met last year before I even knew this book existed) is retelling the story of the life of a Yanomamo shaman, and it is biographical based on recorded interviews. The shaman tells the story of his people as missionaries, priests, and anthropologists arrive in their remote jungle villages and begin to influence the Yanomamo with their various worldviews, opinions, and cultures.
The book is fascinating for several reasons. First of all, it is a middle ground between two competing sides. We hear missionary stories and we hear anthropological scholarly perspectives about tribal life. In fact, one of the main characters in the story is the anthropologist Napoleon Chagnon who wrote the most well-read anthropology book of all time about the Yanomamo. This book shows you what the Yanomamo think about all sides - it identifies the hypocrisy of some missionaries, the cultural bias of the anthropologists, and the caught-between cultures Yanomamo, who neither want to give up their identity or be forced to remain in what they consider to be lives filled with suffering.
It IS the perspective of a shaman turned Christian. He only joins the followers of "Yai Pada" in his old age, and hearing about his spiritual perspective as a shaman is shocking for me - the supernatural world he interacts with is very nearly unbelievable to a western materialist mindset. At the same time, hearing how the Shamen perceives the message of Christianity from a spirit-filled perspective is really really interesting.
It was a good book. It made me mad and it made me think and it made me pray.
The book is fascinating for several reasons. First of all, it is a middle ground between two competing sides. We hear missionary stories and we hear anthropological scholarly perspectives about tribal life. In fact, one of the main characters in the story is the anthropologist Napoleon Chagnon who wrote the most well-read anthropology book of all time about the Yanomamo. This book shows you what the Yanomamo think about all sides - it identifies the hypocrisy of some missionaries, the cultural bias of the anthropologists, and the caught-between cultures Yanomamo, who neither want to give up their identity or be forced to remain in what they consider to be lives filled with suffering.
It IS the perspective of a shaman turned Christian. He only joins the followers of "Yai Pada" in his old age, and hearing about his spiritual perspective as a shaman is shocking for me - the supernatural world he interacts with is very nearly unbelievable to a western materialist mindset. At the same time, hearing how the Shamen perceives the message of Christianity from a spirit-filled perspective is really really interesting.
It was a good book. It made me mad and it made me think and it made me pray.
January 25, 2011
This is a powerful story told by a Shaman from the Amazon. Powerful in terms of his experiences with the spiritual world and the battle that he has witnessed there between the evil spirits he's known well and whom have ruled his people for so long and the Spirit of God that he comes to know and love. After reading his story it is hard to ignore the spiritual world and its impact on the physical. His experiences with the spirit world are insightful for any human no matter what culture he or she comes from. The same battle, the same lies versus the same truth exist everywhere. Even your reaction to this book could very well be seen as a spiritual one. His story puts to shame so many accounts of this people written by anthropologists who've come to observe his people and write about them. He makes you wonder if preserving a culture to the extent of enabling its destructive patterns is such a good idea. Very enlightening.
August 15, 2020
The first half of this book captivated me and wouldn't let me go. The story is told by an Amazonian Shaman. It's about what their life is like in the rainforest. It's graphic, violent, and shocking! The second half was by the American author who had transcribed the stories from the Shaman. He gives a defense of what was written in the first half and deals with the pushback he received from secular anthropologists for writing this controversial book.
The author(s) brought out the big issues of life in vivid, graphic storytelling.
There were many parallels between this "savage," uneducated culture, and our own. I especially liked how it brought out the reality of the moral law which is found in all cultures, tribes, and tongues. For Christians, it is also an excellent illustration of spiritual warfare.
We, "advanced" Westerners, tend to look down on these "simple people," yet we could learn a lot from them, especially in the spiritual world which we tend to ignore and live as if it doesn't exist.
It also reminded me of just how level the ground is at the foot of the cross and just how essential the gospel is to all cultures.
