NON-HUMAN SPIRITS, INHUMAN SPIRITS: THE SUPERNATURE WORLD OF THE SURUWAHA FROM THE PURUS RIVER

The Suruwaha, a group from the Purus River basin, Western Amazonia, that speaks an Arawan language, conceive beings inhabiting other regions of the cosmos as jadawasu, non-human - and even some of them as inhuman. These “spirits” have bodies with human appearance and are able to interact with humans...

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Main Author: Miguel Aparicio
Format: Article
Language:Spanish
Published: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 2015-12-01
Series:Espaço Ameríndio
Subjects:
Online Access:http://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/EspacoAmerindio/article/view/57701
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author Miguel Aparicio
author_facet Miguel Aparicio
author_sort Miguel Aparicio
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description The Suruwaha, a group from the Purus River basin, Western Amazonia, that speaks an Arawan language, conceive beings inhabiting other regions of the cosmos as jadawasu, non-human - and even some of them as inhuman. These “spirits” have bodies with human appearance and are able to interact with humans’ bodies. The Suruwaha identify various supernatural beings profiles: kurimia, karuji, uhwamy, zamakusa - a panorama of multiplicity integrating homogeneity and difference. On the one hand there is a possible similarity with humans; on the other, a difference that enables constant unfolding (consequently raising confusion and incommensurability, danuzy). The descriptions of their bodies are recurrent, presenting them as subjects who develop a peculiar "physiology" which prevents them of being characterized as intangible or invisible. What exactly defines these beings is not, strictly, their "spiritual" condition, but their heterotopic condition: they are different from humans mainly because their place is constitutively other, not because their nature is different. “Heterotopy” is the trait that distinguishes them from the jadawa, inhabitants of the humanized space.
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spelling doaj.art-a0b354ad18e943d38412a78b86aace242022-12-22T01:51:38ZspaUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do SulEspaço Ameríndio1982-65242015-12-019329037NON-HUMAN SPIRITS, INHUMAN SPIRITS: THE SUPERNATURE WORLD OF THE SURUWAHA FROM THE PURUS RIVERMiguel Aparicio0PPGAS Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de JaneiroThe Suruwaha, a group from the Purus River basin, Western Amazonia, that speaks an Arawan language, conceive beings inhabiting other regions of the cosmos as jadawasu, non-human - and even some of them as inhuman. These “spirits” have bodies with human appearance and are able to interact with humans’ bodies. The Suruwaha identify various supernatural beings profiles: kurimia, karuji, uhwamy, zamakusa - a panorama of multiplicity integrating homogeneity and difference. On the one hand there is a possible similarity with humans; on the other, a difference that enables constant unfolding (consequently raising confusion and incommensurability, danuzy). The descriptions of their bodies are recurrent, presenting them as subjects who develop a peculiar "physiology" which prevents them of being characterized as intangible or invisible. What exactly defines these beings is not, strictly, their "spiritual" condition, but their heterotopic condition: they are different from humans mainly because their place is constitutively other, not because their nature is different. “Heterotopy” is the trait that distinguishes them from the jadawa, inhabitants of the humanized space.http://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/EspacoAmerindio/article/view/57701SuruwahaEspíritosCosmologiaXamanismo.
spellingShingle Miguel Aparicio
NON-HUMAN SPIRITS, INHUMAN SPIRITS: THE SUPERNATURE WORLD OF THE SURUWAHA FROM THE PURUS RIVER
Espaço Ameríndio
Suruwaha
Espíritos
Cosmologia
Xamanismo.
title NON-HUMAN SPIRITS, INHUMAN SPIRITS: THE SUPERNATURE WORLD OF THE SURUWAHA FROM THE PURUS RIVER
title_full NON-HUMAN SPIRITS, INHUMAN SPIRITS: THE SUPERNATURE WORLD OF THE SURUWAHA FROM THE PURUS RIVER
title_fullStr NON-HUMAN SPIRITS, INHUMAN SPIRITS: THE SUPERNATURE WORLD OF THE SURUWAHA FROM THE PURUS RIVER
title_full_unstemmed NON-HUMAN SPIRITS, INHUMAN SPIRITS: THE SUPERNATURE WORLD OF THE SURUWAHA FROM THE PURUS RIVER
title_short NON-HUMAN SPIRITS, INHUMAN SPIRITS: THE SUPERNATURE WORLD OF THE SURUWAHA FROM THE PURUS RIVER
title_sort non human spirits inhuman spirits the supernature world of the suruwaha from the purus river
topic Suruwaha
Espíritos
Cosmologia
Xamanismo.
url http://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/EspacoAmerindio/article/view/57701
work_keys_str_mv AT miguelaparicio nonhumanspiritsinhumanspiritsthesupernatureworldofthesuruwahafromthepurusriver