Cosmos, Self, and History in Baniwa Religion: For Those Unborn [Hardcover]

Robin M. Wright (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1998

The Baniwa Indians of the Northwest Amazon (a frontier region on the borders of Brazil, Venezuela, and Colombia) have engaged in millenarian movements since at least the middle of the nineteenth century. The defining characteristic of these movements is usually a prophecy of the end of this present world and the restoration of the primordial, utopian world of creation. This prophetic message, delivered by powerful shamans, has its roots in Baniwa myths of origin and creation. In this ethnography of Baniwa religion, Robin M. Wright explores the myths of creation and how they have been embodied in religious movements and social action - particularly in a widespread conversion to evangelical Christianity. This research sheds new light on millenarian, messianic, and prophetic movements in native South America. The book contributes to current theoretical discussions in anthropology on the links between myth, social action, and history. And it adds important new material to studies of the relations among native religions and Christianity.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is certainly a significant, even important, contribution to the study of South American religion and history...It will surely interest students of comparative religion, Latin American history, and shamanism, as well as anthropologists with particular interest in the region (Ellen Basso, Professor of Anthropology, University of Arizona ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: University of Texas Press; 1st edition (1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0292791224
• ISBN-13: 978-0292791220
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,415,679 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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