An excerpt from the book Christians will probably enjoy -
"Redhair lay in his hammock for two days because of the beating he got in the fight with Forgetful Village. Finally, he fell asleep from all the pain and his family thought he was almost dead. They ran to get the nabas to come and help. Everyone came into the house while they worked on Redhair. They knew he was near death, and they began wailing and mourning. "This young man is one of our own," one of the men said. "He was born here. He grew up here. If he dies, we'll have to go teach Forgetful Village a good lesson and take Yoshicami back." They all knew he was right. Something would have to be done about this killing. Then suddenly Redhair sat up perfectly well. Quiet fell over everyone. He smiled. For the first time since the fight, all his family could see he had no pain. Everyone was excited. "I feel just fine," he said. "Please listen to what I have to tell you. You have all known me all my life. Like so many of you, I'm a child of Yai Pada, the great spirit. Now, as you can see all around you," he said pointing around the house, "his people have come here to take me home. So I'm going with them now, and I just want to say before I go that I don't want any of you to even think about taking revenge against Forgetful Village." When Redhair talked about the people sent by Yai Pada, their excitement turned to concern. "There's no one here to take you," they said, looking around. "You're well. You're going to be fine." Redhair was shocked. "Can't you see these people?" he said. "They're standing all around here, waiting for me to finish talking to you." Everyone stared at him and shook their heads. "I can't believe you can't see them! Look, right there," he said, pointing to places around the house. No one saw anything. "Open your eyes!" Redhair kept pointing all around. "Can't you see them?" But they all just stared at him with sad faces. They shook their heads and clicked their tongues. "Well, they're here for me and I'm going with them to Yai Pada. We won't need revenge where I'm going, so please don't take any on Forgetful Village." For the first time, a crowd of Yanomamö had nothing to say. They watched quietly as Redhair lay back down on his hammock, curled up and died."
The author(s) brought out the big issues of life in vivid, graphic storytelling.
There were many parallels between this "savage," uneducated culture, and our own. I especially liked how it brought out the reality of the moral law which is found in all cultures, tribes, and tongues. For Christians, it is also an excellent illustration of spiritual warfare.
We, "advanced" Westerners, tend to look down on these "simple people," yet we could learn a lot from them, especially in the spiritual world which we tend to ignore and live as if it doesn't exist.
It also reminded me of just how level the ground is at the foot of the cross and just how essential the gospel is to all cultures.
An excerpt from the book Christians will probably enjoy -
"Redhair lay in his hammock for two days because of the beating he got in the fight with Forgetful Village. Finally, he fell asleep from all the pain and his family thought he was almost dead. They ran to get the nabas to come and help. Everyone came into the house while they worked on Redhair. They knew he was near death, and they began wailing and mourning. "This young man is one of our own," one of the men said. "He was born here. He grew up here. If he dies, we'll have to go teach Forgetful Village a good lesson and take Yoshicami back." They all knew he was right. Something would have to be done about this killing. Then suddenly Redhair sat up perfectly well. Quiet fell over everyone. He smiled. For the first time since the fight, all his family could see he had no pain. Everyone was excited. "I feel just fine," he said. "Please listen to what I have to tell you. You have all known me all my life. Like so many of you, I'm a child of Yai Pada, the great spirit. Now, as you can see all around you," he said pointing around the house, "his people have come here to take me home. So I'm going with them now, and I just want to say before I go that I don't want any of you to even think about taking revenge against Forgetful Village." When Redhair talked about the people sent by Yai Pada, their excitement turned to concern. "There's no one here to take you," they said, looking around. "You're well. You're going to be fine." Redhair was shocked. "Can't you see these people?" he said. "They're standing all around here, waiting for me to finish talking to you." Everyone stared at him and shook their heads. "I can't believe you can't see them! Look, right there," he said, pointing to places around the house. No one saw anything. "Open your eyes!" Redhair kept pointing all around. "Can't you see them?" But they all just stared at him with sad faces. They shook their heads and clicked their tongues. "Well, they're here for me and I'm going with them to Yai Pada. We won't need revenge where I'm going, so please don't take any on Forgetful Village." For the first time, a crowd of Yanomamö had nothing to say. They watched quietly as Redhair lay back down on his hammock, curled up and died."
