Anthropology Now “Symbolism and Resilience in the Aftermath of a Destructive Volcanic Eruption” Samuel Weeks, M.A., Ph.D. College of Humanities and Sciences Thomas Jefferson University [email protected] The following is the proofs version of the article. Here is the citation of the published article: Weeks, Samuel and Vítor Popinsky 2016 “Symbolism and Resilience in the Aftermath of a Destructive Volcanic Eruption.” Anthropology Now 8(2):57-68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19428200.2016.1202582 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19428200.2016.1202582 1 59 2 60 3 61 4 62 5 features volcano on the island of Fogo in the West 63 6 African republic of Cape Verde. Awful news 64 7 65 reached us via social media: After 19 years 8 66 of being dormant, Fogo’s volcano had started 9 Symbolism and Resilience 67 to erupt. 10 in the Aftermath of a 68 11 During the coming days, we followed 69 12 Destructive Volcanic intently the reports of the evacuation efort1 70 13 and the whereabouts of the expanding lava 71 14 Eruption 72 feld. Initial hopes that the fow would not 15 73 16 Samuel Weeks and Vitor Popinsky AQ1 damage the village and its surrounding farm- 74 17 land were quickly dashed. A week into the 75 18 eruption, lava submerged the recently inau- 76 19 n the afternoon of November 23, 2014, gurated headquarters of the Fogo National 77 20 we were working on tasks related to the Park and was threatening to engulf Portela, 78 21 O 79 feldwork we conducted in Chã das Caldeiras the larger of Chã’s two neighborhoods. After 22 80 23 from 2006 until 2013. Commonly known as a day of cautious optimism, during which the 81 24 “Chã,” this community is located inside the spread of the lava had slowed considerably, 82 25 crater of the Pico do Fogo, the 2,829-meter the village’s inhabitants confronted a horrible 83 26 84 27 85 28 86 29 87 30 88 31 89 32 90 33 91 34 92 35 93 36 94 37 95 38 96 39 97 40 98 41 99 42 100 43 101 44 102 45 103 46 104 47 105 48 106 49 107 50 Figure 1. The 2014 eruption. The neighborhood of Bangaeira before the recent eruption. Courtesy 108 51 Vitor Popinsky n. Courtesy Greta Frick/Nos Ku Nhos Association. 109 52 110 53 111 54 Samuel Weeks and Vitor Popinsky Symbolism and Resilience After Volcanic Eruption 1 112 55 113 56 Anthropology Now, 8:000–000, 2016 • Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC 114 57 ISSN: 1942-8200 print / 1949-2901 online • DOI: 10.1080/19428200.2016.1202582 115 58 116 1 59 2 60 3 61 4 62 5 63 6 64 7 65 8 66 9 67 10 68 11 69 12 70 13 71 14 72 15 73 16 74 17 75 18 76 19 77 20 78 21 79 22 80 23 81 24 82 25 83 26 84 27 85 28 86 29 87 30 88 31 Figure 2. The neighborhood of Bangaeira before the recent eruption. Courtesy Vitor Popinsky. 89 32 90 33 91 34 92 reality: A new lava fow had picked up force our understanding of why people initially <{{Image 1 goes here Figure 1. 2014 erup- 35 93 tion.}}> 36 and was headed squarely in the direction of decided to settle in this seemingly hostile 94 <{{Image 2 goes here Figure 2. Neighborhood 37 both Portela and Bangaeira, which is Chã’s place. We will compare a previous eruption 95 before eruption.}}> 38 other neighborhood. By December 7, 2014, in 1995 with the one in 2014 in order to dis- 96 39 this entire village — previously home to cuss the bond that exists between the people 97 40 some 700 inhabitants — had been destroyed. of Chã and the volcano. We also will attempt 98 41 99 From the beginning of the eruption, a se- to characterize how residents and commen- 42 100 43 ries of questions began to emerge in the news tators have conceptualized and explained 101 44 and on social media. People asked why res- the reasons behind the recent eruption, us- 102 45 idents would stay in Chã if they knew that ing information presented in the news and 103 46 disaster was imminent, how they coped and on social media. Finally, we will consider 104 47 made sense of the eruption and whether they the likelihood that most residents currently 105 48 106 would return to Chã now that the volcanic displaced from Chã will disobey government 49 107 50 activity had stopped. In an efort to address orders and return to living inside the crater. 