Yajé como política. Territorio, petróleo y pandemia en los siekopái de la Amazonía ecuatoriana
Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Anthropology December 20, 2023 DOI: 10.1111/jlca.12714 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | The Siekopái people of the Ecuadorian Amazon |
| Key findings | Argues that the Siekopái have adapted the yajé ritual into contexts of political resistance, negotiation, and self-affirmation concerning ancestral territory, oil-related environmental reparations, and COVID-19 care. The authors contend that this deployment of the ritual's political potential stems from communal reasons and shamans' negotiating skills in the invisible world, reflecting an institutional flexibility that has helped the Siekopái survive in a changing and threatened environment. |
Abstract
This article shows the political adaptations of the yajé ritual in the Ecuadorian Amazon. It focuses on the siekopái's practices of resistance, negotiation, and self‐affirmation around three contemporary issues: the recognition of their ancestral territory, the demand for reparations for environmental damage resulting from oil exploitation, and the management of care during the COVID‐19 pandemic. We argue that the inclusion of the yajé ritual in these contexts corresponds to a contested shamanic tradition, and that the deployment of its political potential is due to communal reasons and the shamans' negotiating skills in the invisible world. We conclude that the adaptations indicate an institutional flexibility that has allowed the siekopái to survive to this day in a changing and threatened environment.