Falling Sky : Words of a Yanomami Shaman / Davi Kopenawa, Bruce Albert ; Translated by Nicholas Elliott and Alison Dundy

The Falling Sky The Falling Sky Words of a Yanomami Shaman Davi Kopenawa Bruce Albert Translated by Nicholas Elliott and Alison Dundy the belknap press of harvard university press Cambridge, Massachusetts London, Eng land 2013 Copyright © 2013 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America First published as La chute du ciel: Paroles d’un chaman yanomami, copyright © 2010 PLON Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data Kopenawa, Davi. [La chute du ciel. English] The falling sky : words of a Yanomami shaman / Davi Kopenawa, Bruce Albert ; translated by Nicholas Elliott and Alison Dundy. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-674-72468-6 (alk. paper) 1. Kopenawa, Davi. 2. Shamans—Brazil—Biography. 3. Yanomamo Indians—Brazil—Biography. 4. Yanomamo Indians—History—20th century. 5. Shamanism—Brazil—History—20th century. I. Albert, Bruce, 1952– II. Title F2520.1.Y3K6613 2013 305.898¢92—dc23 2013008942 Contents Foreword by Jean Malaurie vii Maps ix Setting the Scene 1 Words Given 11 i. becoming other 1. Drawn Words 17 2. The First Shaman 27 3. The Xapiri’s Gaze 34 4. The Animal Ancestors 55 5. The Initiation 75 6. Spirits’ Houses 97 7. Image and Skin 113 8. The Sky and the Forest 129 ii. metal smoke 9. Outsider Images 155 10. First Contacts 168 11. The Mission 186 12. Becoming a White Man? 205 vi contents 13. The Road 221 14. Dreaming the Forest 240 15. Earth Eaters 261 16. Cannibal Gold 282 iii. the falling sky 17. Talking to White People 299 18. Stone Houses 316 19. Merchandise Love 326 20. In the City 341 21. From One War to Another 357 22. The Flowers of Dream 370 23. The Spirit of the Forest 381 24. The Shamans’ Death 401 Words of Omama 412 How This Book Was Written 424 Appendix A. Ethnonym, Language, and Orthography 459 Appendix B. The Yanomami in Brazil 462 Appendix C. Watoriki 469 Appendix D. The Haximu Massacre 476 Notes 489 Ethnobiological Glossary 575 Geographic Glossary 587 References 595 Acknowledgments 609 Index 611 Foreword An extraordinary man makes himself heard in this book: Davi Kopenawa. His breadth of vision and the meticulous care with which he de scribes the Yanomami cosmology and way of life take us on a voyage into an Am- erindian spirit world. It is a world that may be imaginary for us, but it is profoundly real for him, as he sees the xapiri (images of the mythological animal ancestors), speaks to them, and shares his life with them. This voice is that of a prophet: “The forest is alive. The white people persist in destroying it. We are dying one after another, and so will they. In the end, all of the shamans will perish and the sky will collapse. Before it is too late,” the prophet adds, “I want to talk to you about a time long ago when the animal ancestors transformed. Thanks to my shaman el- ders, I learned how to call them. I see them, I share life with them, and I listen to them. “You must hear me—time is short.” A Yanomami shaman and spokesperson, known and admired in the Amazon and beyond, Davi Kopenawa continues to live with great sim- plicity among his people in his traditional home. In this unique book, which he developed in collaboration with Bruce Albert, an anthropologist at the top of his field, he challenges us to see ourselves as the People of Merchandise and to rebel against the damage wrought by the industrial world on the Amazon rain forest. Bruce Albert found his calling in working with the Yanomami and Davi Kopenawa. Renouncing conventional academic ambitions—al- though he has all the necessary credentials—he chose to pursue an intel- lectual and inner adventure in the Amazon. He met his teachers among the Indians who adopted him. Davi Kopenawa describes the book’s pur- viii foreword pose, and its origins in their friendship: “A long time ago, you came to live with [the Yanomami] and you spoke like a ghost. Little by little, you learned to imitate our language and to laugh with us. We were young . Later I told you: ‘If you want to take my words, do not destroy them. They are the words of Omama [the Yanomami demiurge] and the xapiri. First draw them on image skins, then look at them often . Like me, you be- came wiser as you got older . Now I would like [these words] to divide themselves and propagate over long distances so they can truly be heard.” Bruce Albert captured these words from a complex tradition, and un- dertook the enormous task of translating them into French. Few anthro- pologists have ever undertaken such a diffi cult endeavor. The publication of this book is a signifi cant event in the history of great eyewitness ac- counts. Eerie and unsettling as they are, Davi Kopenawa’s visions and warn- ings may be hastily dismissed as the phantasmagoria of a rain forest shaman. But if you are