El Apurinã
Los Apurinã poseen una cosmología y un cosmos ritual complejos y dispersos por muchas localidades de las orillas del Purús. Las violentas interacciones de los dos ciclos del caucho en la zona amazónica han tenido un impacto significativo en su historia. Ahora luchan por sus derechos. Algunas de sus propiedades siguen sin estar reconocidas por el gobierno, y los madereros las invaden con frecuencia.
Algunos afirman que apurinã, o ipuriná en su encarnación anterior, es un término de la lengua jamamadi popũkare, que es como el grupo se describe a sí mismo. La familia de lenguas maipure-aruak incluye la lengua apurinã en la rama purus. Los manchineri o piro, que viven en el alto Purús brasileño, hablan la lengua más parecida. Se encuentran sobre todo en el bajo valle del Urubamba, en Perú.
Rituales y celebraciones
There is a ritual conflict that starts a Xingané. The visitors come bearing arms, painted faces, and festive decorations from the forest. They arrive yelling. The hosts approach them with comparable weapons. As soon as they gather together, the leaders stand up and begin to argue, shouting swiftly and loudly. The Portuguese word for this discourse is “cutting sanguiré,” while the Apurinã word is katxipuruãta.
They are constantly aiming their firearms at each other’s chests. The other gang members are waiting behind, their weapons ready, and they are also aiming them towards the disputants. The leaders start taking snuff from each other’s palms when the voices and the guns are both turned down.
Chamanismo Apurinã
The Apurinã believe that stones are the source of disease and the shaman’s treatment. The shaman’s ability to cure and his ability to inflict disease and death are both made possible by stones. According to some sources, the first stage of a shaman’s initiation is him spending months in the jungle while fasting or eating very little and chewing katsowaru. Another thing to avoid is having sexual relations.
The stone is inserted into the body of the shaman when it is given to him. He’ll put all the stones he gets or, in the future, takes out of the sick people’s bodies, within his body.
Apurinã shamans treat patients by chewing a leaf called katsoparu and using awiry snuff. The shaman has his own katsoparu and awire, but in most cases, the individual seeking the treatment is in charge of supplying them for the occasion. The shaman should sniff a lot of awiry and chew the katsoparu. Sometimes the healing is done privately, at the ill person’s home; nevertheless, it happens frequently that everyone is engaged, chatting and munching before the shaman begins the session. He cures by sucking the area where the sickness is.
Frequently, he would demonstrate the stone while outlining the nature of the disease, how the patient got it, and what he should do. He clarifies if it was caused by witchcraft or a wild animal. After placing the stone into his body, he can provide treatments and cures.
The Apurinã are famous for their Green Rapé Snuff: Apurinã Awiry, so unique and different from the other tribes of the region.
