The Root and the Flower

This article explores the use of metaphor by traditional artist and curandera Eva Castellanoz, of Nyssa, Oregon. Her metaphors build on Catholic images as well as those of animals, plants, and other aspects of the natural world. In teaching Latino youth in her community, in everyday speech, and through enactment in healing rituals, Eva’s metaphors forge new mean from disparate semantic domains, urging transformation for the people who seek her help. The author strives here for an ethnograhic form that balances narrative and analysis.