The Chaco Skies. A Socio-Cultural History of Power Relations

LÓPEZ ALEJANDRO MARTÍN; ALTMAN, AGUSTINA

Religion and Society: Advances in Research

Berghahn Journals

Lugar: Nueva York; Año: 2017 vol. 8 p. 62 - 78

2150-9298

This article looks into the notions of the sky among the Guaycurú aboriginal groups in the Argentine Chaco, within the context of the socioreligious changes they have undergone since the 18th century. By using ethnoastronomy and anthropology of religion perspectives and based on our own ethnographic and documentary work, we have analyzed both the continuities and ruptures in the Guaycurú skies. As a result, we have demonstrated that it is the social relations between humans and non-humans that shape the Guaycurú experience of celestial space. These bonds have a strongly political character as they are structured around power asymmetries. The colonial experience, including Christian missions, has imposed modernity on these groups as an overall horizon of possibilities. However, they have sought to redefine modernity, creating their own Guaycurú modernity paths.