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Carlos Parra Rios

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From Syncretism to Cultural Affirmation: Corpus Christi and the Reethnicization of the Kankuamo Indigenous People

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Clients: Rolling Stone, EL PAÍS , United Nations Development Program, Financial Times, VICE

School: VII Academy, Alliance Française Institución Universitaria de Barranquilla

According to anthropologist Rei...ication of Christ with the sun.

1 of 16 © 2024 Carlos Parra Rios

According to anthropologist Reichel Dolmatoff, the celebration of Corpus Christi in Atánquez suggests a connection with the pre-Hispanic solar cult, demonstrating the identification of Christ with the sun.

During the procession, particip...n case a petition is fulfilled.

2 of 16 © 2024 Carlos Parra Rios

During the procession, participants kneel before the altar and make petitions to the Blessed Sacrament, such as asking for life and health or remembering a deceased dancer. They also make promises in case a petition is fulfilled.

The procession during Corpus Ch... groups of dancers participate.

3 of 16 © 2024 Carlos Parra Rios

The procession during Corpus Christi is an important part of the celebration, in which the Blessed Sacrament is carried and different groups of dancers participate.

The divine representation and t...ainst the Spanish colonization.

4 of 16 © 2024 Carlos Parra Rios

The divine representation and the use of maracas to warn against the evil one, symbolize the resistance of the natives against the Spanish colonization.

The "pagamento points&...nd pray with their eyes closed.

5 of 16 © 2024 Carlos Parra Rios

The "pagamento points" in the celebration of Corpus Christi in Atánquez. It is mentioned that the pagamentos dispersed in the town continue defining one of the axes of the dancers' routes to make their petitions where some of them kneel in an attitude of concentration and pray with their eyes closed.

It is described that the cross-...n into the world of the living.

6 of 16 © 2024 Carlos Parra Rios

It is described that the cross-shaped machete can ward off apparitions and that it is used to control the irruption of the past and tradition into the world of the living.

The dancers enter the church fr...nd leave through the main door.

7 of 16 © 2024 Carlos Parra Rios

The dancers enter the church from the front, so as never to turn their backs to the monstrance, and leave through the main door.

The three participating dances the celebration of Corpus Christi in Atánquez

The Negros are distinguished by...ife and health of the dancers.

8 of 16 © 2024 Carlos Parra Rios

The Negros are distinguished by their hats adorned with colorful flowers and their wooden machetes. They wear leather guaireñas on their feet, which they use to mark the rhythm in the alternating steps of their dance. In the mysterious places, the verses of the Negros evoke the obligation to comply with the tradition of the feast. Finally, in the sacred places, the captain of the palenque recalls biblical passages or sings promises and prayers for the life and health of the dancers.

The Cucambas cover their bodies...ut at the level of their faces.

9 of 16 © 2024 Carlos Parra Rios

The Cucambas cover their bodies with strips made from iraca palm and wear hanging vegetable scraps from their necks to their knees. Their dance resembles the fluttering of birds in the Sierra and is accompanied by the sound of maracas and drums. They wear large feather headdresses and bird beaks on their heads, and colorful ribbons peek out at the level of their faces.

The Diablos represent the ances...f a drum and a reed instrument.

10 of 16 © 2024 Carlos Parra Rios

The Diablos represent the ancestral Sixquiyani, who took possession of the bodies of the Diablos and now manifest themselves and challenge their descendants. During the festival, the Diablos wear masks with depicted faces and dress in brightly colored costumes. They carry castanets in their hands and bells on their feet. Their dance is strong and menacing, accompanied by the sound of a drum and a reed instrument.

The celebration of Corpus Chris...uez on an altar as a pagamento.

11 of 16 © 2024 Carlos Parra Rios

The celebration of Corpus Christi is dedicated to the Eucharist, which represents the body of Christ represented by people of Atanquez on an altar as a pagamento.

Oral tradition is an important ...rom one generation to the next.

12 of 16 © 2024 Carlos Parra Rios

Oral tradition is an important part of Kankuamo culture and is used to transmit stories, knowledge and values from one generation to the next.

The dancers visit the cemetery ...procession during the festival.

13 of 16 © 2024 Carlos Parra Rios

The dancers visit the cemetery at noon to communicate with their ancestors. There, they invoke them in their final resting place, touch them, and sing to them. Additionally, the cemetery is considered a special place by the dancers and is a fundamental point in the procession during the festival.

The dancers visit the cemetery ...procession during the festival.

14 of 16 © 2024 Carlos Parra Rios

The dancers visit the cemetery at noon to communicate with their ancestors. There, they invoke them in their final resting place, touch them, and sing to them. Additionally, the cemetery is considered a special place by the dancers and is a fundamental point in the procession during the festival.

It can be deduced that this pra...d resist cultural assimilation.

15 of 16 © 2024 Carlos Parra Rios

It can be deduced that this practice of visiting the cemetery is related to the veneration and respect for the ancestors and the memory of the deceased members of the Kankuamo indigenous community.

The process of reethnicization in Atánquez refers to the recovery of the cultural and ethnic identity of the Kankuamo community, which had been affected by the influence of the dominant culture and the loss of their ancestral traditions and beliefs. This process involves the recovery and revaluation of the community's own cultural knowledge and practices, as well as the construction of an ethnic and cultural identity that allows them to assert themselves as a people and resist cultural assimilation.

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Thumbnail of According to anthropologist Reic_fication of Christ with the sun.

Thumbnail of During the procession, participa_in case a petition is fulfilled.

Thumbnail of The procession during Corpus Chr_t groups of dancers participate.

Thumbnail of The divine representation and th_gainst the Spanish colonization.

Thumbnail of The "pagamento points&a_and pray with their eyes closed.

Thumbnail of It is described that the cross-s_on into the world of the living.

Thumbnail of The dancers enter the church fro_and leave through the main door.

Thumbnail of The Negros are distinguished by _life and health of the dancers.

Thumbnail of The Cucambas cover their bodies _out at the level of their faces.

Thumbnail of The Diablos represent the ancest_of a drum and a reed instrument.

Thumbnail of The celebration of Corpus Christ_quez on an altar as a pagamento.

Thumbnail of Oral tradition is an important p_from one generation to the next.

Thumbnail of The dancers visit the cemetery a_ procession during the festival.

Thumbnail of The dancers visit the cemetery a_ procession during the festival.

Thumbnail of It can be deduced that this prac_nd resist cultural assimilation.

Public Project

From Syncretism to Cultural Affirmation: Corpus Christi and the Reethnicization of the Kankuamo Indigenous People

Copyright Carlos Parra Rios 2024

Date of Work Jun 2023 - Ongoing

Updated Aug 2024

Location Atanquez, Colombia

Topics editorial [featured], environment [featured], feature [featured], personal [featured], travel [featured]

The Corpus Christi celebration in the Kankuamo indigenous reserve of Atánquez is characterized by a religious procession in which the Blessed Sacrament is displayed, representing the body of Christ according to the Catholic faith. This festivity exemplifies religious syncretism, fusing elements of the Catholic religion with traditional indigenous beliefs and practices. During this celebration, a special procession takes place in which an image of Christ is carried in the form of a consecrated host, symbolizing the body of Christ according to Catholic doctrine. The procession includes the Cucambas, the dance of the devil and the dance of the blacks, which represent the natives, the Spanish influence and the African influence in the territory.

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