Who Does Tradition Belong To? Plant Medicine & Dialogue
The world of sacred medicine is sparking with tension. Indigenous peoples are rightly defending their heritage, exhausted by centuries of exploitation. Europe and North America are seeking healing and trying to fit ancient practices into a modern rhythm. A conflict arises
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Why are those who colonized us now teaching us how to regulate our tradition?
Aluna unconditionally recognizes that indigenous peoples are the rightful custodians of their knowledge. No one has the right to appropriate someone else’s rituals or declare themselves a shaman simply by right of interest.
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Tradition has specific bearers, yet the natural phenomenon of the plant itself is not anyone’s exclusive property
HOWEVER: plant medicine has already become the heritage of humanity.
The question «Who does medicine belong to?» leads to a dead end.
The correct question
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«What responsibility does each of us bear?»
Europe must not dictate rules to indigenous communities. It should offer its infrastructure: legal protection, scientific capacities, transparent legal frameworks, and funding to protect the heritage. In turn, traditional communities must determine for themselves how to combat impostors and who genuinely has the right to represent their culture in the world.
Dialogue is partnership. It is the readiness to acknowledge that a person’s origin determines their cultural context, but spiritual value and responsibility do not depend on a passport. Only by combining the efforts of lineage holders, lawyers, scientists, and practitioners can we protect this heritage from turning into commercial chaos.