On Yanomami ceremonial dialogues: a political aesthetic of metaphorical agency

The Yanomami ceremonial dialogues (wayamou) are a ritualized form of verbal exchange aimed at inter-community conflict resolution. This paper is devoted to describing and analyzing these ceremonial dialogues, taking a closer look at a. the significance of their tropic nature; b. the role played by knowledge acquired in dreams; and c. the manner in which « naming » the forest socializes space, peopling it not only with communities, but also with resources and exchange possibilities. I shall demonstrate that this combination of features delineates a political aesthetics reminiscent of shamanic form and efficacy. Such proximity suggests lines of continuity between political and religious agency, helping to bridge the gap Amazonianist anthropology has carved between the analysis of intra-human politics and that between humans and non-humans.