The Canela: Kinship, Ritual, and Sex in an Amazonian TribeThis text is a case study of one people, the Canela, which traces changes through time, a group uniquely held together by social and sexual bonds, and reveals the ethnographer's fieldwork practices. The authors present much of the material through short narratives and examples and Native points of view are expressed through their diaries. The reader is introduced to the Canela with an account of one of the author's arrivals in the tribe. This is followed by a brief history of the Canela that clarifies how the network of the kinship system holds the society together, and how the unusual sex practices create satisfying bonds among the people. The case study also shows how the practice of rituals affirms the group way of life for the individual. Many contemporary influences have caused the gradual demise of the Canela way of life. The case study concludes with an epilogue on the Canela's future adaptation to Brazilian life. |
Contents
A First Visit to the Canela | 9 |
A Myth Is Created to Justify Inferior Status | 18 |
Without Warfare Discipline Starts Breaking Down | 24 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
adolescent age class Alpercatas anthropology aunts Awkhêê baby backland Barra do Corda become Belém belt Boil bonding boulevard boys Brazil Brazilian brother Burnt Path Canela research assistants Canela village civilizado Clowns contributing fathers Council of Elders Crocker Figure Crow kinship culture dancing extended family extramarital sex Facsimile Warriors farm female associate festival forests Formal Friend ghosts girls group sequential sex Guajajara husband Indian Service índio individuals Informal Friends Jaguar's Coat joking Kayapó kinship Lake Lover living log racing longhouses Macaw's Bone machete male manioc Maranhão marriage married Masks matrilines meat moiety mother niece Nimuendajú older person platform bed plaza pollutants Portuguese restrictions rite role Roma São Luis savannahs sequential sex settlers sexual shaman siblings sing-dance sister social society spouses Timbira Timbira tribes tribal uncles village circle virginity Waterfall Waterfall's wife William H witch wives woman Xokleng Yanomami younger Thunder youth