Huaorani Transformations in Twenty-First-Century Ecuador: new book by Laura Rival
A new book by Associate Professor Laura Rival explores the way of life of the Huaorani, an indigenous people of the Amazon Basin, bringing new insights into the unique ways in which they relate to neighbouring societies and to the rain forest.
The book, titled Huaroni Transformations in Twenty-First Century Ecuador: Treks into the Future of Time, is published by the University of Arizona Press.
The community of just under 4,000 in Ecuador has been known to the public primarily for their historical identity as a violent society. But Laura Rival reveals the Huaorani in all their humanity and creativity through a longitudinal ethnography, bringing a deeper perspective beyond the stereotype.
The first section, “Among Forest Beings,” shows that the Huaorani have long adapted to life in the tropical rain forest with minimal reliance on horticulture, yet have developed a complex relationship with plants.
In “In the Longhouse,” the second section, she focusses on the intimate relationships that create human persons and enact kinship relations. She also discusses women’s lives and perspectives.
The third section, “In the Midst of Enemies,” considers how Huaorani society fits into larger political and economic contexts, illustrating how native values shape their encounters with oil companies, the state, and other external forces.
Rival carefully analyses insider/outsider dialectics wherein Huaorani people re-create meaningful and valued worlds in the face of alien projects, such as petroleum development, carbon trading, or intercultural education.