Book

Amazonian cosmos: the sexual and religious symbolism of the Tukano Indians

University of Chicago PressChicago • Published In 1971 • Pages:

By: Reichel-Dolmatoff, Gerardo.

Abstract
This work is a study of the religious symbolism of a small group of tropical rain forest Indians known as the Desana (a subgroup of Tucano) living in the Vaupés region of Colombia's northwest Amazon area. Much of the information is based on the author's conversation with a single informant -- a largely acculturated Desana Indian by the name of Antonio Guzman. The document is divided into three major parts. Part I presents an ethnographic sketch of the Desana people and their land; part II, the Creation Myth, contains a relatively concise statement of cosmology and forms the basis of the establishement of various cultural institutions and religious codes; and part III provides a detailed analysis of religious symbolism in various aspects of Desana life.
Subjects
Hunting and trapping
Fishing
Literary texts
Shamans and psychotherapists
General character of religion
Mythology
Ethnophysics
Ethnozoology
culture
Tukano
HRAF PubDate
1998
Region
South America
Sub Region
Amazon and Orinoco
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
John Beierle ; 1996
Field Date
ca. 1960s
Coverage Date
1960s
Coverage Place
Desana tribe; Vaupés region, Colombian northwest Amazon
Notes
Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff
Translation of: Desana
Includes bibliographical references (p. 276-280)
LCCN
73133491
LCSH
Tukano Indians