Abstract

BENCIOLINI, Maria. Náayeri customs and cosmopolitics. The dilemma of hermeticism and the struggle for territory against megaprojects. Revista Col. San Luis [online]. 2019, vol.9, n.18, pp.159-181. ISSN 2007-8846.  https://doi.org/10.21696/rcsl9182019897.

This paper aims to reflect on the reasons that have led the Náayeri to undertake a process of resistance against a hydroelectric project in their territory. The paper is divided into two parts, in the first part (through second-hand sources) it discusses the dialectic relationship between ritual activity and political life of the Náayeri communities. In the second (based on ethnographic data) it argues about the relevance of the current resistance to the hydroelectric project due to the impact it would have on several sacred sites and the possible loss of certain ritual activities if these sites were affected. Result highlights include how the Náayeri have employed ritual not only for establishing relationships with their ancestors and gods, but also as a political instrument in their relationship with the mestizo world. The text offers an original reading on Cora customs and their political and ritual efficacy both in regards to the past as well as in regards to the current situation. In conclusion, the text shows how the political decision and ritual actions taken by the Náayeri people facing a threat to their sacred sites can be inserted in a wider diachronic context, in which, over the centuries, the communities have constructed and negotiated their forms of ritual and political action in order to protect one of the things that matters most to them: their customs.

Keywords : cora; ritualism; megaprojects; territoriality; politics.