83
especially the Qom, due to the important linguistic and cultural similarities between
them, also observable in the subject matter we address. The examples we will provide come from my own fieldwork, as well as other ethnographic studies, writings
by intellectuals from the groups themselves, and historical sources. As can be
deduced from what has been discussed in the previous sections, and as was the case
for the previously mentioned cosmographies or ‘maps’ of the cosmos, there is no
fixed and abstract order to follow when presenting such examples. Any categorization that the Moqoit interlocutors provide us must be understood as the result of a
given circumstance, responding to the interests of the person who devises it at
that time.
This is not due to a lack of systematicity, but precisely because these practices
and knowledge deal with the interpretation of the intentions of various agents with
whom the interlocutor is related in dynamic ways. As was stated regarding classifications in other realms, any Guaycurú classification is circumstantial and relative as
long as it is not seen from the perspective of the quesaxanaxa at stake. Because of
this, we have chosen to organize the examples following a criterion that we believe
will reveal the key role of power in structuring the Moqoit universe. To achieve this,
we will present the examples based on the spatial and temporal scales involved,
since they depend directly on the scale of power of the intervening beings. Therefore,
we will go from the great signs linked to exceptional events, of great importance for
the cosmos as a whole, to the daily signs that foretell visits or rains, and that are
fundamental for everyday decision-making.
7 Cosmic Señas
The first group of signs we will address are those referring to the great changes of
the temporal cycle, or changes of era. These are large-scale events, which affect the
cosmos as a whole. The mythical stories mention various cataclysmic events of the
past, preceded by different señas.
The references to this kind of accounts are very extensive for the Chaco area.
Here, four main motives predominate: the fire, the cold, the darkness, and the deluge
(Giménez Benítez, López, & Mammana, 2000). Each of these events provoke ‘the
death’ and metamorphosis of beings. Commonly, they are the violent reaction of
diverse powerful beings or of the owner of the sky, Qota’a, offended by people
breaching the rules of reciprocity or the impositions of the relationship with him
(Cordeu, 1969–1970; Susnik, 1984–1985). The testimony of the Jesuit Guevara
accounts for one of the most significant signals, linked to the sun:
They conceive the sun as a woman, and call it gdazoa, that means partner. They narrate
several tragic adventures about it. Once it fell from the sky, and so deeply touched the heart
of a mocobí, that he tried to lift it, and tied it, so that it would not fall again. The sky endured
the same fatality: but the ingenious and robust mocobís, raised it and placed them again on
their axes with the tips of sticks.
Signs, Not Phenomena: Moqoit Cosmo-politics and Alternative Experiences…
especially the Qom, due to the important linguistic and cultural similarities between
them, also observable in the subject matter we address. The examples we will provide come from my own fieldwork, as well as other ethnographic studies, writings
by intellectuals from the groups themselves, and historical sources. As can be
deduced from what has been discussed in the previous sections, and as was the case
for the previously mentioned cosmographies or ‘maps’ of the cosmos, there is no
fixed and abstract order to follow when presenting such examples. Any categorization that the Moqoit interlocutors provide us must be understood as the result of a
given circumstance, responding to the interests of the person who devises it at
that time.
This is not due to a lack of systematicity, but precisely because these practices
and knowledge deal with the interpretation of the intentions of various agents with
whom the interlocutor is related in dynamic ways. As was stated regarding classifications in other realms, any Guaycurú classification is circumstantial and relative as
long as it is not seen from the perspective of the quesaxanaxa at stake. Because of
this, we have chosen to organize the examples following a criterion that we believe
will reveal the key role of power in structuring the Moqoit universe. To achieve this,
we will present the examples based on the spatial and temporal scales involved,
since they depend directly on the scale of power of the intervening beings. Therefore,
we will go from the great signs linked to exceptional events, of great importance for
the cosmos as a whole, to the daily signs that foretell visits or rains, and that are
fundamental for everyday decision-making.
7 Cosmic Señas
The first group of signs we will address are those referring to the great changes of
the temporal cycle, or changes of era. These are large-scale events, which affect the
cosmos as a whole. The mythical stories mention various cataclysmic events of the
past, preceded by different señas.
The references to this kind of accounts are very extensive for the Chaco area.
Here, four main motives predominate: the fire, the cold, the darkness, and the deluge
(Giménez Benítez, López, & Mammana, 2000). Each of these events provoke ‘the
death’ and metamorphosis of beings. Commonly, they are the violent reaction of
diverse powerful beings or of the owner of the sky, Qota’a, offended by people
breaching the rules of reciprocity or the impositions of the relationship with him
(Cordeu, 1969–1970; Susnik, 1984–1985). The testimony of the Jesuit Guevara
accounts for one of the most significant signals, linked to the sun:
They conceive the sun as a woman, and call it gdazoa, that means partner. They narrate
several tragic adventures about it. Once it fell from the sky, and so deeply touched the heart
of a mocobí, that he tried to lift it, and tied it, so that it would not fall again. The sky endured
the same fatality: but the ingenious and robust mocobís, raised it and placed them again on
their axes with the tips of sticks.
Signs, Not Phenomena: Moqoit Cosmo-politics and Alternative Experiences…