This study documents and translates the Saa (Zapotec) cultural heritage of the Bene’ Ya’a/En’ne I’ya peoples, the Zapotec inhabitants of the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca. This heritage is studied by... Show moreThis study documents and translates the Saa (Zapotec) cultural heritage of the Bene’ Ya’a/En’ne I’ya peoples, the Zapotec inhabitants of the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca. This heritage is studied by using two major approaches: the symbols transmitted during rituals and mantic interpretations executed by ritual experts and the meaning of the sacred landscape in cultural memory. Both approaches were considered from a historical perspective and are presented with the analysis of ancient mantic documents and the archaeological record of the sacred landscape. Due to the importance given to symbols and landscape by the Zapotec peoples, the documentation and interpretation of the heritage of the Saa is the result of a tight collaboration with peoples of the communities involved in this work. The ritual experts in mantic, healing and ritualistic activities of the Dilla Xhon variant (Cajonos Zapotec) are called Weneya’a, which means “the one who speaks with the mountains”. The Weneya’a give meaning to the cultural heritage of their communities, to their sacred places, to their religious calendar, to life and death. They also heal the sick, give advice to future married couples and include new-borns as part of the community, all of this according to their sacred landscape. The Weneya’a give continuity to the cosmogonic narratives, sacred words, ceremonial speeches, herbal medicine and fundamental values of their communities. Show less
In Indigenous Ancestors and Healing Landscapes Jana Pešoutová presents new interpretations of current healing practices in Cuba and the Dominican Republic juxtaposed against the European... Show moreIn Indigenous Ancestors and Healing Landscapes Jana Pešoutová presents new interpretations of current healing practices in Cuba and the Dominican Republic juxtaposed against the European colonization of the Caribbean after 1492. By combining data from critical historical analyses and ethnographic fieldwork, this research examines current healing landscapes and their historical background in both countries. This dissertation situates the continuous importance of non-institutional healing practices within the rich symbolism of Cuban and Dominican landscapes. More specifically, the study focuses on practices promoting physical, mental and spiritual healing of individuals and communities. It provides various examples that illustrate human interactions with divine and ancestral beings residing in places such as water sources, caverns, or manifested in plants and other natural phenomena. Data presented in this work guides our understanding of how local cultural memory plays a key role in our construction of medicinal histories, and the profound demographic and landscape transformations which shaped the healing landscapes after European conquest. Healing landscapes are also testimonies of the Cuban and Dominican ancestors’ creativity, resilience, capacity to heal and find unity in the dehumanizing and alienating atmosphere of colonial violence and exploitation. Show less
