Carolina’s Story. A case study of the diffusion of a myth in Southwestern Amazonia

ABSTRACT

Peoples can disappear, but not stories. This is what happened with a kuniba myth, narrated to Nimuendaju by Carolina, in a situation of forced removal promoted by the Brazilian state at the beginning of the 20th century. Such myth was about the origin of the moon, caused by the incest of a brother with a sister. Until the beginning of the 20th century, neighboring peoples of the Kuniba, such as the Cashinahua and the Kanamari, had very different narratives about the origin of the moon. However, throughout the 20th century, with the departure of the Kuniba, the theme of incest between brother and sister becomes part of the narratives, spreading throughout the region of the Juruá and Purus river basins. This leads to a reflection on the problem of “informational causality”, on the “foreign policy” that differentiates peoples, and on the “spatial dialectic” promoted by myths.

KEYWORDS
Ensemble; mythology; incest; history; moon