Experimentations of the fantastic in contemporary indigenous narratives: enchantments and myths

Abstract

In recent decades, indigenous literature has been establishing its place in the Brazilian publishing market, offering a new perspective on the planet and the humans who inhabit it. Much of this literary production is grounded in a phenomenology related to the fantastic, due to the emergence of diverse meta-empirical elements, often expressed through enchantment and myth. The aim of this article is to associate these works with contemporary experiments in the fantastic genre, analyzing their aesthetic constitution and social impact, focusing on narratives from the Maragua people. The study examines three mythical narratives told by Yaguarê Yamã: “History of Kãwéra,” “The Makukáwas,” and “History of Mapinguary.” The concept of enchantment, employed as a tool for narrative analysis, is rooted in an Amerindian and Amazonian cosmogony. This cosmogony is marked by the mysterious and magical forces of the Amazon’s fauna and flora, which are capable of explaining frequent phenomena perceived as natural within this worldview, such as metamorphoses.