The Way of Warriors

In the period 1974-2019, Gustaaf Verswijver recorded more than a hundred life stories and historical narratives, told by Mebengokre (Kayapo) elders. This book presents a selection of some eighty of these narratives. After a painstakingly slow process of translation, combined with prolonged discussions with Mebengokre research assistants to better understand the events and the settings, numerous explanatory notes, and additional annexes were added. Part of this rich material was the basis of the meticulous work of historical reconstruction work earlier undertaken by Verswijver and now comes to light to foster new research and new studies that complement any gaps and give rise to new interpretations of Mebengokre history.

The set of narratives, organized by Verswijver, permits a comprehensive view of Mebengokre history, as remembered, understood, and told by the Indians themselves. The Mebengokre history and mental universe appear here, not as analytical artifacts of the anthropologist, but concretely embodied in the testimony of the indigenous people. More than that, if the indigenous narratives speak a lot about the past, of periods of crisis, violence, and death, they also reflect the strength of the present and point to the longings for the future of a brave people, morally solid, but open to the new and endowed with remarkable intellectual flexibility. For this reason, this book is one of the most important attempts at systematic historical reconstruction in the field of anthropology of Amazonian indigenous peoples.