The Two Shamans and the Owner of Cattle

This book analyses how history has been made, told and interpreted by the Angaité people of the Chaco since the Paraguayan nation-state carried out the colonization of this territory in the 19th century until the present day. It explores the notions of alterity in the context of ethnic distinctions and material transactions which the Angaité establish both among themselves and with outsiders. It also examines how this relational morality is enacted through the telling of Nanek Any’a –“Old news/events”. In these narratives Angaité do not see themselves purely as victims of the colonization, subsequent land deprivation and labour exploitation by ranch owners. Instead, some Nanek Any’a emphasize the original failure of the ancestors in achieving a good deal with the Paraguayans that resulted in their missing out of the Paraguayan wealth and cattle. Finally, the book also describes the historical processes undergone by the Angaité and how their cosmology and shamanism have changed by the incorporation of external elements and “powerful others” . In doing so, shamanism have managed to pervaded unexpected areas of current life such as relations with politicians and NGO.