Elders claimed ‘process at work’ before kambo death at cultural festival
Elders at a spiritual health retreat said a man who was suffering intense pain and could not walk was “going through the process of kambo” before he died, an inquest has heard.
Jarrad Antonovich died of a perforated oesophagus after consuming the plant-based psychedelic ayahuasca and frog-based poison kambo at the Dreaming Arts Festival at Arcoora retreat in northern NSW on October 16, 2021.
Pedro Cruz-Rodrigues, a volunteer and participant at the retreat, told the inquest into the Victorian man’s death that he noticed the 46-year-old sitting and leaning against a verandah wall with four elders monitoring him after a ceremony.
“I asked what’s going on,” he said today.
“They explained to me he was still going through the kambo process. I can’t recall who actually explained the situation.”
Antonovich had consumed the substances earlier in the day and had been unwell before being helped into the ceremony in the evening.
Cruz-Rodrigues said he did not venture closer to inspect the man or hear him make sounds of discomfort as other witnesses had reported.
“I didn’t ask for any further explanation,” he told the court in Byron Bay.
“I didn’t feel like I had to worry about it because there were four experienced people around him.”
Cruz-Rodrigues later helped with trying to resuscitate the ailing Antonovich before an ambulance was called, but it was too late to save his life.
“Losing the person in my hands was quite a strong experience,” he said.
Cruz-Rodrigues agreed that those using the substances needed to accept that ambulances might need to be called in cases of emergency.
But he added: “We’ve got to remember Jarrad didn’t want to go to hospital”.
Antonovich had previously travelled to South America and was interested in shamanistic rituals and wellness, the inquest heard.
The use of ayahuasca and kambo is based on the traditional knowledge of indigenous South American communities, with adherents believing the substances can clean the body of impurities.
Medical experts, however, say there is no proof the substances do more than make people extremely ill.
