Emita. Healing Hands, Cleansing Hands: An Unexpected Farewell
Randy Chung Gonzales, Lucas Nakandacare, Yesenia Cortés
Volume 25, Number 2 (2026) 25 (2): 135-139
Keywords Indigenous healing, curanderismo, ancestral knowledge, women healers, spiritual rituals, Pachamama, mal de aire, oral transmission of knowledge
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.
Randy Chung Gonzales
Lucas Nakandacare
Yesenia Cortés
Published January 14, 2026
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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