Abastract

This article analyzes the experiences of Capuxu children with hauntings. It results from research aimed at investigating the production of the Capuxu person in light of the fabrication of children’s body. This was how I came upon the theme of the body and soul, which are dimensions of the Capuxu person. Through the category of the soul, I discovered the native term malassombro (haunting), which I here investigate in dialogue with ideas of death and fear. Furthermore, I analyze children´s agency in the context of their daily attempts at casting out such malassombros; the absence of a relation between belief in the malassombros and religiousity; and the recognition that adults and children may share the same repertoire of beliefs, but confer different meanings on them. I demonstrate that Capuxu people represent the dead as almas-malassombradas (haunted souls) because what matters are people and relations, and death does not prevent the unfolding of such relations.

Keywords:
Capuxu Children; Death; Fear; People; Malassombros