March 7, 2023
This is not a comfortable read, and certainly not one for the squeamish. There are parts of it that definitely will offend you, and should. The Yanomamö people of the Amazon rainforest are vicious and their lives are violent, so expect to be shocked. In the appendix, the author shares that many different groups of people have attacked the authenticity of the book, for widely varying reasons. Some anthropologists have called it missionary propaganda and believe these people should be left to their "perfect, unspoiled" lives, yet some missionaries have been deeply disturbed by accounts in this book and reject the story entirely. That's what, to me, gives it a ring of truth: no one really wants this book to be true. We don't want to believe that humans can be so cruel, so depraved, as the descriptions in this book. Unfortunately, I found it too believable. It has been proven many times that people who proclaim helpful intentions often end up exploiting native people, and that happens several times in this account. The natives are horrible, yet sometimes the "civilized" people are worse.
What was most interesting to me was to hear the stories from the perspective of the shaman himself. I found his descriptions of his spirit guides and the unrest and chaos within him fascinating. I suspect that those people have a better grasp of the spiritual world and its conflicts than we can even imagine. For most of us, the noise and bustle of our modern world shuts out any awareness of those things. To be aware of how driven and desperate these people actually feel is to realize that it is no kindness to leave them as they are. It also was revealing to hear their impression of being studied "like animals." It was exciting to think that this shaman was able to find a better life, but sad to realize that most of these people are still living in horrible conditions. A very enlightening if not exactly enjoyable book.
What was most interesting to me was to hear the stories from the perspective of the shaman himself. I found his descriptions of his spirit guides and the unrest and chaos within him fascinating. I suspect that those people have a better grasp of the spiritual world and its conflicts than we can even imagine. For most of us, the noise and bustle of our modern world shuts out any awareness of those things. To be aware of how driven and desperate these people actually feel is to realize that it is no kindness to leave them as they are. It also was revealing to hear their impression of being studied "like animals." It was exciting to think that this shaman was able to find a better life, but sad to realize that most of these people are still living in horrible conditions. A very enlightening if not exactly enjoyable book.
November 27, 2022
As an aspiring author, I have been told that I should never write about a place that I have never been. And that is how I would explain this book to its critics. The stories of Jungleman, Shoefoot, and their people, are not best told by those who sit in their studies and research anthropological concepts. Nor are they best told by the missionaries, who despite their love for the Yanomamï people, did not always understand the language. The stories are best told by people such as Jungleman and Shoefoot. The men who lived for years as Shamans and warriors. The men who watched foreigners come and mock their lifestyle. Now, if it were not for the diligence of missionaries and anthropologists, we would not have this book today. Let alone the testimonies of Jungleman and Shoefoot. However, stories can be dangerous things if told by the wrong person.
I could write a whole paper here, but to save time I will leave it at this:
This is a book that everyone should read at least once. A beautiful, yet chilling story of change brought to a culture of warfare and shamanism. I could not put this book down. Even after I got to the second part, which takes more concentration due to the author's formal writing. I may never get to talk to a Yanomamï person in my lifetime, but my thought process has definitely grown after having read this story.
I will also say that my copy had some interesting typos. But not so bad that I couldn't understand what was being said.
I could write a whole paper here, but to save time I will leave it at this:
This is a book that everyone should read at least once. A beautiful, yet chilling story of change brought to a culture of warfare and shamanism. I could not put this book down. Even after I got to the second part, which takes more concentration due to the author's formal writing. I may never get to talk to a Yanomamï person in my lifetime, but my thought process has definitely grown after having read this story.
I will also say that my copy had some interesting typos. But not so bad that I couldn't understand what was being said.
