Soul Loss in the Forest of Symbols: Transformational Bodies, Avá-Guaraní Acoustemology, and Magical Mediating Methodological Instruments
Suomen Antropologi Journal of the Finnish Anthropological Society April 1, 2026 Eric Michael Kelley
An ethnographer's Avá-Guaraní ritual sponsor named and ensouled him, embedding him in kinship and cosmology. During fieldwork he participated in all-male activities, studied shamanic rituals, and shared dream discussions. After returning home, viewing recordings of male shamans weeping over cultural and forest loss made him weep. Over years he realized this was soul loss, not reverse culture shock, requiring community healing. Raised with "boys don't cry" masculinity, he learned to cry to unlearn and grasp embodied relational knowledge. This suggests male Avá-Guaraní shamans cultivate charismatic relationships through emotional displays of care for their communities.