The Invalidity of Wholesale Dismissal of Native Testimony

Historically, Westerners have viewed native
peoples as inferior—at best, like naïve children;
at worst, like base animals. Regrettably, scientists
have often reinforced this popular misconception
(Durant and Durant, 1968; Gould,
1981). Native “folk tales” were regarded as prattle,
without scientific significance of any sort—
as products of “the overheated imagination of
natives, which is sometimes influenced by alcohol
or the love of rousing sensation” (Kittenberger,
1929). Consequently, the considerable
wisdom (including, but by no means limited to,
knowledge about local animals and plants) accumulated
by various non-Western societies was
largely ignored.
In recent years, Western researchers have
come to realize the error of their earlier thinking
with regard to native peoples. Scientific studies
have shown certain outlandish-sounding claims
by native observers to be true, or at least to have
a basis in fact. Two interesting examples: the
Matsés Indians’ tales of a frog that produces a
“magic potion” that can be used to enhance
hunting prowess; and the assertions by New
Guinean tribesmen that certain local birds are
poisonous.
The Matsés (Panoan) Indians of Peru claim
that sapo, a sticky substance excreted from the
skin of the Giant monkey tree frog (Phyllomedusa
bicolor), lends a hunter superhuman endurance
and renders him invisible to game animals.
Western biochemists have assayed the
frog’s skin secretions, and found that they contain
chemicals that suppress pain, thirst, and
hunger. A hunter under the influence of sapo
may be able to withstand physical hardships that
would otherwise distract him from his gametracking.
Sapo also contains powerful emetics,
diuretics, and laxatives. Researchers speculate
that these agents flush the hunter’s body of
odorous compounds, thereby making him “invisible”
(in an olfactory, not optical, manner) to
his quarry (Erspamer et al., 1993).