Tukano rituals of Sexual Violence
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22380/2539472X.1889Keywords:
.Abstract
This article deals with the rituals of the Vaupés region in the northwest Amazon, which involve symbolic physical violence against women. I am especially interested in three topics: the metaphorical gang rape, the ceremonial capture of the wife, and the death threat posed to any woman who sees the secret musical instruments known as Yuruparí. I only consider rituals that include symbolic violence against women, many of which occur in the context of rites of passage. Other behaviors that include ritual elements (e.g., genuine capture of one's wife), better characterized as acts of violence against women, are discussed here only insofar as they illuminate expressions of symbolic violence. This paper offers a socio-structural explanation of why collective male violence is symbolically emphasized in ritual, and why these themes are linked to sexuality.
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