71
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
E. Boutsikas et al. (eds.), Advancing Cultural Astronomy, Historical & Cultural
Astronomy, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64606-6_5
Signs, Not Phenomena: Moqoit
Cosmo- politics and Alternative
Experiences of the Sky
Alejandro Martín López
1 Awaiting Visitors
Since 1999, I have conducted fieldwork among the Southwestern Chaco Moqoit,
paying particular attention to their experiences and conceptions of the celestial
space. I was struck, from the very beginning, by the fact that each time I visited my
Moqoit interlocutors, I was told that my arrival was expected and they already knew
a visitor would come from afar that day. The unexpected appearance of certain birds
or the unusual behaviour of domestic animals are interpreted as señas (signs in
English), netanec in the Moqoit language, of a forthcoming visit.
Within the scope of the celestial phenomena I was studying, the same word,
netanec, came up repeatedly. Meteors, eclipses, the positions of the Milky Way and
a large number of celestial phenomena and entities are also considered señas by the
Moqoit. They carry messages concerning important issues, such as rain, the death of
leaders or even changes in the world order.
The central role that signs play in the Moqoit life is a common denominator in
conversation topics as diverse as health, precarious family economy, political
decision- making, love life, or the upbringing of children.
This work is a translated and expanded version of an article published in Spanish: López, Alejandro
M. (2017) ‘Las Señas: una aproximación a las cosmo-políticas de los mocovíes del Chaco’. In:
Revista Etnografías Contemporáneas (3rd year, N°4, April 2017), Issue: Naturaleza y Sociedad,
perspectivas desde América Latina (Coord. Andrea Mastrangelo), from the Centro de Estudios en
Antropología del Instituto de Altos Estudios Sociales de la Universidad Nacional de San Martín.
Online edition, pp. 92–127.
A. M. López (*)
Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Instituto de Ciencias Antropológicas, Sección de Etnología,
Universidad de Buenos Aires, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
(CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
E. Boutsikas et al. (eds.), Advancing Cultural Astronomy, Historical & Cultural
Astronomy, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64606-6_5
Signs, Not Phenomena: Moqoit
Cosmo- politics and Alternative
Experiences of the Sky
Alejandro Martín López
1 Awaiting Visitors
Since 1999, I have conducted fieldwork among the Southwestern Chaco Moqoit,
paying particular attention to their experiences and conceptions of the celestial
space. I was struck, from the very beginning, by the fact that each time I visited my
Moqoit interlocutors, I was told that my arrival was expected and they already knew
a visitor would come from afar that day. The unexpected appearance of certain birds
or the unusual behaviour of domestic animals are interpreted as señas (signs in
English), netanec in the Moqoit language, of a forthcoming visit.
Within the scope of the celestial phenomena I was studying, the same word,
netanec, came up repeatedly. Meteors, eclipses, the positions of the Milky Way and
a large number of celestial phenomena and entities are also considered señas by the
Moqoit. They carry messages concerning important issues, such as rain, the death of
leaders or even changes in the world order.
The central role that signs play in the Moqoit life is a common denominator in
conversation topics as diverse as health, precarious family economy, political
decision- making, love life, or the upbringing of children.
This work is a translated and expanded version of an article published in Spanish: López, Alejandro
M. (2017) ‘Las Señas: una aproximación a las cosmo-políticas de los mocovíes del Chaco’. In:
Revista Etnografías Contemporáneas (3rd year, N°4, April 2017), Issue: Naturaleza y Sociedad,
perspectivas desde América Latina (Coord. Andrea Mastrangelo), from the Centro de Estudios en
Antropología del Instituto de Altos Estudios Sociales de la Universidad Nacional de San Martín.
Online edition, pp. 92–127.
A. M. López (*)
Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Instituto de Ciencias Antropológicas, Sección de Etnología,
Universidad de Buenos Aires, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
(CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina