The Politics of Shamanism and the Limits of Fear

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.

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Abstract

The Hoti are a small group of hunter-horticulturalists living in the highlands of central Venezuelan Guiana. In this article I examine Hoti understandings of equality, hierarchy and power and the coercive use of fear by individuals who cultivate a reputation as “Light Ones”—that is people especially skilled in their interaction with the powerful beings of the shamanic environment—a role that is essential for the safety and fertility of the community. Hoti people are highly egalitarian and anti-hierarchical in their moral understandings and for them all power is ambiguous, and all claims to authority can arouse suspicion. For this reason it is very seldom that anyone will claim ability as a shaman, although there is considerable political skill involved in cultivating such a reputation without ever admitting to it directly. The politics of shamanism can be a demanding, dangerous, and sometimes deadly game, as Hoti people are able, through humor, mockery and even violence to limit the capacity of their shamans to accumulate authority and wield power. Los Hoti son un pequeño grupo de cazadores-horticultores que viven en la región central de la Guayana venezolana. En este artículo examino las nociones Hoti sobre la igualdad, la jerarquía y el poder, así como el uso coercitivo del miedo por parte de aquellos individuos que cultivan la reputación de ser “Gente Liviana”—es decir, gente con habilidad para interactuar con los poderosos seres del medioambiente chamánico—un rol que es esencial para garantizar la seguridad y fertilidad de la comunidad. Los Hoti tienen una filosofía moral altamente igualitaria y anti-jerárquica; para ellos toda forma de poder es ambigua y toda pretensión de autoridad levanta sospechas. Por esta razón es poco frecuente que alguien sostenga tener habilidades chamánicas, aunque se requiere una gran habilidad política para cultivar una reputación como chamán sin jamás admitirlo directamente. El juego político chamánico es sumamente demandante, peligroso y, a veces, letal, dado que a través del humor, la burla e incluso la violencia los Hoti son capaces de limitar la capacidad de los chamanes para acumular autoridad y detentar poder.