Sacred Plants

Plants nourish our bodies and minds, and the cultivation and consumption of plants both creates and relies on an intimate knowledge of them. Some plants are especially powerful. Tobacco, coca, hot chilies, manioc, corn, plants that produce pigments for body paint, and narcotic plants such as yagé and ayahuasca are considered as gifts from or even the embodiment of powerful beings. 
  
The snuff trays in this case, decorated with feline and bird spirit helpers, were likely for the consumption of hallucinogenic snuff. The visions produced by drug-induced trances are crucial for interpreting and directing the spirits of the universe, whether for healing, averting sickness, successful hunting, or keeping the community safe.