February 23, 2023
I never really got into this book... It left me wondering for a long time as I kept reading. Is this a true story, based on a true story or fiction? The way that the book is written, it just did not have the "feel" of being a true story, as the author seemed to write from the perspective of different people, giving not only their words, but also their thoughts. From my understanding, this book is supposed to be a true story, written from the perspective of one person, but it irritated me that this one person seemed to know everything that was going on, even when not present, and then also related the thoughts of individuals. The other question continually on my mind was: Is this a story about missions? I kind of expected this book to be about missions, but there is no mention whatsoever of the gospel, of Jesus Christ, or even of God. It was not until the very end of the book that a "church" is first mentioned. So I do not consider this book to be about missions, but it does offer some great insights into the lives of the animistic Yanomamö people, especially their culture of killing and revenge killing as welll as shamanism. The focus on this aspect makes the book an illustration of the depravity of man. I found the most interesting parts of the book to be the author's addendum at the end as well as the appendices.
April 15, 2024
I'll start this off by saying that this was a very difficult book to read. So much violence and evil. But, what else would we expect when venturing into a world that is run heavily by demonic forces - even more outright and visible than they are in our American culture today. However, as I read, I began to question that assumption. The Yanomamo could easily see different spirits in the white people when they were off track from God's word.
This book is extremely informative on the spiritual realm. I was thinking of looking for a book dealing with that from the perspective of someone who knows what the dark side is, and then this book was given to me to read by my parent's. I view it as an answered prayer.
It is important to recognize the activity of the demonic in our world today.
My mind is swirling and I plan to get my own copy of this book (probably the newest 3rd edition though). It saddens me that if there were not secular anthropologists getting involved, and the Christians were generous (HIGHLY important above all in Yanomamo culture), then this story would've gone a lot differently and many more Yanomamo would've accepted Christ earlier. Therefore, I believe this book should be required reading for any one who is going into another culture, ESPECIALLY those who seek to spread the Good News.
This book is extremely informative on the spiritual realm. I was thinking of looking for a book dealing with that from the perspective of someone who knows what the dark side is, and then this book was given to me to read by my parent's. I view it as an answered prayer.
It is important to recognize the activity of the demonic in our world today.
My mind is swirling and I plan to get my own copy of this book (probably the newest 3rd edition though). It saddens me that if there were not secular anthropologists getting involved, and the Christians were generous (HIGHLY important above all in Yanomamo culture), then this story would've gone a lot differently and many more Yanomamo would've accepted Christ earlier. Therefore, I believe this book should be required reading for any one who is going into another culture, ESPECIALLY those who seek to spread the Good News.
March 6, 2025
This book deserves 5 stars not because of the way it was written, but because of its earth-shattering implications, and how it reminds us all of the reformation adage "ad fontes" or "[back] to the sources." Anyone who has read it knows what I'm talking about. Even as a Christian, growing up in the West forces you to down-play the existence and role of spirits in day-to-day life. This book reminds us that the materialist outlook on life widely misses the mark.
What I'm not saying is that everything Jungleman articulates should be attributed to spiritual activity as he claims--I'm sure there are psychological, physiological (esp. from drugs), and cultural influences on how events were perceived by the Yanomamo. But to me, the overall picture of spiritual forces at work in the Yanomamo is hard to escape. While some may view this as "Christian propaganda," I think it is simply worth noting that any evidence to the contrary of someone's beliefs tends to be viewed as propaganda, so that claim in itself bares no weight; the facts themselves need to be weighed (an argument Ritchie persistently makes in the second half of his book). And the facts seem to be clear: Honey Village is far better off following Jesus (the spirit who be came a man) than they were when they weren't following him.
What I'm not saying is that everything Jungleman articulates should be attributed to spiritual activity as he claims--I'm sure there are psychological, physiological (esp. from drugs), and cultural influences on how events were perceived by the Yanomamo. But to me, the overall picture of spiritual forces at work in the Yanomamo is hard to escape. While some may view this as "Christian propaganda," I think it is simply worth noting that any evidence to the contrary of someone's beliefs tends to be viewed as propaganda, so that claim in itself bares no weight; the facts themselves need to be weighed (an argument Ritchie persistently makes in the second half of his book). And the facts seem to be clear: Honey Village is far better off following Jesus (the spirit who be came a man) than they were when they weren't following him.
