Hidden landscapes and the images of the “unseen”: from north-west Amazonia to the Middle Sepik region of New Guinea
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Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald
Abstract
The traditional world of numerous indigenous groups stretches beyond what can be seen with the eyes of an ordinary living human. What does the “unseen” look like? And how accessible, or how well concealed, are the hidden landscapes? To address these questions, we turn to two societies across “Melazonia”, a shared complex of beliefs and attitudes which spans Amazonia and New Guinea. The focus is on two societies - the Tariana of the core Vaupés River Basin Linguistic Area in north-west Amazonia and the Manambu of the Middle Sepik in New Guinea. Special spirit-only places, where living people are believed to dwell after they die or if a spirit takes them there, are invisible to the eye of common mortals, but can reveal themselves under special circumstances. Among the people of the Vaupés River Basin Linguistic Area, these are referred to as “the village/settlement of the Fish-likepeople”. Among the Manambu of the East Sepik, they are referred to as ‘ghost villages’. These share some similarities (e.g., white people’s riches), and are dangerous and alluring at the same time. Encounters with what lies beyond the human eye and perhaps human life represent an alternative, lived reality in the Vaupés and among the Manambu. Hidden as they are, they are part of the overall view and the overall landscape, stretching beyond a dichotomy between “real” and “surreal”.
Abstract
The traditional world of numerous indigenous groups stretches beyond what can be seen with the eyes of an ordinary living human. What does the “unseen” look like? And how accessible, or how well concealed, are the hidden landscapes? To address these questions, we turn to two societies across “Melazonia”, a shared complex of beliefs and attitudes which spans Amazonia and New Guinea. The focus is on two societies - the Tariana of the core Vaupés River Basin Linguistic Area in north-west Amazonia and the Manambu of the Middle Sepik in New Guinea. Special spirit-only places, where living people are believed to dwell after they die or if a spirit takes them there, are invisible to the eye of common mortals, but can reveal themselves under special circumstances. Among the people of the Vaupés River Basin Linguistic Area, these are referred to as “the village/settlement of the Fish-likepeople”. Among the Manambu of the East Sepik, they are referred to as ‘ghost villages’. These share some similarities (e.g., white people’s riches), and are dangerous and alluring at the same time. Encounters with what lies beyond the human eye and perhaps human life represent an alternative, lived reality in the Vaupés and among the Manambu. Hidden as they are, they are part of the overall view and the overall landscape, stretching beyond a dichotomy between “real” and “surreal”.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Language in strange and familiar places: A short introduction 1
- The eternal and the ephemeral 9
- Language preservation in strangely familiar places: How traditional skills have helped preserve Shaetlan 39
- Hidden landscapes and the images of the “unseen”: from north-west Amazonia to the Middle Sepik region of New Guinea 75
- The intersection of language, religion, identity, and scholarship: Opportunities for the revitalization of Ge’ez 131
- Speaking of oneself in multi-term evidential systems: From the Himalayas to Amazonia 149
- Ideological and communicative perspectives on divination amongst the people of Northern Ghana 193
- Beyond participants–researchers–research outsiders: food talk and the (co-)construction of knowledge in multi-sited participatory ethnography 223
- Making and selling Greek food in London: Migrant hospitality professionals talk about food authenticity over dinner 257
- Feierabendziegel: Roof tiles with celestial bodies on them, and how they are relevant for understanding experiences of contingency 287
- Index of authors 329
- Index of subjects 335
- Index of languages, language families, areas, and peoples 339
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Language in strange and familiar places: A short introduction 1
- The eternal and the ephemeral 9
- Language preservation in strangely familiar places: How traditional skills have helped preserve Shaetlan 39
- Hidden landscapes and the images of the “unseen”: from north-west Amazonia to the Middle Sepik region of New Guinea 75
- The intersection of language, religion, identity, and scholarship: Opportunities for the revitalization of Ge’ez 131
- Speaking of oneself in multi-term evidential systems: From the Himalayas to Amazonia 149
- Ideological and communicative perspectives on divination amongst the people of Northern Ghana 193
- Beyond participants–researchers–research outsiders: food talk and the (co-)construction of knowledge in multi-sited participatory ethnography 223
- Making and selling Greek food in London: Migrant hospitality professionals talk about food authenticity over dinner 257
- Feierabendziegel: Roof tiles with celestial bodies on them, and how they are relevant for understanding experiences of contingency 287
- Index of authors 329
- Index of subjects 335
- Index of languages, language families, areas, and peoples 339
