The Politics of Shamanism and the Limits of Fear
Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America May 1, 2006 Robert Storrie 3 citations
Among the Hoti, a small group of hunter-horticulturalists in central Venezuelan Guiana, egalitarian and anti-hierarchical moral understandings make all power ambiguous and all claims to authority suspicious. Individuals who cultivate a reputation as “Light Ones”—people skilled in interacting with powerful shamanic beings—provide essential safety and fertility for the community, yet rarely admit to shamanic ability. Through humor, mockery, and even violence, the Hoti limit shamans' capacity to accumulate authority and wield power, making the politics of shamanism demanding, dangerous, and sometimes deadly.