The sculpted body

Among the myths and rites of the Ticuna people in the Amazon

Abstract

This text is the result of reflection on sexuality present in the interpretations of the worldview, the myth and ritual of the Ticuna people. The study aimed to understand the myth and rite of the Ticuna people in the light of the interpretations of the literature of the following authors: Nimuendaju (1952), Soares (1999) and Matarezio Filho (2015), aiming at the way that the people of this ethnicity build, understand and is put into the world through sexuality since it is present in the plot of the young girl's ritual. We will intertwine transversely with Le Breton's Body category research (2010) in the concept of social body. We justify this reflection due to the way the Ticunas treat their relationships and the teachings experienced between them, through the sexuality present in the myths and rites that structure their social institutions. In a dialogue with the interpretations of the references of the aforementioned authors, we seek to understand the sexuality present in objects such as the dolls that represent the body (Indian) of the man (erect penis) and woman (India) (vagina) carved in wood that were observed during a visit to the Peoples of the Amazon museum. The methodology strategy is based on bibliographic research and the material and iconographic source (photography) of the object, captured during a visit to the museum. We discuss the analysis of interpretations through research and reading of articles related to the theme that contributed to the conclusion of this reflection and in a qualitative way to present the results. As a conclusion, we see respect for differences and an equitable understanding of sexuality through interculturality, in a complicit and respectful acceptance of the other's sexuality.