This thesis
examines the
social and economic relations of the Enxet indigenous
people of the Paraguayan Chaco
region who place a
high
value on egalitarianism,
generosity and personal autonomy.
However, during the twentieth century their land has
been
colonized
by
cattle ranchers and they have been
obliged to enter the market
economy.
While
anthropologists
have
proposed a range of theories to explain
indigenous
social and economic relations, the main concern of this thesis is to examine
how the
Enxet themselves explain their social
behaviour. The Enxet
make salient use of
"emotion
words" when
discussing their social and economic practices.
For instance,
a
fundamental
dichotomy in Enxet thought is between "love"
and
"hate"
and much of their discourse
centres on these two concepts.
The Enxet
seek to create
"good/beautiful"
people who
know how to act appropriately.
In
certain contexts they should practise
"love"
while
in
other contexts
"hate" is
acceptable.
Enxet
social organization should not be understood as a structure but
as a process,
as something that is being
continually created.
I
will consider
different
aspects of this
process through an examination of
kinship,
co-residence, marital relations,
"brideservice"
and
inter-community
contact, and
I
will
describe how
economic transactions are
key
elements
in the generation of
"loving"
social relations.
However,
self-centred practices
create many challenges to a
harmonious
community
life
and
I
will consider
how the
Enxet
strive to overcome them. Of
particular
interest
will
be demand
sharing which
responds,
in
part, to a strongly-held egalitarian ethic
but
can also provoke
disharmony
and
discomfort in
community
life. I
will also
discuss
commodity relations within
Enxet
communities and challenge the common assumption that money
is
necessarily
destructive
of
indigenous
social relations.
I
will conclude that the overriding goal of the Enxet is the attainment of
tranquillity in both their personal and social
lives. For the Enxet,
economic relations are
not about gaining material wealth
but
about
living
well with other people.
They
recognize
that personal affective comfort
is dependent on engendering tranquillity in
other people.
Therefore, the "emotion
words" they use to explain their social
behaviour
should not
be
regarded as merely referring to "feelings" but
as encompassing an aesthetics of social
behaviour
