Natural hallucinogens and alcoholic beverages as a means of communication between the Amur-Sakhalin indigenous peoples and the sacred world

The tradition of using hallucinogenic substances and alcoholic beverages is a powerful factor influencing the life-supporting technologies of the Amur-Sakhalin indigenous peoples, the process of changing their mentality, archetypes, and behavior. Although we can find plenty of works devoted to the harmful effect of alcohol on personality and society, for indigenous peoples it was a necessary means of communication that they used when dealing with the sacred world. The article analyses which natural hallucinogenic substances were used by the indigenous peoples, how they got alcohol through contacts with other ethnic groups, and what role the alcoholic beverages played in their sacred communicative discourse.