Indigenous Narratives of Creation and Origin in Embrace of the Serpent, by Ciro Guerra
English language notes April 1, 2020 DOI: 10.1215/00138282-8237520 via Semantic Scholar
Summary
An analysis of Ciro Guerra's film *Embrace of the Serpent* shows how the Amazonian shaman Karamakate's interactions with Western travelers reveal Indigenous origin narratives and the curative power of plants. The article argues that for these Indigenous cultures, knowledge and its reproduction are equivalent to ancestral songs and rituals, such as the Ayahuasca ceremony. By exploring central scenes of intercultural exchange and the Ayahuasca ritual, the analysis highlights the difficulty of distinguishing between the rationality of orality and writing in how Native cultures of the Americas understand their world.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | History Environmental science Sociology |
| Key finding | Indigenous Amazonian knowledge and its reproduction are equivalent to ancestral songs and rituals like the Ayahuasca ceremony, and the film highlights the difficulty of distinguishing between orality and writing in Native worldviews. |
Abstract
Abstract:In Ciro Guerra's film Embrace of the Serpent (2015), cultural exchanges between the central characters reveal the origin narratives and the curative power of plants valued by Indigenous cultures of the Amazon. This article analyzes how Embrace of the Serpent expresses Indigenous rationality in the origin narratives as the shaman Karamakate confronts Western travelers and scientists. For these Indigenous cultures, knowledge and its reproduction are equivalent to ancestral songs and rituals such as the ceremony of the Ayahuasca. This article supports these ideas not in a filmic analysis but by exploring central aspects and scenes in the film associated with intercultural exchanges and the ritual of Ayahuasca. Finally, Embrace of the Serpent highlights the difficulty of distinguishing between the rationality of orality and writing with which Native cultures of the Americas understand the world that surrounds them.