Papers by Laurent FONTAINE
Les Cahiers de Littérature Orale n.77-78, 2015
El mambeadero is a nocturnal meeting, a situation where elders chew coca publicly in front of the... more El mambeadero is a nocturnal meeting, a situation where elders chew coca publicly in front of their community to conduct rituals or for being questioned about their knowledge. Nighttime meetings are historically recent among the Yucuna; they became organized after the first daytime meetings in the mid-seventies. Nocturnal meetings follow the same rules as daytime meetings; they require the sharing and dissemination of any information that is stated. But in mambeaderos, medicine men and shamans often pronounce incantations and diagnostics that normally should remain secret and confidential. Therefore, explanations and translations declared in public remain rather superficial. An extract of talk from a nocturnal meeting is transcribed and translated from the Yucuna; Spanish dialogues are presented and analyzed to examine precisely the discrepancies.
Autrepart, n°73, 2015
In regular contact with whites for a little over a century, Yucuna Indians gradually shifted from... more In regular contact with whites for a little over a century, Yucuna Indians gradually shifted from a foreign domination imposed by force to an internalised domination accepted by a majority of Indians, and now adopted by the leaders running community meetings. Elders are the strongest opponents to the latter form of domination. Sitting down in the evening to chew coca, they still desperately try to preserve their verbal knowledge, and discuss how they should speak in the assemblies to assert it again with young people. At the beginning of a pineapple alcohol drinking session, several elders expound their ways to argue for the respect of traditional knowledge. Analysing their speech shows that it is essentially metaphorical.
Bulletin de l'Institut Français d'Études Andines, 2016
Yucuna incantations are mumbled in a low voice and without an audience, as are those of the Desan... more Yucuna incantations are mumbled in a low voice and without an audience, as are those of the Desana described by Dominique Buchillet to question Lévi-Strauss’s explanation of symbolic efficiency. The use of the term “belief” is criticized in light of the definitions of epistemic modality from the perspective of modal linguistics and modal logic. Using these definitions, the study of the speech of shamans reveals their propositional attitude and how they see the effects of their own incantations. Detailed analysis of the incantation against the sting of the bullet ant (Paraponera clavata) shows that its symbolic efficiency for the shamans can be deconstructed in terms of performativity, agency, metaphor and metonymy based in part on mythological knowledge.
Actes du colloque international "Du terrain à la théorie. Les 40 ans du LACITO, 2016
L’article cherche à évaluer la portée heuristique de la notion d’acte de parole (de John Austin) ... more L’article cherche à évaluer la portée heuristique de la notion d’acte de parole (de John Austin) pour les anthropologues linguistes en s’attelant précisément à un genre de parole délaissé par les philosophes du langage et les linguistes : les plaisanteries sexuelles. La notion d’acte de parole ayant ouvert toute une série de pistes de recherches (déjà signalées par Austin), l’article propose une classification des principales traditions méthodologiques employées : 1) les approches individualistes ou intentionnalistes, 2) les approches focalisées sur l’enchaînement des actes ou échanges coopératifs, et 3) les approches à la fois interactionnistes et holistes. Nos matériaux ethnographiques sont composés de séries de plaisanteries sexuelles spontanément dites dans le voisinage de La Pedrera : l’une en langue yucuna au début d’un essartage, l’autre en langue tanimuca lors d’une beuverie nocturne. Deux exemples d’approche leur sont appliqués pour comparer leurs résultats en conditions ethnographiques : l’approche intentionnaliste adoptée par Searle (dans sa critique de la théorie de Grice) et l’approche interactionniste et holiste de Labov et Goffman.
Territoriality and Boundaries, 2008
In small South Colombian frontier villages such as La Pedrera, forms of exchange are so diverse t... more In small South Colombian frontier villages such as La Pedrera, forms of exchange are so diverse that it would be reductionist, from an anthropological point of view, to consider only the monetary (pecuniary) exchanges. In this boundary region of the Amazonian trapezium, most exchanges are carried out without the use of money and a lot of them can be considered as "barters" or "gifts" (Mauss 1967). In addition to the usual market relationships, many other kinds of exchange exist where things are exchanged without the use of money. After discussing the geographical and political characteristics of La Pedrera, we will examine the historical evolution of exchanges in this frontier zone; then we will show the progressive construction of exchange relationships between Whites and Indians from the 17th Century until now. Nowadays many exchanges can be considered as alternative techniques of exchange, that is as apart from monetary exchanges.