February 4, 2025
This book is not for the faint of heart, wow... Western culture is desensitized to spiritual warfare (many people deny a spiritual world even exists), but it is very real.
Brutally honest, compelling, convicting... The stories in this book reveal the depravity of mankind and the change of heart that the Word of God brings about.
Warning: fairly graphic depictions of murder, rape, and other violence. I don't fault the book for this; it's absolutely necessary for the story considering these are a common part of life for many Yanomamö people. Proceed with caution while reading, though.
I greatly appreciate Mark Andrew Ritchie's transparency. He has lived among the Yanomamö people and worked hard to fact-check the information in this book. These are not his personal beliefs or opinions; these are firsthand accounts as told by people who have committed, lived through, and been delivered from unimaginable horrors. Ritchie simply listened to these stories and wrote them down.
"I'm a nonfiction writer because fiction has to be 'real', but nonfiction only has to have happened."
Brutally honest, compelling, convicting... The stories in this book reveal the depravity of mankind and the change of heart that the Word of God brings about.
Warning: fairly graphic depictions of murder, rape, and other violence. I don't fault the book for this; it's absolutely necessary for the story considering these are a common part of life for many Yanomamö people. Proceed with caution while reading, though.
I greatly appreciate Mark Andrew Ritchie's transparency. He has lived among the Yanomamö people and worked hard to fact-check the information in this book. These are not his personal beliefs or opinions; these are firsthand accounts as told by people who have committed, lived through, and been delivered from unimaginable horrors. Ritchie simply listened to these stories and wrote them down.
"I'm a nonfiction writer because fiction has to be 'real', but nonfiction only has to have happened."
June 12, 2025
Amazing book! Really insightful, both on the Yanomamö culture and the immense spiritual warfare going on all around us. In the Western world, I feel like we lose a lot of touch with reality when we discredit the very real spiritual world. I think that's part of what might explain this quote (p. 89):
Quite the convicting call to action to live out Who's inside (and if the behavior's contradicting, quickly assess why that is the case).
Spear was nodding his agreement to everything Shoefoot said. Then Spear decided, "Something is wrong. When we live with our spirits, we become more like them. They dance. We dance. They steal and rape women. We steal and rape women. They fight and kill. We fight and kill. But these nabas [foreigners] don't do what they say their spirit does. They say he's generous. But they're not. They say he's kind. But they're not."
So Shoefoot and Spear kept their spirits and every time I visited we blew ebene into our noses and danced together.
Quite the convicting call to action to live out Who's inside (and if the behavior's contradicting, quickly assess why that is the case).
October 13, 2017
Pretty graphic but not simply for the sake of sex and violence. My favorite part was the very end at the appendix when you actually heard the author's voice instead of the narrator Jungleman. I loved how Shoefoot said that he can think of no other way for his people to be free from the evil spirits except to believe in the great spirit. I 100% believe the truth of this story and how the half-truths of the evil spirits are used to control those that they possess. It was unintentionally a really good follow-up book about the reality of spiritual warfare after reading Peretti's "This Present Darkness.
Favorite quote:
"We want people who will really care about us, like the man who came into my village and put his arm around me when I was covered with dirt, sweat, saliva, and mucous. This man shared in our suffering. He cared about our children. He showed us something we knew nothing about--love" (243).
Favorite quote:
"We want people who will really care about us, like the man who came into my village and put his arm around me when I was covered with dirt, sweat, saliva, and mucous. This man shared in our suffering. He cared about our children. He showed us something we knew nothing about--love" (243).
May 23, 2025
Well this will break your western Christianity spiritual warfare mold! This book is super graphic with killings, rapes, torture, fighting, and war! So heads up, it can be very disturbing. And I was hoping this was more about a missionaries experience but it was from a jungle man’s experience so it focused mainly on the horrendous war acts and demonic activity between villages. Yes I believe this demonic spiritual activity is true, but do we need to focus so much on that rather than what the Holy spirit can do when he changes peoples hearts in a place like this! Was hoping for more of that! It should open our eyes as Christ followers to how dark and deceptive the spiritual world can be! We don’t see much of this here in the US but I guarantee it is here. I’m saddened for the culture of these people and the young children that suffer because of the demonic hold on these people…it would be interesting to know where there culture has come now?!
