The falling sky [electronic resource] : words of a Yanomami shaman / Davi Kopenawa, Bruce Albert ; translated by Nicholas Elliott and Alison Dundy.

Chute du ciel. English

9780674726116 electronic book

Cambridge, Massachusetts : Harvard University Press, 2013.

English

1 online resource (xvi, 622 pages, 4 unnumbered pages of plates) : illustrations, maps

F2520.1.Y3 K6613 2013eb

305.898/92

"The Falling Sky is a remarkable first-person account of the life story and cosmoecological thought of Davi Kopenawa, shaman and spokesman for the Yanomami of the Brazilian Amazon. Representing a people whose very existence is in jeopardy, Davi Kopenawa paints an unforgettable picture of Yanomami culture, past and present, in the heart of the rain forest--a world where ancient indigenous knowledge and shamanic traditions cope with the global geopolitics of an insatiable natural resources extraction industry. In richly evocative language, Kopenawa recounts his initiation and experience as a shaman, as well as his first encounters with outsiders: government officials, missionaries, road workers, cattle ranchers, and gold prospectors. He vividly describes the ensuing cultural repression, environmental devastation, and deaths resulting from epidemics and violence. To counter these threats, Davi Kopenawa became a global ambassador for his endangered people. The Falling Sky follows him from his native village in the Northern Amazon to Brazilian cities and finally on transatlantic flights bound for European and American capitals. These travels constitute a shamanic critique of Western industrial society, whose endless material greed, mass violence, and ecological blindness contrast sharply with Yanomami cultural values." -- Publisher's description.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Access limited to authorized users.

Description based on print version record.

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