ABSTRACT
With the attainment of order and harmony the viability of Amuesha society was at last ensured, and the possibility of extermination finally conquered. However, because of their human fallibility the Amuesha now suffer illness and death, the hallmrks of their human condition. The Amuesha recognise a large number of different sources of illness. In Amuesha conceptions, sorcery has both a 'professional' and an 'amateur' dimension. The Amuesha recognize a variety of specialists who, in one way or another, are engaged in a struggle with the human and non-human forces of evil that cause illness and death. These specialists are hierarchically ordered in terms of their greater or lesser mystical powers, and the gravity of the diseases they can treat. The crucial difference between major and minor specialists is that the former have the power to counteract human sorcery, while healers and diviners cannot, being only able to indicate that any given disease is the result of its operation.
