Indigenous agency through visual narratives in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia (original) (raw)
Related papers
History and Anthropology, 2017
This article traces the changing uses and meanings of a set of ethnographic photographs that represent a contentious period in the history of the Arhuaco, an indigenous group that inhabits the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, in Northern Colombia. Based on archival sources and fieldwork, I explore their role in the 1910s when they were created by Swedish anthropologist Gustaf Bolinder, and also analyse indigenous re-significations and contests over the meaning of the photographs in 2010s as a process that is intertwined with their present struggles. I study their use by an Arhuaco media-maker who incorporated them into a historical documentary film and debates among community members around possible interpretations of the pictures. Through this case study I seek to contribute to the expanding scholarship on the history of anthropological photography, and in particular to recent efforts to move beyond vertical colonial readings and emphasize indigenous agency. I argue for the need of a more nuanced understanding of indigenous and non-indigenous uses of photography that takes into account a shared history and does not naturalize differences. Furthermore, I trace the changing meanings of photographs in order to illuminate the historicity implied in the process of attributing meaning to the past.
2019
This article explores mainstream ambitions of indigenous filmmakers from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. Using the example of Zhigoneshi, the Arhuaco filmmaking collective, I analyse the trend to transcend the boundaries of so-called “indigenous cinema.” The filmmaking in the region emerged as a response to political violence, and it developed into a tool of cultural self-discovery and opposition to past misinterpretations of the Arhuacos by Western filmmakers. Today, the Arhuacos reach for audiovisual media to communicate, create an archive of their history and culture, and to reflect on the implications of adopting a Western tool to protect the traditional values. The fruit of their work widely circulates at film festivals, academic events, and special presentations, reaching audiences all over the world. As such, the universal qualities of audiovisual media promise hope of successful intercultural communication.
Counter Narratives: Visual Anthropology and 'Memory Activism' in Peru
Visual Anthropology From Latin America, Anthrovision, 2018
In recent years, Peruvian social anthropology has seen a rising production of audio-visual and artistic works within the discipline, ranging from written analyses that incorporate arts and crafts (Bernedo 2011; González 2011; Ulfe 2014; Del Pino and Yezer 2014) to photographic projects (Poole 2010; Figueroa 2012), nonfiction films (Dietrich 2015; Malek 2016), virtual museums and online blogs. In this article, we identify the paths visual anthropology (VA) is taking in the country in order to analyse how these forms are creatively reinventing social anthropology as an analytical and methodological field. Furthermore, we take this opportunity to discuss the valuable, but internationally unknown, works of audio-visual anthropologists in and of Peru. Recientemente, la antropología social peruana ha vivido un incremento en la producción de trabajos audiovisuales y artísticos al interior de la disciplina, que van desde los análisis escritos que incorporan artes y oficios (Bernedo 2011; González 2011; Ulfe 2014; Yezer and Del Pino 2014) hasta proyectos fotográficos (Poole 2010; Figueroa 2012), películas de no- ficción (Dietrich 2015, 2017; Malek 2016), museos virtuales (por ejemplo, http:// www.museoarteporlasmemorias.pe/) y blogs en línea como https://heedersoto.wordpress.com/. En este artículo, identificamos las rutas que la antropología visual está tomando en el país con el fin de analizar cómo estas formas están reinventando creativamente a la antropología social como un campo analítico y metodológico. Aún más, tomamos esta oportunidad para discutir los valiosos, pero desconocidos internacionalmente, trabajos de antropólogos audiovisuales en y sobre Peru.
In: Ethnomusicology and Audiovisual Communication. Enrique Cámara de Landa y Leonardo D´amico, editores. Valladolid: Universidad de Valladolid., 2016
This article describes an experience in creating two different kinds of ethnographic products in the realm of visual ethnomusicology in Peru. The first one was a set of short programs for educational purposes edited by a team of anthropologists and ethnomusicologists using ethnographic archival recordings from the Institute of Ethnomusicology of the Catholic University of Peru. The second one was a made-for-television set of documentaries produced jointly with the national television channel and its team of professional filmmakers. Here we explain the similarities and differences of both types of production processes, attempting to answer a main question: What are the differences between making ethnographic videos and made-for-TV documentaries? This article addresses the issue of audiences, filming techniques, the practice of anthropological methods in recording visual data, the use of the camera, and the final editing process. Despite the contrasts between both types of visual products, we conclude that both of them share the attempt to communicate an " ethnographic truth, " which we here define as a sequence of events that is designed to be conveyed as found in its original context. In video production, this means using neither recreations of ritual performances , nor any technique of fictional filmmaking. In this article I will attempt to describe my experience while producing two kinds of ethnographic products in the realm of visual ethnomusicology in Peru. The first of these productions dealt with ethnographic archival recordings obtained by researchers in the field with a handheld camera, which were later edited into short documentaries for easier consultation and screening (Ethnographic Videos, Lima, 1993). The second one was a made-for-television set of programs produced by a team of professionals following a script and edited as documentaries (TV Documentaries, Lima, 2013). Each of them was created in a different historical context: the first videos were filmed in the 1990s, and the second set in the period 2010-2012, using different video formats and, as we shall see, contrasting methodologies. Both of these endeavors took place in the framework of my institutional duties at the Institute of Ethnomusicology of the Catholic University of Peru. In this article we will explain the similarities and differences between the two types of production processes involved, even though both projects focus on the history of Peruvian traditional and popular music. In: Ethnomusicology and Audiovisual Communication, Enrique Cámara de Landa/Leonardo D´Amico/Matías Isolabella/Terada Yoshitaka, editors. Valladolid: University of Valladolid.
