Ethnic spirituality, gender and health care in the Peruvian Amazon

By addressing ethnic identities of riparian people in Loreto, this article shows the relevance of spirituality, ethnic difference, and gender subordination affecting health interventions. Ethnic spirituality defines daily life behavior and attitudes revealing different meanings associated with medicine, illness, and healing. Gender segregates natural spaces and portrays women and children as more vulnerable to illness caused by spiritual powers, imposing taboos, and regulations. Due to lesser exposure to the modern outside world, adult women remain less familiar with it, even though modernity is also present in the village and reinterpreted by local ethnic views. Women seem closer to ethnic beliefs that 'color' their views and attitudes toward modern medicine and for that reason experience higher levels of discrimination and subordination. Being the principal care takers, their views and attitudes on medicine, illness, and healing are extremely important to consider. In practice, women and their ethnic views on medicine and illness usually remain invisible.