The etymology of yagé is not as settled as ayahuasca (vine of the soul / vine of the dead in Quechua). The word belongs to the Tukanoan language family and the traditions of the Colombian Amazon. It refers to the medicine, the vine, and sometimes the ceremony, depending on who is using it and where. It carries the weight of the specific place and people it comes from: the Putumayo, the Sibundoy Valley, the families who have held this tradition across generations.
