Abstract

GOMEZ GARCIA-REYES, Cristina  and  PAYAN GARRIDO, Esteban. Iconographies and Representations of the Jaguar in Colombia: from Symbolic Permanence to Biological Conservation. Antipod. Rev. Antropol. Arqueol. [online]. 2017, n.28, pp.131-152. ISSN 1900-5407.  https://doi.org/10.7440/antipoda28.2017.06.

The figure of the jaguar (Panthera onca), as the main representative of "the feline" in America, has played a leading role in all the areas of ethnic expression throughout the continent. Its societies have traditionally made use of feline iconographies as metaphorical means to express human qualities and symbolize social relations. Nowadays, a different relation between humans and felines is seen. The jaguar is currently esteemed for its ecological role as a focal species and a symbol for the conservation of biodiversity by academics and the general public. By contrast, rural inhabitants, farmers and cattle-ranchers whose lands are inhabited by jaguars have a negative view towards them. These attitudes derive from competition for resources, territories and an inherited fear to these large wildcats. This study thus seeks to remark ancient forms of valuing jaguars in what is now Colombia and highlight these ancient symbolism, which in the current context may be relevant to the process of the meta-valuation of the species, and thus serve as contribution to conservation. This is a call for the peaceful co-existence of humans and jaguars, emphasizing that, if the jaguar were eventually to become extinct, we would not only lose its ecological role but also the metonymic relationship which has enriched the cultures of the territory of Colombia for millennia.

Keywords : Conservation; material culture; focal species; human-jaguar conflict; Panthera onca.

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