"In those times she was strong". Singing the grief among the Ayoreo from the Paraguayan Chaco. Issue 1 (2nd January 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Otaegui, Alfonso
• Is Part Of: Death studies. Volume 45:Issue 1(2021)
• Page Start: 9
• Page End: 18
• Publication Date: 2021-01-02
• Subjects: Death -- Psychological aspects -- Periodicals; Terminal care -- Periodicals; Death -- Moral and ethical aspects -- Periodicals; 306.9
• DOI: 10.1080/07481187.2020.1851886
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0748-1187

Abstract

Abstract: In this article, I analyze the experience and consequences of grief among the Ayoreo from the Paraguayan Chaco through the study of mourning songs. As a methodological proposal, I suggest that the study of verbal art in conjunction with an ethnography of everyday domestic life can provide clues to understanding the experience of grief and its relation to expected behavior. This study shows that grief among the Ayoreo can be socially disruptive if not dealt with properly, as songs depict grieving Ayoreo as opposite to healthy people in terms of sociability and expected role fulfillment.