The Ghost Dance: An Untold History of the Americas

For the last 53 years Ani has searched through the most remote regions of the Americas for the lost steps of the Ghost Dance.

These steps led Michael to the Sierra Mazateca of Oaxaca, famous for its sacred mushrooms. From the 1960s through 1970s, Ani lived in the Mazateca's most remote cloud forests in Mexico and then in the 80's and 90's worked with the Yanomami tribes, the last uncontacted, wild and free tribes of the Americas. He became the only outsider who was ever allowed to collect the sacred mushroom species of the region, Desheto.

The wisdom Michael Stuart Ani obtained along his journey was used to fight epidemics among the uncontacted tribes of the Americas that still survive to this day. Ani also learned that these people's ritual knowledge and entheogen plant sacraments (Talking Plants) may be key to repairing the broken bridge of communication between humans and nature and be essential to our species survival.