Les lances du crépuscule

Description

They are called Jivaros. They prefer to call themselves Achuar, the People of the Water Palm. Isolated in the jungle of the upper Amazon, this legendary tribe was protected for centuries from incursions by white people by its disturbing reputation as headhunters. More than just a condition of their independence, war is a cardinal virtue for these Indians; it brings prestige, strengthens solidarity, reinforces ethnic identity and allows for the ritual renewal of souls. Thanks to this, there are still several thousand Achuar, proud of their traditions and fiercely attached to their way of life.

This book is a chronicle of their discovery and a tribute to their resistance. Philippe Descola recounts the daily stages of his growing emotional and intellectual intimacy with this people, whose existence he shared for nearly three years as an anthropologist.

This exceptional testimony to a free and almost forgotten way of living the human condition draws lessons for the present day from a unique experience.