Joseca Yanomami
Ohote Hanakɨ, the Magic Plant That Makes You a Hard Worker, 2026
acrylic on paper
19 3/4 x 25 5/8 in (50 x 65 cm)
In our crops there is this plant called Ohote hanakɨ (Justicia pectoralis). We Yanomami use this plant when we are very tired; we pick it and smell the aroma of...
In our crops there is this plant called Ohote hanakɨ (Justicia pectoralis). We Yanomami use this plant when we are very tired; we pick it and smell the aroma of its leaves, which then makes us very energetic, very willing to work. That's how it works. This Ohote hanakɨ plant is very good; when we smell its aroma, we don't get exhausted, we become very vigorous. That's how it acts. Only the potency of the Hwëri kɨkɨ plant is bad, because it can be used to kill us with its poison. That's why it's not very exposed; it's hidden on the edge of the fields. There is also the Waithiri kɨkɨ plant, which is very good, but its potency can also be harmful. We use the Moko kɨkɨ plant to make children grow quickly; when we treat them with this plant, they become young women very fast. That's how we do it with the Moko kɨkɨ plant. The plant Xõa kɨkɨ is used by women to poison the men they want to marry, in order to make them fall in love with them.
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