Interested in seeing shamanic drumming, a walrus hunt, and some splendid scenery in a mushroom presentation? Author-mycologist-raconteur will offer a travelogue documenting the ritual use of wapak (Amanita muscaria) among the Siberian Chukchi. He will also discuss the connection between A. muscaria and Santa Claus, showing that Santa is in fact a mushroom. Immediately after his presentation, he will screen Russian film-maker Andrei Golovnov’s half hour documentary Pegtymel, which depicts Chukchi traditional culture — including wapak-eating — in the vicinity of the Bronze Age mushroom petroglyphs near the mouth of the Pegtymel River in Siberia.
