Focusing on the Yankwa ceremonial cycle, this book delves into the cultural practices of the Enawenê-nawê people in Brazil, where diverse landscapes intersect with indigenous territories. It examines themes such as kinship, gender roles, and the significance of manioc cultivation and cuisine. The narrative highlights how rituals serve to mitigate violence, reconcile opposing spirits, and navigate social and gender dynamics, while also addressing interactions with outsiders and the environment.
In Brazil, where forest meets savanna, new towns, agribusiness and hydroelectricity plants form a patchwork with the indigenous territories. Here, agricultural work, fishing, songs, feasts and exchanges occupy the Enawenê-nawê for eight months of each year, during a season called Yankwa. Vital Diplomacy focuses on this major ceremonial cycle to shed new light on classic Amazonian themes such as kinship, gender, manioc cultivation and cuisine, relations with non-humans and foreigners, and the interplay of myth and practice, exploring how ritual contains and diverts the threat of violence by reconciling antagonistic spirits, coordinating social and gender divides, and channelling foreign relations and resources.