Introduction à la langue et à l'écriture des Indiens tanimuca et letuama
2013, De l'agentivité mythique et incantatoire. Le mythe de Kawáirimi chez les Yucuna (Amazonie colombienne), Ateliers d'Anthropologie n. 39., Dec 20, 2013
This article presents a new analysis of the myth of Kawáirimi (Jacopin, 1981), based on a second,... more This article presents a new analysis of the myth of Kawáirimi (Jacopin, 1981), based on a second, more detailed version recorded in 2008 from Mario Matapi, a well-known healer, who agreed to explain key passages, linking them to several incantatory verses. On the basis of this comprehensive version of the myth of Kawáirimi transcribed in Yucuna language and then translated, I will present different forms of agency proper to this speech. I will first examine its social context and its effects on today’s Yucuna population, near La Pedrera. Next, I will study the agency strictly internal to the narrative, by proposing a method of exploring the two versions that makes it possible not only to establish a comparative and general table of their principal acts, but also to analyse the effects and repercussions between these acts. Finally, I will analyse incantation extracts that are supposed to work by referring to the story.
2011, Les cours d'eau dans les incantations chamaniques des Indiens yucuna (Amazonie colombienne), Journal de la société des américanistes 97(1)
For Yucuna Indians, every river has its history, its masters or original inhabitants. They are me... more For Yucuna Indians, every river has its history, its masters or original inhabitants. They are mentioned in invocations called juní maná (« invocations of water »). These invocations are one of fundamentals of the shamanism of the Yucuna : they constitute a basic structure repeated in many incantations, which are supplemented with other invocations depending on the type of treatment to be provided. They recall, explain and situate the origin of every natural element referring to some particular extract of history or myth, considered with its consequences in everyday life. In this text, the « invocations of water » are presented in their original language with the comments of the therapist.
Logiques modales et anthropologie. Des règles à la parole chez les Indiens Yucuna d’Amazonie colombienne. - In : L'Homme , 2007, 184 "Ethnicités ?" : 131-153.
The formal means are brought to light that now allow us to perfect and systematically undertake t... more The formal means are brought to light that now allow us to perfect and systematically undertake the analysis of social rules and norms. These means mainly come from Georg von Wright’s deontic logic, which, since this philosopher’s famous text in 1951, has been substantially developed, especially in France, through the work of Kalinowski and Bailhache. This work concerns not only the legal sciences but all of anthropology. The example of Yucuna society in Colombia’s Amazon area illustrates how modal logic is relevant not only for identifying the rules that govern the distribution of tasks but also for studying the effects of these rules in verbal exchanges.
Agents ou "patients" ? De l'agentivité des chamanes yucuna d'Amazonie colombienne [Agents or patients? On the agency of the Yucuna shamans of Colombian Amazonia] -- In : Ateliers du LESC [Online], 2010, 34 : [32] p.
From an ethnographic perspective, the notion of agency is extremely interesting, since it challen... more From an ethnographic perspective, the notion of agency is extremely interesting, since it challenges our observations on the laws and means indigenous people recognise for conceiving the influences exerted between agents and patients. After proposing a sufficiently broad formal definition of agency, we will attempt to clarify our stated view by examining Yucuna shaman speech, which reveals some illuminating particularities of the effects in operation between agents and patients. It appears that in Yucuna shamanism, nothing is ever definitely an agent or a patient; all power is manifested alternatively through “active”, “reactive” or “receptive” phases that always depend upon specific conditions, which can sometimes be solicited or avoided by means of appropriate rituals.
2013, Les nouveaux espaces publics chez les Yucuna d'Amazonie colombienne, Journal de la Société des Américanistes, 99(1) :77-104
The new public spaces of the Yucuna Indians (Colombian Amazon). Since the beginning
of the twent... more The new public spaces of the Yucuna Indians (Colombian Amazon). Since the beginning
of the twentieth century, the regular contacts of the Yucuna Indians with some new
external actors have gradually led them to experience new public spaces, permanently
transforming their social organization. This article reviews the history of these spaces.
The analysis of traditional gathering areas shows that they are distinguishable
from modern public spaces. It is only with the entrance of the rubber exploiters, state
officials and missionaries, that the Yucuna communities were forced to open up to the
surrounding society. The 1970’s were then marked by the emergence of the indigenous
assemblies that are probably the areas of interaction which are the most representative
of modern public spaces integrated in communities.
