Abstract

PIRES, Rogério Brittes W.. Shared vulnerabilities: from corporate groups to spiritual-functionalism among the Saamaka of Suriname. Etnográfica [online]. 2023, vol.27, n.3, pp.761-781.  Epub Jan 08, 2024. ISSN 0873-6561.  https://doi.org/10.4000/etnografica.14196.

The saamaka Mmroons of Suriname speak of many modes of agency of the dead. Among them, the kunu, avenging spirits which act matrilaterally, and the neseki, spiritual godparents which often act patrilaterally. In a way, both are able to connect people through their shared vulnerabilities - being potential victims of the same kunu makes people belong to their matrilineages; having the same neseki means having the same food taboos. Being exposed to the same dangers helps to counter-actualise relations of mutual protection, which may or may not create something like social groups. A saamaka theory of corporeality and corporation may thus be described as a kind of spiritual-functionalism, as their ideas ironically resonate with concepts central to classic anthropology (such as corporate groups and complementary filiation). However, different from functionalist theories, here spirits are deemed much more relevant than the agency of social structures.

Keywords : spirits; corporate groups; functionalism; saamaka; Suriname; maroons.

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