Atava Garcia Swiecicki - The Curanderx Toolkit: Reclaiming Ancestral Latinx Plant Medicine and Rituals for Healing

THE
CURANDERX
TOOLKIT

Reclaiming Ancestral Latinx
Plant Medicine and Rituals for Healing

Atava Garcia Swiecicki

Heyday,
Berkeley, California

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Copyright 2022 by Atava Garcia Swiecicki

All rights reserved. No portion of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from Heyday.

Excerpt(s) from Woman Who Glows in the Dark by Elena Avila RN, MSN, with Joy Parker, copyright 1999 by Elena Avila and Joy Parker. Used by permission of Tarcher, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.

Excerpts from Red Medicine: Traditional Indigenous Rites of Birthing and Healing by Patrisia Gonzales. 2012 Patrisia Gonzales. Reprinted by permission of the University of Arizona Press.

Excerpt from essay by Audre Lorde, A Burst of Light: Living with Cancer, within the collection A Burst of Light and Other Essays. New York: Courier Dover Publications, 2017, p. 130. Used with permission from the authors estate.

Disclaimer: This book contains general information about plants that have traditionally been used as remedies and foods. The information here, while carefully researched, is not intended to replace the advice and care of a medical practitioner. All information provided in this book is for informational purposes only. Always consult with a health care provider before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem. Any application of the material set forth in this book is at the readers discretion and is their sole responsibility.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Garcia Swiecicki, Atava, author.

Title: The curanderx toolkit : reclaiming ancestral Latinx plant medicine and rituals for healing / Atava Garcia Swiecicki.

Description: Berkeley, California : Heyday, [2022] | Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: LCCN 2021055132 (print) | LCCN 2021055133 (ebook) | ISBN 9781597145718 (paperback) | ISBN 9781597145725 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Healing--Latin America. | Healers--Latin America. | Materia medica, Vegetable--Latin America. | Traditional medicine--Latin America.

Classification: LCC RZ999 .S86 2022 (print) | LCC RZ999 (ebook) | DDC 615.5098--dc23/eng/20220118

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021055132

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021055133

Cover Art: Botanical illustrations from Khlers Medicinal Plants. Circa 1883

Cover Design: Ashley Ingram

Interior Design and Typesetting: Ashley Ingram

Published by Heyday

P.O. Box 9145, Berkeley, California 94709

(510) 549-3564

heydaybooks.com

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Gratitude

First of all, I thank all the ancestors and keepers of this tradition of curanderismo, many of whom risked or lost their lives to preserve this knowledge for the past five hundred years. I thank my own ancestors who have guided me on this path of healing and remembrance. I honor the Lisjan Ohlone people and acknowledge their territory of Huchiun (Oakland), where I was blessed to be rooted for the past thirty years. Tlazohcamati to Mother Earth Tonanztin for your unconditional love, for your endless gifts, and for providing our herbal allies. Tlazohcamati to all of the extraordinary maestro/as who have guided me on this path of curanderismo: Doa Enriqueta Contreras, Estela Romn, Doa Doris Ortiz, Doa Felipa Sanchez, Eleanor Barron-Druckrey, Trudy Robles, Carmen Hernandez, Maria Miranda, Lilia Romn, Vernica Iglesias, Patricia Chicueyi Coatl, Cheo Torres, Laurencio Lpez Nez, and Sergio Magaa Ocelocoyotl.

Tlazohcamati to my mother, Julia, and my father, Michael (who is an ancestor now), for giving me the gift of life and for supporting my unconventional path, and to my sister, Jenny, who has been my lifelong companion of healing. I give thanks to my beloved companion, soul mate, and spouse, Liz Gamboa, for always having my back and for keeping me well fed and well loved. Tlazohcamati to my beloved two-spirit community for guiding me on the Red Road and being my chosen spiritual family. Tlazocamati to Danza, to all its maestros, and to all the danzantes with whom I have sweat and prayed.

Tlazohcamati to my dear friends, colleagues, and maestras who read the draft of this book and gave me their feedback: Angela Raquel Aguilar, Sandra M. Pacheco, Sara Flores, Nsomeka Gomes, Patricia Chicueyi Coatl, and Eleanor Barron-Druckrey. I give thanks for the thirteen incredible curanderx who agreed to share their stories to be included in this book. Each one of you is a bright star in the universe! Thank you for tending to your communities and being maestrx and role models for many. Tlazohcamati to Heidi Corning, Marcela Sabin, Erin Langley, and Venus Herbito, who have been cherished companions on the path of ancestral remembrance for the past two decades, and to Frances Santiago, who was the first in our circle to become an ancestor. I give thanks to all of my compaerx on this path of tending to nuestra medicina and especially to Berenice Dimas, Batul True Heart, and Melissa Reyes for saying yes and agreeing to step in to teach the Curanderx Toolkit class when I no longer could do it. I am eternally grateful for the Ancestral Apothecary community and to all our teachers and students who helped this dream of a school focused on ancestral medicine to blossom.

As a first-time author, I feel grateful to have been welcomed and supported by Heyday. Thank you to my editor Marthine Satris, for inviting me to write a book and for your guidance, kindness, and patience. Thank you to editors Michele Jones and Gayle Wattawa for your help revising the manuscript, to art director Diane Lee, and designers Ashley Ingram and Marlon Rigel for crafting a beautiful book, and to Christopher Miya and Kalie Caetano for their help with sales and marketing.

Earlier versions of portions of appeared in a different form as Cultivating a Healing Dream Practice and The Thirteen Aires and Self-Limpias in Voices from the Ancestors: Xicanx and Latinx Spiritual Expressions and Healing Practices, edited by Lara Medina and Martha R. Gonzales (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2019). All pieces have been substantially revised and expanded for this book.

Tlazocamati to all the curanderx who humbly serve their communities across Turtle Island and are dedicated to keeping this tradition alive and vibrant. Tlazohcamati to the enduring spirit of this medicina. May it continue to thrive and grow for countless generations to come. Ometeotl!