Emita. Healing Hands, Cleansing Hands
Abstract
This text is an intimate and moving tribute to Ema, a forest healer whose life was dedicated to the ancestral art of healing through plants and spiritual rituals. Narrated from the personal experience of author Randy Chung Gonzales and written by Lucas Nakandacare, the story reconstructs the relationship between mentor and apprentice, marked by the silent transmission of profound knowledge born from the bond with Pachamama and the spirits that inhabit the forest. Through memories, descriptions of traditional cures—such as the treatment of mal de aire in children—and a sensitive and poetic language, the author portrays Ema’s greatness, her humbleness, and her legacy. The text honors the value of Indigenous knowledge and of wise women, guardians of a spiritual medicine often ignored by modernity, and suggests a reflection on the continuity of this knowledge in those who receive it with respect and commitment.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Indigenous Health
Education
and Rights
Jungian Analytical Psychology
Historical Studies in Central America
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Fourth World Journal
- Volume
- 25
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 135–139
- Publication date
- 6 January 2026