La monnaie, une modalité d'échange parmi d'autres chez les Indiens yucuna d'Amazonie colombienne [Currency, One Mode of Exchange among Others among the Yucuna Indians of Colombian Amazonia] -- In : Journal des Anthropologues, 2002, 90-91 "Monnaies : pluralités - contradictions" : 171-188
Very rarely used in Yucuna traditional exchanges, the Colombian currency is only found in certain... more Very rarely used in Yucuna traditional exchanges, the Colombian currency is only found in certain of their market transactions with Whites. The Indians maintain diverse modes of exchange with the latter, such as advances, bartering or the métayage system, which have the particularity of not necessarily requiring currency, although they are dependent on the market with respect to the local price system. In the face of these transactions imposed by Whites, traditional forms of exchange are still mainly composed of gifts and counter-gifts according to the specific rules of their social organisation. However, in spite of the fact that currency and the market have had a limited impact on the Yucuna social system, they have nevertheless affected its different spheres, in particular by freeing access to commodities for Indians who were habitually constrained by division of tasks.
Les nouvelles interactions entre Yucuna et intervenants extérieurs (Colombie amazonienne) -- In : Société suisse des Américanistes, 2008, 70 : 49-58.
Les nouvelles interactions entre Yucuna et intervenants extérieurs (Colombie amazonienne).
Pour f... more Les nouvelles interactions entre Yucuna et intervenants extérieurs (Colombie amazonienne).
Pour faire face à l’épuisement de leurs ressources lié à
leur concentration autour des zones urbaines, les communautés
indigènes du Bas Caqueta (Colombie) intègrent des
programmes de développement amenés par des organisations
extérieures, qui les poussent à se réorganiser. En
prenant le cas de la communauté de Camaritagua, nous
examinons les problèmes que posent de telles réorganisations,
pour décider d’une nouvelle réglementation interne,
dans le domaine de l’environnement et dans le domaine
juridique de la délinquance juvénile. Le fonctionnement des
règles indigènes, essentiellement orales et privée, s’accorde
difficilement avec celui des lois écrites officielles.
El mambe frente al dinero entre los yucuna del Amazonas. In : Revista Colombiana de Antropología, pp. 173-201.
THIS ARTICLE SHOWS THE FUNDAMENTAL ROLE PLAYED BY MAMBE AMONGST THE yukuna, a role similar to tha... more THIS ARTICLE SHOWS THE FUNDAMENTAL ROLE PLAYED BY MAMBE AMONGST THE yukuna, a role similar to that of modern currency in mercantile societies, for it has a privileged position over any other traditional "good" in indigenous exchange practices. Furthermore, be it in terms of kinship, shamanism, or the maloca, coca leaf is the highest expression of institutional authority. When compared to Colombian currency, the article explains the situations in which specific rules governing their use come into conflicto and the manner in which indigenous peoples must transform their social organization, so that both may be articulated with one another.
"Current Anthropology 51, 6 (2010) 826-827"
La nuit est l'une des deux faces possibles de toute situation interactive ou interlocutive : cert... more La nuit est l'une des deux faces possibles de toute situation interactive ou interlocutive : certaines activités se déroulent de nuit, d'autres de jour. Même s'il arrive qu'elles passent de l'une à l'autre, ou embrassent les deux à la fois, on peut remarquer que les actes diurnes et nocturnes restent toujours différents, et cela dans toutes les cultures, mais chacune d'entre elles selon des formes propres qui restent à comparer.
Books by Laurent FONTAINE
Société d'ethnologie, 2014
The Yucuna of the Colombian Amazon reserve the night to speak, teach and memorize ritual words su... more The Yucuna of the Colombian Amazon reserve the night to speak, teach and memorize ritual words such as myths, chants and incantations.
For yucuna healers, it is essential to stay up very late, because it is during the night that one can best concentrate and improve one's “listening” to remember the ritual words. Sleeping early is also considered dangerous, because it is during the first half of the night that the greatest number of specters, demons and other harmful entities appear in search of easy prey.
In this nocturnal context, the myth of origin and the incantations offer not only the means to protect oneself from the dangers of the night, but also to develop awakening and shamanic abilities.
