Professional Documents
Culture Documents
m OIEIGO
Joyful chant sung for a collective hunt
ESSENTIAL READING
ALBISEnl Cesar, VENTURELLI Angelo : LEVI - STRAUSS Claude :
The oieigo is mostly associated with hunti ng and fishing chants and especially Enciclopedia Bororo, Vol. 1- 3 . Structural Anthropology .
with the ritual hunt that follows a death in the community. The oieigo is sung for Campo Grande: Museum Regional Dom New York : Anchors Books, 1967.
the living, not for the dead. It is only associated with death when the represen - Bosco, 1962 -69 - 76. Two important articles on Bororo kind-
tant of the soul of the deceased kills a wild animal in recompense (mori) for the The most complete ethnographic descrip- ship can be found there .
individual that Nature stole from society . The skin of the slaughtered animal is tion of Bororo culture to date. The third
offered to the deceased 's parents who as a mark of their satisfaction, decorate volume contains Portuguese translations
the hunter. The hunter in his turn taking the powari smears it with resin and of hunting and fishing songs; a fourth VIERTLER Renate :
down and sings to it the oieigo in honour of the deceased. volume dealing with funeral songs is to As aldeias Bororo :
The oieigo is also sung when someone has escaped from a dangerous situation . be published shortly. Alguns aspectos de sua organizacao
According to Bororo tradition Meriri Okwada, a mythical figure belonging to the social.
clan ofthe monkeys (paiwo) was at the origin of this ceremony. One day he was CROCKER Jon Christopher : Vital Souls. Sao Paulo: Universidade de Sao Paulo,
fishing and he caught a fish that he could not identify. He took the fish to his hut Tucson : University of Arizona Press, 1976.
and placing it in a large clay pot he began cooking it. As soon as the water boiled 1985. Brilliant account of rites, ceremonies and
a voice emerged from the pot crying: "o- ie o-ie i-go i-go " . Important recent publication on the social reciprocity rules .
Meriri Okwada took the words to be a warning : the fish must not be eaten before and religious views of the Bororo.
the ritual purification has been performed by the shaman ofthe spirits (bari) . The
consequences of eating this fish without first exorcising could be fatal. The LEVI - STRAUSS Claude: WILBERT Johannes, SIMONEAU Karin :
oieigo is therefore sung by the hunters to demonstrate joy at having avoided Tristes Tropiques. Folk literature of the Bororo Indians.
such a danger. London : Penguin Books, 1976, 1978. Los Angeles : University of California
The textual structure of the oieigo follows a fixed canon. According to the A classic of ethnography which includes Press, 1983.
occasion and the clan of the deceased min or variations in certain strophes (57 in three chapters on the Bororo society of English translation of selected orallitera -
all) take place. the 1930' s. ture found originally only in Portuguese.
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Aos 80roro e ao indio americano
1
1 LE MONDE SONORE
DES BORORO
LES BORORO
DU MATO GROSSO
Ce n'est que deux cents ans apres I'arri- Tout rituel Bororo est accompagne d' une
vee des premiers Portugais au Bresil, certaine forme d'activite musicale qui lui
qu' u n front de colonisation est entre en est essentielle. lci,les parametres contex-
contact avec les Bororo. Au creur du Mato tuels - actions rituelles, gestuelles, mise
Grosso, ce peuple de chasseurs-cueilleurs en scene des mythes - et Ie systeme
sem i- nomades etait I'ethnie dominante sonore qui s'y rattache, constituent un
a a
d' une region s'etendant I'est et I'ouest tout inextricable. Le critere de selection
des fl euves Paraguay et Cuiabii. On esti- a
des fragments ici inclus vise montrer la
me cette population a quelque douze multiplicite d'un monde sonore qui est
mill e personnes. Aujourd 'hui, seuls quel- represente non seulement par les chants
a
ques groupes disperses travers quatre et leur accompagnement instrumental
rese rves du Bresil central subsistent. lis eventuel mais aussi par les plaintes fune-
ne co mptent guere plus de huit cents bres, les cris, les chants sanglotants, les
personnes. exhortations et Ie son evocateur des ai je .
BIBLIOGRAPHIE SELECTIVE
ALBISETTI Cesar, VENTURELLI Angelo : LEVI-STRAUSS Claude :
Enciclopedia Bororo Vol. 1 - 3 Anthropolog ie Structurelle
Campo Grande : Museu Regional Dam Paris : tditions Plan, 1958.
Bosco, 1962 - 69 - 76. Contient deux articles fondamentaux sur
Classique de I'ethnographie Bororo. Le la parente Bororo.
trois ieme volume contient des traductions
de chants de chasse et de peche ; Ie qua-
trieme volume qu i inclut des chants fun e- VIERTLER Renate :
raires est sous presse. As alde ias Bororo :
Alguns aspectos de sua organizacao social
CROCKER Jon Christoph er : Sao Paulo : Uni versidade de Sao Paulo,
Vital Souls 1976.
Tucson : University of Arizona Press, Magnifique etude du systeme de recipro-
1985. cite, rites et ceremonies
Importante publication recente sur les
concept ions relig ieuses et sociales des
Bororo.
WILBERT Johannes, SIMONEAU Karin:
LEVI-STRAUSS Claude : Folk literature of the Bororo Indians
Tristes Tropiques Los Angeles : University of California
Paris : tditions Plan, 1955. Press 1983 .
On y trouve une superbe description de la Traduction anglaise d' un choix de textes
societe Bororo traditionnelle des ann ees de tradition orale d i sponible jusqu ' a
1930 dans les chapit re s XXI a XXIII. maintenant en portuga is seulement.
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