Indigenous Churches: Anthropology of Christianity in Lowland South America

Description

This book raises the question of what an Indigenous church is and how its members define their ties of affiliation or separation. Establishing a pioneering dialogue between Amazonian and Gran Chaco studies on Indigenous Christianity, the contributions address historical processes, cosmological conceptions, ritual practices, leadership dynamics, and material formations involved in the creation and diversification of Indigenous churches. Instead of focusing on the study of missionary ideologies and praxis, the book explores Indigenous peoples' interpretations of Christianity and the institutional arrangements they make to create, expand, or dismantle their churches. In doing so, the volume offers a South American contribution to the theoretical project of the anthropology of Christianity, especially as it relates to the issue of denominationalism and inter-denominational relations.  Foreword: New Pluralities References Acknowledgments Contents Notes on Contributors List of Figures Chapter 1: Introduction: Indigenous Churches—Christian Affiliations and Inter-denominational Relationships in Lowland South America Indigenous Peoples and Christianity in the South American Lowlands Ways Forward: Indigenous Churches in Comparative Perspective Anthropology of Christianity, Indigenous Churches, and Inter-denominational Relations Indigenous Churches Inter-denominationalism and Denominational Boundaries Historical Processes, Cosmological Confluences, and Sociocultural and Physical Environments Indigenous Churches in Their Historical and Political Contexts Shamanism and the Construction of Inter-denominational Boundaries Negotiating Christianities: Materiality, Institutions, and Leadership Indigenous Churches’ Modes of Organization: Alliances and Divisions Conclusion References Chapter 2: Floating Charisma: Leaderships, Denominations, and Materialities in Argentine Chaco Indigenous Churches “We were never Catholics”: The Evangelio as the Production of Group Charisma The Game of Denominations: Unitary Utopias and Fragmentary Realities “Having a Church”: Strategies and Materialities of Leadership Floating and Sinking Charisms: Final Remarks References Chapter 3: “They Are Very Different from Us”: Institutional Form, Leadership, and Inter-denominational Relations in Amazonia Introduction The Yine, Christianity, and Inter-denominationalism Denominations as Formal Entities: Tensions Related to Economics and Education Catholic Church: A Provider of Resources? Evangelical Church: Close to God Pentecostal Church: Bewildering Formlessness Denominational Leaders as Representatives of Their Institutions (Non-)Indigeneity and the Formation of Authentic Christianity Foreign Sources of Power Discussion References Chapter 4: Christianity, Materiality, and the Critique of Modernity in the Colombian Amazon Catholic Missionaries and Objects Evangelical Christianity and Worldliness Images, Objects, and the Critique of Modernity Conclusions References Chapter 5: Indigenous Evangelicals, Adventists, and Catholics: Intersections of Christianity and Shamanism on the Brazil/French Guiana Amazonian Border Introduction: Opening with a Question The Lower Oiapoque River: A Polyglot Region, in More than One Sense Christianities The Adventist Patient and the Catholic Shaman Body, Otherness, and the Potential for Transformation Conclusion: Ending with Openness References Chapter 6: Danzas de alabanza (Praise Dances): Pentecostal Ritual or Shamanic Resurgence? Introduction Evangelical Denominations in the Indigenous Gran Chaco Evangelism and Shamanism in the Qom Churches The Soul as a Body Aptitude Movimientos de Alabanza (Praise Movements): Forms the Ritual Takes Final Remarks References Chapter 7: Off the Baptist Path: Christian Becoming in Indigenous Amazonia Down the Baptist Path Off the Baptist Path A Path Through History Santana’s Path Along Paths of Differentiation References Chapter 8: Alliances and Divisions Within an Indigenous Evangelical Movement: The Case of Shipibo-Conibo Churches (Peruvian Amazonia) Introduction The Formation of Shipibo-Conibo Churches Indigenous Church Associations: Toward a Pan-Amazonian Indigenous Evangelical Movement? AIESHC: The Main Association of Shipibo-Conibo Churches The FAIENAP: An Interethnic Evangelical Organization Red TransAmazónica: A Transnational Network of Indigenous Evangelical Leaders Factors of Fragmentation: Mobility, the Search for New Partners, and Condemning Greed Mobility Is Not Conducive to the Consolidation of Alliances The Search for Non-Native Partners Greed as a Motive for Secession Conclusion References Chapter 9: Ethnography of Uneasiness: Violence and Religion Among the Guarani of the Andean Foothills in the 1970s, Argentina Introduction The Cherenta Mission of the La Esperanza Sugar Mill The Dismantling of the Cherenta Church (1960s and 1970s) State Regulation and Process of Denominationalization: The Drifts of Cherenta’s Church Conclusions References Afterword: Ethnography of the “Christian Paths” in Indigenous South American Lowlands: Between Institutions, Histories, and Materialities References Index