skeptical, pause to listen. Remember the enduring power of ancient cosmologies, and the philosophical signifi cance of dif- ferences in the long history of human evolution. Our thought is enriched by dialogue with the strange and unfamiliar. For any dialogue to take place, it is necessary to respect cultures and understand the immense va- ri ety of long histories of thought in different contexts. A purely technical rationality without conscience or spirituality, dominated by material in- terests, leads the industrialized world to the destruction of our planet. The supposedly technologically backward peoples may be tomorrow’s wise men. Readers from around the world need to listen to Davi Kopenawa’s painful appeal for his people’s well- being and our own. With the destruction of Amazon rain forest, mankind may be approaching an ecological collapse—what Davi Kopenawa calls the time of the “falling sky.” “What is the purpose of education?” asked Jean- Jacques Rousseau. “To learn how to live better.” Davi Kopenawa, Yanomami philosopher and great advocate of ecology, is one of the teachers we have been waiting for. —Jean Malaurie Director Emeritus for Research Centre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Maps x maps TeTerrarra indigena Indígena Ya Yanomaminomami VENEZUELA W COLOMBIA Rio Ne g ECUADOR r limõ o So es e Rio n zoonas u Amaaz g m n a A i r Rio X ei o o i ad i R M R io R PERU BRAZILBRÉSIL BrasiliaBrasília BOLIVIEBOLIVIA SSãoão Paulo PARAGUAY CHILECHILI Rio de Janeiro ARGENTINA 00550000 1000 km URUGUAY The Yanomami Territory in Brazil (Terra Indígena Yanomami). © F.-M. Le Tourneau/P. Mérienne VENEZUELA oera Rio aric P S Ur e o Or a Ri in r r o i r COLOMBIECOLOMBIA co m a a Boa Vista GUYANA Rio Casiquiare pa CaracaraíCaracara Sia Rio Iauaretê o c ÉTSTATEAT DE OF n ÉSTATETAT a r RORAIMA B DUOF PARÁPAR o i R Sãoão Gabriel o Negr da Cachoeira Rio Barcelos J ap urá É STATETAT D'AMAZONAS OF AMAZONAS W Manaus 0 200 400 km es Rio Solimõ Location of the Terra Indígena Yanomami. © F.-M. Le Tourneau/P. Mérienne xii maps Altitude supérieuregreater than à 500500 mm R io BoundaryLimite du territoireof Yanomami yanomami territory au inBrésil Brazil Au ar (Terra(Terra Indígena YanomamiYanomami)) is OtherAutres indigenous Terres Indigènes land LimiteBorder Roraima/AmazonasRoraima/Amazonas states Venezuela PavedRoute goudronnéeroad Perimetral« Perimetrale Norte Norte » (tronçon subsistant) (remaining section) SE a R im R r A a Perimetral« Perimetrale Norte Norte (abandoned » (tronçon section) abandonné) P o P i A R R I Perimetral« Perimetrale Norte Norte (planned » (tracé route) prévu) M Surucucus A Outpost StateCapitale capital d’État CVillesities VVENEZUELAENEZUELA 050 100 km Balawaú Outpost MissionToototobi Mission Rio Taraú W Jutaí Rio Pico da Neblina Rio Cauaboris Rio Pa d a u i r i Maiá io R Rio Marauiá RRi Santa Isabel io NNe do Rio Negro egro maps xiii Vila Surumu R io U ra ric aá Amajari PosteEricó OutpostEricó R taíba iioo Cu UUrra Rio ricoera SERRASERRA DE MELO MELO NUNES NUNES Alto Alegre cajaí BOA VISTA o Mu . Ri e M o d ut Co PostePaapiú Paapiú Outpost o Ri Rio Novo Rio Mucajaí Cat rima ni R ioR ioAp Iracema Aipaú Rio Lobo d’A. iaú Ajaran Rio i R i o Mapulaú T Ajarani o Rio Jundiá o Ex-outpost t Outpost o t o aú liuú Caracaraí b ul a Catrimani i i p n a a SERRA M n DO Mission o A i DEMINI o R i R Demini Castanho Igarapé Outpost o c n a r B Br o Rorainópolis i RRio Ajuricaba Outpost (Genipapo) Rio Aracá BRÉSILBRAZIL R i o D e m i n Cachoeira n i dos Índios i BR 174 To Manaus Detailed map of the Terra Indígena Yanomami (cited Portuguese toponyms). © F.-M. Le Tourneau/P. Mérienne xiv maps Niyayopa theriëri Amikoapë theriëri u Xama xi pora ro e H Hayowari Arahai theriëri w h u h a u H axi t eriëri a u Amat im x w a VVENEZUELAENEZUELA HH M anito u Mai koxi Kõana u HHww ara u Yoyo roroopëopë h Hayowa theriëri Sina t a MMõraõra mahi araopë W a r ep i u h P u i Ariwaa t eriëri a k x si ot a o m u Marakana ai Wari mahi M W h h u Konapuma t eriëri Weyuku t eriëri i e y p a h h h a h T oootot ot oopipi n an P a a a Werihi sihipi u r W u aw a u u u r a h a M h u IwahikaropëIwahikaropë t eriëri Kapirota W maps xv AltitudeAltitude greater supérieure than à500 500 m m UplandZone dessavanna savanes regions d'altitude of the de Serrala Serra Parima Parima BoundaryLimite de of la the Terra Terra Indigena Indígena Ya nomamiYanomami BrazilFrontière / Venezuela Bresil / BorderVenezuela AncientAnciens sites sites 0 25 50 km Wa ka hh t a a uu Moxi batetemahatëtëma (Yawari) Hapakara hi Uxi u Uxi u Hww ayaaya uu MariMani hipihipi Makuta asihipi u i HewHewëë nahipi ip ih Ka i s xipi u ih er W hh u Waka t aa uu a h t a h ak Opiki t ëri W WeereiZeerei BRÉSILBRAZIL u i r a n a r a H Ko lkooi i uu Detailed map of the Terra Indígena Yanomami (cited Yanomami toponyms).

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