Os sentidos ameríndios diante do coronavírus

Abstract

This dissertation starts from Amerindian ethnology and its studies on corporeality, perspectivism, shamanism, knowledge regimes and otherness to think about the condition of illness and the possibilities of cure in the face of the outbreak of a new disease. The aim, in this sense, is to reflect on the ways in which the coronavirus started to affect dreams, senses and experiences of different indigenous peoples. Through the analysis of their report, we will follow two main axes. The first of them encompasses their interpretations of the origins, causes and modes of action of the being that attacks us. Earth poisons, evil doubles, body parts, blood and smoke compose mythical narratives that are updates in the pandemic event, crossed by interspecific and interethnic interactions. The second axis, in turn, follows the various therapeutic paths that were mobilized in response to contamination. The notions of reclusion, shamanic inventions and plant transformations will be considered here, as well as the ontological conflicts that derive from their encounters with Western concepts and practices. Finally, it is about reflecting with indigenous knowledge about what it is to be healthy and what it is to be sick in a world of excessive predation and catastrophic counterpredation. A world in which disease has become a widespread condition.