SELAF, 474, 2024
This work presents and analyzes a corpus of 18 long shamanic incantations collected in the Colomb... more This work presents and analyzes a corpus of 18 long shamanic incantations collected in the Colombian Amazon. It is based on the elaboration of two volumes of appendices: The Incantations of Milciades Yucuna (Appendix 2) as transcribed from this healer; and The Encyclopedia of Invocations (Appendix 1) which classifies the plant and animal species according to their categorizations in the incantations. The study of this corpus of incantations shows that their structure can be reconstructed if we consider the conceptual metonymies that are omnipresent in the effects of the movement relations between entities, depending on their relations of contiguity or inclusion. This structure appears when the movements of the invoked entities are classified according to criteria of logical and antonymic opposition. Each incantation appears as one of the parts of a vast dual system of bewitchments and unbewitchments characterized by symmetries in terms of structure and purpose. The examination of conceptual metaphors allows us to explain a multitude of transformations dealt with in the incantations and to identify their recurrent processes, based on logics of forms and logics of qualities, as Lévi-Strauss had already noted in the case of mythology. The structural oppositions turn out to be even more interesting when they are taken into account with their specific dynamics and conditions.
Callender Press. Collection "Hearing Others' Voices" directed by Ruth Finnegan, 74 p., 2023
In shamanism, there are two paths. The first always occurs involuntarily and unexpectedly when on... more In shamanism, there are two paths. The first always occurs involuntarily and unexpectedly when one has been chosen by an invisible entity (spirit, ancestor or master of the forest), most often during a traumatic event (illness, accident or Near Death Experience). However, the second path requires that one expresses his will to develop his powers with master shamans by means of rituals and initiation trials. For anyone who has never had the opportunity to be challenged by supernatural entities, the second path not only allows to meet them in order to ask for a spiritual development, but also to recover shamanic powers apparently lost. This is the path that Fermín followed during seven years of dieting and learning incantations, to ‘see’ and ‘extract’ diseases of the body, and even travel as a jaguar in unsuspected worlds.
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Papers by Laurent FONTAINE
of the twentieth century, the regular contacts of the Yucuna Indians with some new
external actors have gradually led them to experience new public spaces, permanently
transforming their social organization. This article reviews the history of these spaces.
The analysis of traditional gathering areas shows that they are distinguishable
from modern public spaces. It is only with the entrance of the rubber exploiters, state
officials and missionaries, that the Yucuna communities were forced to open up to the
surrounding society. The 1970’s were then marked by the emergence of the indigenous
assemblies that are probably the areas of interaction which are the most representative
of modern public spaces integrated in communities.
Pour faire face à l’épuisement de leurs ressources lié à
leur concentration autour des zones urbaines, les communautés
indigènes du Bas Caqueta (Colombie) intègrent des
programmes de développement amenés par des organisations
extérieures, qui les poussent à se réorganiser. En
prenant le cas de la communauté de Camaritagua, nous
examinons les problèmes que posent de telles réorganisations,
pour décider d’une nouvelle réglementation interne,
dans le domaine de l’environnement et dans le domaine
juridique de la délinquance juvénile. Le fonctionnement des
règles indigènes, essentiellement orales et privée, s’accorde
difficilement avec celui des lois écrites officielles.
Books by Laurent FONTAINE
For yucuna healers, it is essential to stay up very late, because it is during the night that one can best concentrate and improve one's “listening” to remember the ritual words. Sleeping early is also considered dangerous, because it is during the first half of the night that the greatest number of specters, demons and other harmful entities appear in search of easy prey.
In this nocturnal context, the myth of origin and the incantations offer not only the means to protect oneself from the dangers of the night, but also to develop awakening and shamanic abilities.
of the twentieth century, the regular contacts of the Yucuna Indians with some new
external actors have gradually led them to experience new public spaces, permanently
transforming their social organization. This article reviews the history of these spaces.
The analysis of traditional gathering areas shows that they are distinguishable
from modern public spaces. It is only with the entrance of the rubber exploiters, state
officials and missionaries, that the Yucuna communities were forced to open up to the
surrounding society. The 1970’s were then marked by the emergence of the indigenous
assemblies that are probably the areas of interaction which are the most representative
of modern public spaces integrated in communities.
Pour faire face à l’épuisement de leurs ressources lié à
leur concentration autour des zones urbaines, les communautés
indigènes du Bas Caqueta (Colombie) intègrent des
programmes de développement amenés par des organisations
extérieures, qui les poussent à se réorganiser. En
prenant le cas de la communauté de Camaritagua, nous
examinons les problèmes que posent de telles réorganisations,
pour décider d’une nouvelle réglementation interne,
dans le domaine de l’environnement et dans le domaine
juridique de la délinquance juvénile. Le fonctionnement des
règles indigènes, essentiellement orales et privée, s’accorde
difficilement avec celui des lois écrites officielles.
