Dutch Spirits, East Indians, and Hindu deities in Guyana: contests over land

In modern-day Guyana (formerly British Guiana) residents of the coastal region of the country are susceptible to other-than-human powers: the spirits of Dutch colonizers, who claim ownership over the land, especially in areas where sugar plantations once operated. Regarded as the “masters of the land,” or “boundary masters,” Dutch spirits demand offerings and the recognition of land rights from their human co-habitants. Through a description of rituals towards the land performed by members of a heterodox Hindu sect, the worship of the goddess Kali, this article addresses territorial sovereignt... Mehr ...

Verfasser: Mello, Marcelo Moura
Dokumenttyp: Artigo de Periódico
Erscheinungsdatum: 2022
Verlag/Hrsg.: Universidade Federal da Bahia
Schlagwörter: Colonialismo / Guyana / Terra / Plantação / Espíritos / Colonialism / Land / Plantation / Spirits / CNPQ::CIENCIAS HUMANAS
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-27062750
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
Powered By: BASE
Link(s) : https://repositorio.ufba.br/handle/ri/36357

In modern-day Guyana (formerly British Guiana) residents of the coastal region of the country are susceptible to other-than-human powers: the spirits of Dutch colonizers, who claim ownership over the land, especially in areas where sugar plantations once operated. Regarded as the “masters of the land,” or “boundary masters,” Dutch spirits demand offerings and the recognition of land rights from their human co-habitants. Through a description of rituals towards the land performed by members of a heterodox Hindu sect, the worship of the goddess Kali, this article addresses territorial sovereignty through the lens of lived and embodied practices of co-habitation between East Indians and Dutch spirits, giving special attention to the processes of establishing proprietary rights over the land through such acts as planting trees. ; Na Guiana contemporânea (antiga Guiana Britânica), moradores da região costeira do país estão suscetíveis a poderes extra-humanos: espíritos de colonizadores holandeses, que reivindicam a propriedade da terra, especialmente em áreas onde plantações de açúcar operaram. Considerados como os “senhores da terra,” ou “senhores da fronteira,” espíritos holandeses demandam de seus coabitantes humanos ofertas e o reconhecimento de seus direitos territoriais. Por meio da descrição de rituais para a terra realizados por membros deumavertente hindu heterodoxa, o culto à deusa Hindu Kali, este artigo aborda questões relativas à soberania territorial por meio da análise de práticas incorporadas e vividas de coabitação entre indianos e espíritos holandeses, conferindo atenção especial aos processos de estabelecimento de direitos territoriais por meio de atos como a plantação de árvores.