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SPACE-TIME TRANSFORMATIONS IN THE UPPER XINGU AND UPPER RIO NEGRO

Abstract The multi-ethnic and multilingual complexes of the Upper Rio Negro and the Upper Xingu share common aspects that frequently emerge in ethnographies, including notions of descent, hierarchical social organization and ritual activities, as well as a preference for forms of exogamy and the une...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sociologia & Antropologia 2015-12, Vol.5 (3), p.699-724
Main Authors: Andrello, Geraldo, Guerreiro, Antonio, Hugh-Jones, Stephen
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Abstract The multi-ethnic and multilingual complexes of the Upper Rio Negro and the Upper Xingu share common aspects that frequently emerge in ethnographies, including notions of descent, hierarchical social organization and ritual activities, as well as a preference for forms of exogamy and the unequal distribution of productive and ritual specialties and esoteric knowledge. In this article we investigate how the people of both regions conceive of their humanity and that of their neighbours as variations on a shared form, since in both regions ritual processes for negotiating positions and prerogatives seems to take the place of the latent state of warfare typical of the social life of other Amazonian peoples. In this article we will synthesize, for each region, the spatio-temporal processes that underscore the eminently variable constitution of collectivities, seeking, in conclusion, to isolate those elements that the two regions have in common. Resumo Os complexos multiétnicos e multilíngues do Rio Negro e do Alto Xingu apresentam alguns aspectos comuns que emergem com frequência em suas etnografias, tais como noções sobre descendência, hierarquia na organização social e nas atividades rituais, valorização de formas de exogamia, ou a distribuição desigual de especialidades produtivas, rituais e conhecimentos esotéricos. Neste trabalho investigamos como povos de ambas as regiões concebem sua humanidade e a de seus vizinhos como variações de uma forma compartilhada, pois nos dois casos processos rituais de negociação de posições e prerrogativas parecem fazer as vezes do estado latente de guerra que marca a vida social de outros povos amazônicos. Buscaremos sintetizar os processos espaço-temporais que subjazem à constituição, eminentemente variável, dos coletivos de cada região buscando, ao final, isolar alguns elementos em comum.
ISSN:2238-3875
2238-3875
DOI:10.1590/2238-38752015v533