The mambe versus the money among the yucuna of the Amazon

Authors

  • Laurent Fontaine National Center for Scientific Research

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22380/2539472X.1240

Keywords:

yukuna, Colombian amazonia, money, coca, speech (or word), social organization

Abstract

This article shows the fundamental role played by mambe amongst the yukuna, a role similar to that of modern currency in mercantile societies, for it has a privileged position over any other traditional “good” in indigenous exchange practices. Furthermore, be it in terms of kinship, shamanism, or the maloca, coca leaf is the highest expression of institutional authority. When compared to Colombian currency, the article explains the situations in which specific rules governing their use come into conflict and the manner in which indigenous peoples must transform their social organization, so that both may be articulated with one another.

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Author Biography

Laurent Fontaine, National Center for Scientific Research

Researcher at the laboratory of languages and civilisations of oral tradition of the CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research)

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Published

2003-01-01

How to Cite

Fontaine, L. . (2003). The mambe versus the money among the yucuna of the Amazon. Revista Colombiana De Antropología, 39, 173–201. https://doi.org/10.22380/2539472X.1240

Issue

Section

Dynamic traditions and persistent resistance