Abstract

ROBLEDO, Pedro Emilio. The equivocation of a territory in conflict: Qom experiences and narratives in south of Gran Chaco. Etnográfica [online]. 2020, vol.24, n.2, pp.503-525. ISSN 0873-6561.  https://doi.org/10/4000/etnografica/9147.

I reflect on the equivocation (sensu Viveiros de Castro) revealed by a territory, located in argentinean Chaco, a result of an official compensation which has turned Qom indigenous into owners and non-indigenous people into illegal occupants. Large uninhabited areas and the inconstancy of indigenous settlements reinforce accusations of irrational use of this territory. These suspicions constrat with native notions of power, possession and needs, born from a socio-cosmic interaction in a landscape inhabited by non-human powers, provide parameters for human coexistence in this place. Thus, the pettiness and generosity of humans and nonhumans support an occupation of the territory characterized by notable spatial mobility. I argue that this conflict expresses an equivocation rather than an opposition of interests or a communicative error produced by the cultural difference. While the problem for the creole settlers and state agents is “how to make the best use of the territory”, for the Qom is “which place is the most receptive to their asks and needs”.

Keywords : Gran Chaco; Qom; indigenous territoriality; equivocation; development; ontological conflicts.

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