Mama Coca’s Chaka (Bridge) Weaving: A Ceremonial Storying of Plant-Human Kinship and Andean Spiritual Wisdom
Publication information:
Abstract
Join Andean scholar and ceremonialist Teresa Mateus for an experiential workshop exploring the "stigmatized" sacred: Mama Coca (coca leaf). Moving beyond colonial narratives of "narcotic" harm, we enter a Ceremonial Mesa to engage the leaf as a sovereign ancestor and co-facilitator. Through the practice of the kintu (leaf offering) and phukuy (breath offering), we trace Mama Coca’s "shapeshifting" journey into the North American diaspora. By utilizing Rose and Bay leaves as surrogate kin, we enact Indigenous Repair—a radical practice of spiritual belonging and Andean Futurism that restores kinship across borders, transforming historical trauma into trans-territorial resilience and hope.
Presenter Biography
Teresa Mateus is an Andean scholar and ceremonialist. She explores Andean futurism and more-than-human agency through ceremonial practice. Born in Muisca territory (Colombia) and initiated in Q’ero Paqo ancestral medicine (Peru), her work integrates speculative narration to reclaim more-than-human kinships, weaving ancestral wisdom with scholarship.
Mama Coca (coca leaf) is an Andean wisdom-keeper and story-weaver. Her expertise is carried through botanical memory and ceremonial lineage rooted in the Andes. By acknowledging her agency and partnership in this ceremonial practice, we visibilize her sovereignty and dignity. There is no ceremony without her invitation and collaboration.