108 51 these and other questions, we will share We believe that fguratively picking through 109 52 110 53 111 54 2 anthropology Volume 8 • Number 2 • September 2016 112 55 113 56 114 57 115 58 116 1 59 2 60 3 61 4 62 5 the embers and rubble that now make up before the eruption begins. The testimony of 63 6 Chã is a necessary step to further compre- a long-time inhabitant of Chã refects local 64 7 65 hending how victims of this disaster come to sentiment when he notes that “the volcano is 8 66 9 understand the misfortune they face. more a friend to man than man is his friend 67 10 … He [the volcano] warns us before the 68 11 eruption, so we can get out of Chã.”4 69 12 “The Volcano — It’s Our Friend” 70 13 71 14 72 15 Chã das Caldeiras, the region inside Fogo’s The 1995 Eruption and Its Aftermath 73 16 active volcanic crater, was still unpopulated 74 17 at the beginning of the 20th century, even Such a warning did, in fact, precede the 1995 75 18 though it was long known that the area pos- eruption, which began on April 2, an other- 76 19 sessed reliable water sources and rich soil, wise normal day. Later that night, lava be- 77 20 78 two rarities in arid Cape Verde. The greatest gan to spew from Pico Pequeno, a smaller 21 79 22 obstacle to settlement in Chã was undoubt- crater adjacent to the main volcano. After 80 23 edly the fear of eruptions, which had oc- residents had removed as many belongings 81 24 curred regularly since the settlement of Fogo as they could from their modest homes, a few 82 25 in the late 15th century. From the mid-19th remaining inhabitants witnessed the eruption 83 26 to the early 20th centuries, however, the vol- from an elevated point nearby. Firsthand ac- 84 27 85 cano remained unusually dormant, which counts describe the event with mixed feel- 28 86 29 reduced the fear of eruptions among the in- ings, as something both magnifcently beauti- 87 2 30 habitants of Fogo. A few pioneering fami- ful and awesomely destructive. Adding to the 88 31 lies with no frsthand knowledge of previous drama during the eruption was an ofcial de- 89 32 eruptions settled in Chã in order to graze cree announcing that the government would 90 33 their livestock and grow crops in the fertile commence building houses for the people of 91 34 92 volcanic soil. Chã outside of their crater home. This worri- 35 93 36 While these frst residents undoubtedly some ruling notwithstanding, the end of the 94 37 knew that they were vulnerable to potential 1995 eruption reportedly brought relief, even 95 38 eruptions, they persisted in living inside the elation. The Portela and Bangaeira neighbor- 96 39 crater. One local explanation for this paradox hoods were spared destruction, though some 97 40 is that the volcano is “like a friend.” Accord- property owners did see their agricultural 98 41 99 ing to this line of thinking, even if eruptions lands covered by lava.5 42 100 43 destroy homes or farmland, in the end the As time passed and the lava cooled, evac- 101 44 volcano always “gives more than it takes,” uees from Chã became eager to return to 102 45 as Chã native Teodoro told the newspaper A their homes, felds and livestock. They were 103 46 Semana.3 This personifcation of the volcano shocked and angry when the Cape Verdean 104 47 as a benevolent friend seems to be reinforced government further declared that the people 105 48 106 during eruptions. The Pico do Fogo is a low- of Chã could not go back to living inside the 49 107 50 intensity Strombolian-type volcano, meaning crater. To compensate, the government hast- 108 51 that local residents will have some warning ily constructed houses for residents in two 109 52 110 53 111 54 Samuel Weeks and Vitor Popinsky Symbolism and Resilience After Volcanic Eruption 3 112 55 113 56 114 57 115 58 116 1 59 2 60 3 61 4 62 5 63 6 64 7 65 8 66 9 67 10 68 11 69 12 70 13 71 14 72 15 73 16 74 17 75 18 76 19 77 20 78 21 79 22 80 23 81 24 82 25 83 26 84 27 85 28 86 29 87 30 88 31 89 32 90 33 91 34 92 35 93 36 Figure 3. A local guide 94 37 with tourists climbing the 95 volcano, the 2,829-meter 38 96 Pico do Fogo. Courtesy 39 Vitor Popinsky. 97 40 98 41 99 42 100 43 villages outside the volcano.