Beads, the Inka and the Whites: Glass Beads in Kaxinawa and Amerindian Mythology and Ritual

Abstract

In this article we analyse the role played by glass beads in Cashinahua myth and ritual, comparing our results with data on other Amerindian groups and showing how this small item of exchange permits us to discuss themes important for contemporary Amerindian ethnology. First of all we have the Amerindian search for knowledge about fabrication, origin and ownership of the materials they use in daily life and ritual. The role played by the incorporation of the agency of Others in the constitution of the person is central to Amerindian sociality. We show how the «captivation» of the exogenous forces contained in glass beads follows a local aesthetics. Finally we argue for the theoretical interest of indigenous discourses that systematically superpose bodies and artefacts, showing how similar are their inner structure, way of fabrication and agency.