"The Spirits Drink Cassava Beer": The More-Than-Human Politics of Self-Help in Amazonian Guyana.

Among the Makushi people of Amazonian Guyana, a traditional system of communal work called mayu, grounded in an ethic of helping each other out, serves as a form of self-help distinct from Western self-care. Mayu is a convivial event accompanied by feasting, drinking, and celebration of social relationships, and it extends beyond humans to include the agency of nonhuman beings. Shamanism and plant-charms are integral in mediating these generative relations of shared selfhood.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This article concerns vernacular practices of "self-help" among the indigenous Makushi people of Amazonian Guyana. Contrasted with "Western" self-care, the article examines mayu, a traditional system of communal work grounded in a collaborative ethic of "helping each other out." A convivial event, mayu is always accompanied by feasting, drinking, and the celebration of social relationships. This cooperative ethos passes beyond the human realm to harness the agency of nonhuman beings who participate in this shared work. The article moves on to investigate how shamanism and the use of plant-charms are integral in mediating these generative relations of shared selfhood.