“El espíritu de la ley”, ritualidad y política entre los indígenas del Valle del Cauca

“Armonizaciones” (“harmonizations”) are a ritual complex of the Embera-Chami, Nasa, and Wounan indigenous groups of the Department of Valle del Cauca in Colombia. These rituals seek to normalize inter- and extra-ethnic scenarios of political negotiation. The frequent use of the Spanish word “armonizacion” has promoted the institutional understanding and acceptance of these ritual practices, but it has also simplified the cultural differences between these three ethnic groups. In this article, we focus on the different modulations of these rituals. We analyze how these rituals transform potentially dangerous inter-ethnic encounters into symbolically domesticated spaces. We also explore how these indigenous peoples use these rituals to interpret the spirit of the State’s laws and actions from an animistic approach related to non-human entities. We finally probe the possible impact of these rituals in attaining less-conflicting political negotiations.