The people of the center of the world: A study in culture, history, and orality in the Colombian Amazon

This dissertation in anthropology deals with the Amerindian groups which occupy the region between the Caqueta and Putumayo rivers in the Colombian Amazon. These groups belong to the Witoto linguistic family (Uitoto, Ocaina, Nonuya), the Bora linguistic family (Bora, Mirana, Muinane), plus a language isolate (Andoque). They form a single culture area and distinguish themselves from other groups (Arawak and Tukano-speaking groups) by calling themselves "People of the Center.".;The analysis is divided into three parts. Part I presents a historical and ethnological background of the Caqueta-Putumayo region and explores the construction of new forms of supraethnic representation, mainly through the themes of the iron axe, the stories of origin, the legitimacy of chiefs, the relationship with non-Indians, the mythology, the rituals. A double "endogamic" and "exogamic" process of "culture in the making" is identified.;Part II presents biographical narratives by a Uitoto elder translated from the native language, and discusses the narrative strategies of his self-representation. And part III presents several texts translated from Uitoto, which contain an in-depth exposition of "the Word of tobacco and coca.".;The dissertation concludes by linking the information gathered in the three parts as instances of a complex discursive process that reveals the tensions between an endogamic ethnic ideal and the homogenization brought about by historic changes and economic dependence.;This dissertation explores the hypothesis that this self-designation reflects an ideological construction of a new kind of "moral community." This construction is a result of the disruption provoked by contact with non-Indians since the last century. It caused massive depopulation, forced resettlements and the formation of new mixed communities increasingly dependent on market goods. The hypothesis is explored through a reading of oral narratives collected by the author from Uitoto, Muinane and Nonuya elders, and by other researchers from Uitoto and Andoque elders.;The appendices contain the original Uitoto version of all the texts presented, and the biological identification of all the plants and animals mentioned.