For yucuna healers, it is essential to stay up very late, because it is during the night that one can best concentrate and improve one's “listening” to remember the ritual words. Sleeping early is also considered dangerous, because it is during the first half of the night that the greatest number of specters, demons and other harmful entities appear in search of easy prey.
In this nocturnal context, the myth of origin and the incantations offer not only the means to protect oneself from the dangers of the night, but also to develop awakening and shamanic abilities.
Il s’agit de l’étude d’un corpus de dix-huit longues incantations recueillies auprès de Milciades Yucuna. Les deux annexes de ce travail restituent et présentent ces données sur les incantations dans un format ayant pour objectif de faciliter leur consultation, leur compréhension et leur analyse.
Les incantations yucuna sont en grande partie composées d’invocations qui classifient l’ensemble des entités du monde en fonction de catégorisations morphologiques (basées sur des similitudes prototypiques ou par attributs) et de catégorisations agentives (basées sur des propriétés actives aussi bien utiles que pathogènes). Alors que la catégorisation morphologique fonctionne principalement en bas du système de hiérarchies imbriquées (au rang des taxons yucuna les plus élémentaires), la catégorisation agentive fonctionne à tous les autres rangs englobants. Le tome 2 intitulé « Encyclopédie des invocations » constitue un inventaire de toutes les entités invoquées, ordonné et classé selon leurs différentes propriétés reconnues et employées dans les incantations.
Ce document présente l’éventail de mes recherches depuis 1997 chez les Yucuna et Tanimuca, dont les langues appartiennent respectivement aux familles linguistiques arawak et tucano, et qui entretiennent des relations d’alliance exogamiques privilégiées. Pluridisciplinaires dès mes travaux de troisième cycle universitaire, mes recherches ont toujours eu pour objectif de concilier les apports des sciences sociales et des sciences du langage non seulement en les mettant à l’épreuve des données observées sur le terrain, mais aussi en explicitant et en testant de nouvelles méthodologies requérant différents types de collectes des données.
Les Yucuna d’Amazonie colombienne se réservent la nuit pour prononcer, enseigner et mémoriser les paroles rituelles telles que les mythes, les chants et les incantations.
Pour les guérisseurs yucuna, il est essentiel de veiller très tard, car c’est durant la nuit que l’on peut le mieux se concentrer et améliorer son “écoute” pour retenir les paroles rituelles. Dormir tôt est d’ailleurs considéré comme dangereux, car c’est durant la première moitié de la nuit que surgissent le plus grand nombre de spectres, démons et autres entités nuisibles en quête de proies faciles.
Dans ce contexte nocturne, le mythe d’origine et les incantations offrent non seulement les moyens de se prémunir des dangers de la nuit, mais encore d’y développer l’éveil et les capacités chamaniques.
Mais comment en rendre compte?. Le pari est ici de montrer qu'il est possible d'éviter le piège d'une perspective ethnocentrée en prenant pour grille de lecture les narrations propres aux indigènes, à condition de tenir compte de leurs contextes. Rien de mieux que des textes bilingues annotés et commentés, pour présenter la pensée et les activités des Yucuna, et donner à ces derniers les moyens d'être compris dans notre société, au même titre que toute autre culture.
- Los dueños de las enfermedades,
- El camino de las almas difuntas,
- La dieta y el camino del aprendiz chamán
Récits bilingues en langue yucuna, traduits en français et annotés. De nouveaux récits sont ajoutés régulièrement.
Récits bilingues en langue yucuna, traduits en français et annotés. De nouveaux récits sont ajoutés régulièrement.
Durée : 29 mn
Montrer des paroles et des tâches de la vie quotidienne des Yucuna chez qui toute tâche est plaisir ou prétexte au plaisir.
Durée : 27 mn.
Durée : 73 mn
Durée : 9 mn
Durée : 18 mn
Milciades raconte un événement passé 17 ans plus tôt alors que son fils Joselino terminait de recevoir l'enseignement chamanique de son père ...
Durée : 9 mn.
Durée : 10 mn.
Durée : 20 mn.
Durée : 8 mn.
Durée : 11 mn.
Durée : 11 mn.
Durée : 21 mn.
Anthropos, 109 (2), 2014
Cahier des Amériques Latines, Vol. 44, 2004