The ontological turn in anthropological theory is examined through three interconnected approaches. First, the academic success of Amerindian ontologies is situated within debates on the political consequences of the anthropocene. Second, an archaeology of the concept of perspectivism shows that Amerindian ethnology has long pursued Copernican turnings, from Montaigne onward. Finally, the article argues for a return to aesthetics and poetics as key domains for exploring how different ontologies teach us to see the world differently. Understanding multiple versions of Amerindian relational ontologies requires perceiving the relational character of the aesthetics they reveal, as illustrated by Huni Kuin (Cashinahua) aesthetics in ayahuasca song.
Based on four years of fieldwork, the author examines a therapeutic ritual led by two young Kaxinawá shamans that involves consuming ayahuasca. The article discusses how Amerindians and non-Amerindians interact through equivocal compatibilities, where mutual understanding arises from a 'synonymous effect'. This effect places spirits and mythological beings on the same psychological and sentimental level as participants, creating a metaphorical continuum in communication. Ethnographic data suggest that urban Nixi Pae rites explore the equivocal compatibility between two key terms: Yube and the unconscious.