The Arhuacos, film, and the politics of representing the 'other' in Colombia
2018
This thesis focusses on the contemporary politics of visual representations among the indigenous communities of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. It discusses various methods used to represent the ‘Other’ and reflects on the processes of practicebased research. Centering on the figure of the Arhuaco filmmaker Amado Villafana and the Zhigoneshi and Yokosovi Collectives which he leads, the thesis argues that his initiatives push indigenous filmmaking towards a more widespread inclusion in mainstream cinema, transcending beyond the indigenous context. The Zhigoneshi’s work focusses on the potentiality of intercultural communication, including its challenges and practicalities. In addition, it provides an alternative to non-indigenous representations of the ‘Other’, fighting for the right of self-representation. This thesis is concerned with the wider context of representing the ‘Other’ in Colombia and beyond, forming part of a practice-based research project which includes a coll...
Dancing in the Fields: Imagined Landscapes and Virtual Locality in Indigenous Andean Music Videos
TRANS-Revista Transcultural de Música/Transcultural Music Review, 2016
The move from analogue audio cassette to digital VCD (Video Compact Disc) in around 2003, as a primary format for recorded music, opened up a new era for music production and consumption in the Bolivian Andes. This cheap digital technology both created new regional markets among low-income indigenous people, quickly making it almost unthinkable for regional artists to produce a commercial music recording without video images. This paper explores the character of these images, reflecting in particular on the tendency to depict musicians and dancers performing in rural landscapes. It charts a long association between Andean music and landscape, both in the global imagination and in local practices, relating this to the idea of an Andean arcadia; a concept rooted in European classical imaginaries. It also goes behind the scenes and explores the class-related practices, values and priorities of music video producers, and how these play out in different genres. Resumen El paso del casete de audio analógico al VCD (Video Compact Disc) digital como soporte principal para la música gravada alrededor del año 2003, abrió una nueva era para la producción y el consumo de música en la región de los Andes bolivianos. Esta tecnología digital barata creó nuevos mercados regionales para los pueblos indígenas de bajos ingresos, haciendo impensable para los artistas regionales producir una grabación comercial sin imágenes de vídeo desde entonces. Este artículo explora el carácter de estas imágenes, considerando en particular la tendencia a representar a los músicos y bailarines actuando en paisajes rurales. Traza la larga asociación histórica entre la música andina y el paisaje, tanto en la imaginación global como en las prácticas locales, relacionándola con la idea de una arcadia andina, concepto este arraigado en los imaginarios clásicos europeos. El artículo también se adentra en los bastidores para examinar las prácticas, valores y preferencias de los productores de videos musicales, y cómo estas elecciones se representan en distintos géneros musicales.
Indigenous Moves Collaborative Multimedia and Decolonial Aesthetics
GeoHumanities, 2018
This article—a component of a multimedia series that includes academic papers, video documentaries,painting, poetry, dance, and song—documents and visualizes the continuities and contradictions inherent in diaspora and immigration for Indigenous Mexicans in the U.S. South. We argue for deployment of a decolonial aesthetics that calls into question long-standing colonial systems of meaning making, particularly racialized representations. We elaborate decolonial aesthetics by draw-ing on the visual language of Seed Spirits, a video documentary produced in collaboration with Otomi people. Decolonial aesthetics works through an affective register to evoke a wide range of responses tothe video including a deeper respect for ontologies of difference. A sacred element of Otomi cosmology, artisanal paper known as papel amate, further illuminates how we understand the liberatory potential of decolonial aesthetics. In conclusion, the Mexican diaspora and the cultural politics of Indigeneity it unleashed are reinscribing the narrative of Indigeneity in the Americas.Key Words: affectivity, decolonial aesthetics, Indigeneity, multimedia, Otomi.