Peruvian shamans back Obama
LIMA, Peru – Barack Obama apparently can count on the support of a majority of Peruvian faith healers.
Each of the 11 shamans in a Peruvian faith-healing organization said Wednesday that they have foreseen victory in the U.S. presidential race: nine for Democrat Obama and two for his Republican rival John McCain.
Blowing incense over a sacred llama fetus perched on a bed of coca leaves next to posters of the candidates, the shamans shook rattles, chanted “up, Obama, up!” and threw flowers at their images.
Mary Gomez, a healer from the city of Chiclayo, said she has seen that Obama “will win and he will change history … he is going to help all the Latinos living in the United States.”
The shamans whistled, chanted and rubbed both posters with Andean spirit-totems, crucifixes, a statue of a dark-skinned Jesus and other idols to scare away bad spirits and negative energies they said might prevent a fair and democratic election.
“We are cleansing both of them so that on Nov. 4 the person that the U.S. really deserves wins,” said Juan Osco, president of the Apus-Inka healers association.