81
There are also important parallelisms between the process of taming a poderoso and
that of calming or cooling oneself down. For the Moqoit, the exterior control of
emotions is in fact an ideal of behaviour.
16
In sum, the Moqoit cosmos is a place modeled by the quesaxanaxa of the beings
that inhabit it and the asymmetrical relations between them. That is why it is a
socio-cosmos, where the links among a wide spectrum of intentional agents shape
the landscape. Perceiving the ‘textures’ of the cosmos, is a fundamental way to
apprehend the social relations that constitute it. The quotidian experience of inhabiting is, for the Moqoit, a corporeal, emotional, and intellectual reading of the status
of this complex weave of intentions. In another work (López, 2013) we have
assessed how the Moqoit cosmological ideas
17
and their cosmographic representations
18
are topologies of power, which define or map from a certain perspective and
in a given time this socially qualified space-time. There, we discussed how to ‘feel’
or experience these space-time ‘textures’ equals interpreting the intentions of those
other beings, packed with power, with whom it is essential to bond. Among the
Moqoit, this is not just an intuition, but involves intellectual reflection, as well as a
cumulus of technical knowledge or ‘know-how’. In this context, the concept of
señas or netanec is central. This complex term refers to a wide range of manifestations resulting from the activity of the intentional agents that populate the Moqoit
cosmos. Voluntary and involuntary, the señas manifest the intentions of those who
produce them and in turn allow others to ‘read’ their desires, appetites, fears, and
emotions. In this work, as we have already mentioned, we seek to delve into the
analysis of this category.
6 Señas (Signs): Hints and Messages
In a socialized universe as the one described, the beings and phenomena that
European illustrated traditions would qualify as ‘natural’ are part of a complex
interweaving of meanings. Beyond their belonging to very different Moqoit categories of beings, they are all inscribed in a wide net of hints that convey intentions.
19
16 Among the Aymara, Gilles Rivière (1997: 44) points out that the term pampachana serves both
to account for the interpretation of the signs of ‘nature’ and to speak of the search for cosmic and
social balance reestablishment.
17 Cosmological ideas are the notions that make up explicit formulations about the universe as a
whole, the beings that inhabit it and the relationships that link them.
18 Cosmographic representations are descriptions of the shape and regions of the universe often
conveyed in graphic supports (such as diagrams, drawings, or maps).
19 This does not mean that for the Moqoit this is the only dimension of all beings and phenomena.
These are classified by the Moqoit, as well as by other Guaycurú groups, in different ways (see, for
example, Medrano, 2013) and can therefore be addressed by analyzing other dimensions. However,
their character as potential signs, that is, as bearers of meanings and intentions, is fundamental due
to the general Moqoit idea that cosmos is eminently social. We devote to this particular and crucial
aspect in this work.
Signs, Not Phenomena: Moqoit Cosmo-politics and Alternative Experiences…
There are also important parallelisms between the process of taming a poderoso and
that of calming or cooling oneself down. For the Moqoit, the exterior control of
emotions is in fact an ideal of behaviour.
16
In sum, the Moqoit cosmos is a place modeled by the quesaxanaxa of the beings
that inhabit it and the asymmetrical relations between them. That is why it is a
socio-cosmos, where the links among a wide spectrum of intentional agents shape
the landscape. Perceiving the ‘textures’ of the cosmos, is a fundamental way to
apprehend the social relations that constitute it. The quotidian experience of inhabiting is, for the Moqoit, a corporeal, emotional, and intellectual reading of the status
of this complex weave of intentions. In another work (López, 2013) we have
assessed how the Moqoit cosmological ideas
17
and their cosmographic representations
18
are topologies of power, which define or map from a certain perspective and
in a given time this socially qualified space-time. There, we discussed how to ‘feel’
or experience these space-time ‘textures’ equals interpreting the intentions of those
other beings, packed with power, with whom it is essential to bond. Among the
Moqoit, this is not just an intuition, but involves intellectual reflection, as well as a
cumulus of technical knowledge or ‘know-how’. In this context, the concept of
señas or netanec is central. This complex term refers to a wide range of manifestations resulting from the activity of the intentional agents that populate the Moqoit
cosmos. Voluntary and involuntary, the señas manifest the intentions of those who
produce them and in turn allow others to ‘read’ their desires, appetites, fears, and
emotions. In this work, as we have already mentioned, we seek to delve into the
analysis of this category.
6 Señas (Signs): Hints and Messages
In a socialized universe as the one described, the beings and phenomena that
European illustrated traditions would qualify as ‘natural’ are part of a complex
interweaving of meanings. Beyond their belonging to very different Moqoit categories of beings, they are all inscribed in a wide net of hints that convey intentions.
19
16 Among the Aymara, Gilles Rivière (1997: 44) points out that the term pampachana serves both
to account for the interpretation of the signs of ‘nature’ and to speak of the search for cosmic and
social balance reestablishment.
17 Cosmological ideas are the notions that make up explicit formulations about the universe as a
whole, the beings that inhabit it and the relationships that link them.
18 Cosmographic representations are descriptions of the shape and regions of the universe often
conveyed in graphic supports (such as diagrams, drawings, or maps).
19 This does not mean that for the Moqoit this is the only dimension of all beings and phenomena.
These are classified by the Moqoit, as well as by other Guaycurú groups, in different ways (see, for
example, Medrano, 2013) and can therefore be addressed by analyzing other dimensions. However,
their character as potential signs, that is, as bearers of meanings and intentions, is fundamental due
to the general Moqoit idea that cosmos is eminently social. We devote to this particular and crucial
aspect in this work.
Signs, Not Phenomena: Moqoit Cosmo-politics and Alternative Experiences…