Is considered by some to be
at least one of the sources of information Carlos Castaneda used
regarding Sacred Datura and other hallucinogenics
presented in his first two books. Lopez was a member and highly
revered spiritual elder of the Cahuilla band of Indians of
the Morongo Reservation, Banning, California. True, the possibility does
exists that Lopez could have contributed in some fashion as an
informant of Castaneda's, but it is questionable. It becomes an even
more remote possibility if Lopez is thrust into the role of the
primary source of information, especially considering the fund of of
knowledge Castaneda presented in his first two books.
Lopez
was known for being quite
stoic and non-communicative even among his own
band, so it would be highly unlikely that he would depart very much in
the way ancient and guarded tribal secrets to a total stranger or
outsider, most particularly so in the short space of time Castaneda
had with him.
Lopez was said to be
a special class of Shaman called a Bear Shaman, Shamans
who have received their power from grizzly bears and who possess many of
the qualities of the grizzly, especially their apparent invulnerability
to fatal attack. Bear Shamans are said to have the ability
to assume the form of bears and that they can be killed an indefinite
number of times when in this form and each time return to life.
In some
tribal beliefs the Bear Shaman was not thought to actually
become a bear, instead being a man clothed in the skin of a bear, but
capable through Shaman powers of inflicting greater injury than a true
bear. To see a photo of a Native American Bear Shaman
costume using the skin of a real bear,
click
image above right.