article

Social practice and ontology in Akwe-Xavante naming and myth

Ethnology28 (4) • Published In 1989 • Pages: 331-341

By: Silva, Aracy Lopes da.

Abstract
This article examines the social functions of Xavante naming practices and concepts, arguing that personal names provide creative empirical solutions to structural challenges peculiar to the Gê-speaking societies of Central Brazil—most importantly the challenge of producing (and reproducing) multiple and simultaneous moiety (dual) pairs across different groups organized along the domains of kinship, residence, political loyalties, ritual, age, and sex. With increasing incorporation into the Brazilian state and the rise of commercial pressures on land—which disrupted traditional land holding and settlement patterns—Xavante personal names allowed individuals and groups to maintain culturally integral ties to lineages, ancestors, age sets, and other groupings across vast regions.
Subjects
Naming
Personal names
Mythology
Community structure
Ethos
Social personality
Ethnosociology
Kinship terminology
Etiquette
Inter-community relations
Lineages
Moieties
Social relationships and groups
culture
Xavante
Region
South America
Sub Region
Eastern South America
Document Type
article
Evaluation
Creator Type
Anthropologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Teferi Abate Adem; 2015
Field Date
1972-1980
Coverage Date
1972-1980
Coverage Place
eastern Mato Grosso, Brazil
Notes
Aracy Lopes da Silva
Includes bibliographical references (p. 340-341)
LCCN
64005713
LCSH
Xavante Indians