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Revista pueblos y fronteras digital
On-line version ISSN 1870-4115
Abstract
PAGE PLIEGO, Jaime Tomás. Ak’bil chamel (Thrown Malice). Similarities y Differences Among Tsotsil and Tseltal. Rev. pueblos front. digit. [online]. 2023, vol.18, e685. Epub Dec 08, 2023. ISSN 1870-4115. https://doi.org/10.22201/cimsur.18704115e.2023.v18.685.
This article discusses how Tsotsils and Tseltals conceived and lived before and at the end of 1990 decade what has been labeled as ak’ chamel or ak’bil chamel (thrown malice between humans). Predominantly, both groups designed the person capable of “thrown malice” as j-ak’ chamel, which I distinguish in two different categories: the first class is the petitioner, who requires to «pray» and make offerings to certain ontological entities, located in some powered place on Earth, so to help in the process of ak’bil chamel; the second class, corresponds to kibal (in Tsotsil), who transform themselves into animals, or natural and cosmic phenomena, and lab (in Tseltal), who emanates from within also to animals, natural phenomena, but also to certain humanoid forms. Neither of this two need the intercession of third parts to damage.
Keywords : indigenous ontology; cosmology; thrown malice; evil deities; Tseltals; Tsotsils.