September 21, 2018
This book presents a rare opportunity to hear a Yanomamo's story in his own words. This is cross-cultural reporting at its finest, and it's VERY hard to read. I'm not a big fan of trigger warnings, but you need to know that alongside the beautiful moments that will move you to tears, this account includes rape, murder (including murder of children), torture, child molestation, and a variety of other abuses and atrocities. It's not easy reading. It tells the warts-and-all truth about jungle life, the Yanomamo spirit world, anthropologists, missionaries, traders, and more -- it's a very unsparing look at our culture from a true outsider's perspective, and that's hard, too.
This is a deeply controversial book. You can find some highly critical reviews of it (some of which are reprinted in the back of the 2nd edition for your reading pleasure.) I don't have a lot of respect for the haters, honestly. It's one thing to disagree with someone's opinion; there's always room for disagreement in human dealings. But it's only too obvious that most of the haters here can't see the Yanomamo as *people* with their own aspirations, opinions, and hopes. I can't really get on board with that.
This is a deeply controversial book. You can find some highly critical reviews of it (some of which are reprinted in the back of the 2nd edition for your reading pleasure.) I don't have a lot of respect for the haters, honestly. It's one thing to disagree with someone's opinion; there's always room for disagreement in human dealings. But it's only too obvious that most of the haters here can't see the Yanomamo as *people* with their own aspirations, opinions, and hopes. I can't really get on board with that.
September 22, 2019
This is a fascinating book for readers with western eyes. The virtues that the Yanomamo people hold are the complete opposite of modern Americans. Obviously, the typical missions question will arise that make the Christian reader ask, what exactly needs to be articulated in a foreign missions context for a person to be saved? There is major life change in the village of Honey amongst the Yanomamo people that sets them apart from all other villages. Also, people are living vastly different lives compared to others in the area. This is a book that many western Christians should read especially on the topics of anthropology and demonology.
May 13, 2019
I was assigned to read this book for class. This book is powerful, but it can also be very sad and disturbing. The book contains graphic depictions of rape and murder and many other things. It is definitely not for squeamish. It is a page turner, but after reading some of the stuff, I would have to put it away for a little while which is why it took me a while to read it. But I do recommend this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2020
Fascinating look into the missionary work to a violent and spiritual tribe in the Amazon. Powerful stories of redemption and interesting stories about spiritual warfare. Disclaimer- it’s hard to read because of the description of evil and depravity. Especially the violence against women and children. The author was too descriptive in many parts but I know why he was, to be as authentic about the stories as possible. But it was rough to read at times. Heartbreaking in many ways.
February 27, 2021
I went back and forth on 4 or 5 stars. It is a graphic book, but an excellent one. It addresses so many topics including anthropologists and missionaries, the help and harm western people have done, our assumptions we place on cultures we don't understand, and how the gospel story can be understood in such a beautiful and personal way in a culture so different from our own. Their telling of the gospel is so different for ours, and yet so accurate.
October 10, 2022
Wow. What a wild ride of a book. It is very raw and heartbreaking at points. It is unique in that it gives an inside look at an indigenous culture from the perspective of someone who is actually born and raised in that culture. The voice and the narrative do an effective job of immersing the reader into the reality of another culture and of critiquing some of the dehumanizing elements of postmodernism.
July 10, 2019
Very graphic to read. I recommend reading the authors PostScript at the end FIRST. It explains his method of writing and the dilemma he is up against in getting the truth about these people out to others. For reference, do not read if you are sensitive pages 29-32, 34, 109-110, 141-142, 149. These pages detail a lot of graphic violence that do not hinder comprehension of the book if left out.
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