Abstract

HORTA PRIETO, Ana Milena. Contributions to the Analysis of Governance from the Iku Territory and Feminine Practices of Menstrual Blood Care. Antipod. Rev. Antropol. Arqueol. [online]. 2022, n.49, pp.135-159.  Epub Oct 28, 2022. ISSN 1900-5407.  https://doi.org/10.7440/antipoda49.2022.06.

The purpose of this article is to argue that the menstrual blood care practices of Colombia’s Iku indigenous women establish a particular relationship with their territory, which means that they can be considered as part of the assemblages that make up territorial governance. This makes sense from an ontological perspective that acknowledges other territories and multiple practices and knowledge that introduce care as part of the management of the commons and that take place in intimate, informal, and non-deliberative spaces. The research was conducted in the iku communities of Nabusímake, between 2016 and 2019, and Katunsama in 2021, through ethnographic observation and semi-structured interviews. I conclude the text by pointing out that governance studies can be enhanced by the feminine practices of caring for blood and territory, as complementary practices to the knowledge of the mamos and authorities. These feminine practices question the separation between the public and the private for the common good, and highlight the centrality of care in the relationships between humans and extrahumans for the continuity of life. The analysis presented here contributes to studies of indigenous women’s participation in territorial governance.

Keywords : Indigenous women; governance; menstrual blood; ontology; territory.

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