Amazonian shamanic enquiry: formulaic composition and specialized discourse
Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute November 22, 2023 DOI: 10.1111/1467-9655.14052 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | The Marubo of Western Amazonia |
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Key points | Argues that an Amazonian mode of thinking is tied to formulaic composition across verbal poetic genres and persists in contemporary written books by Amerindian researchers and narrators. Proposes revising the role of narrative verbal genres in Amerindian ethnology and its ontological backgrounds, and offers an alternative view of the writing-versus-orality contrast, based on translated Marubo songs and testimonies. |
Abstract
This article investigates the styles of enquiry involved in Lowland South American Amerindian shamanic and narrative discourse genres. The article argues in favour of the existence of an Amazonian mode of thinking strictly related to formulaic composition, commonly found in different verbal poetic genres and its contemporary transformations into written texts published as books by Amerindian researchers and narrators. Taking into account philosophical and anthropological discussions about speculative thinking, this study aims to revise the role of narrative verbal genres in Amerindian ethnology and its ontological backgrounds, as well as offering an alternative perspective on the contrast between writing and oral traditions. The article is based on translations of songs and testimonies collected among the Marubo of Western Amazonia.