El factor cayubaba: afinidades electivas y mediación interétnica en la Amazonía boliviana

This article explores the elective affinity of more than three centuries between the Cayubaba and the Panoan-speaking peoples of the Bolivian Amazon, such as the Chacobo and Pacaguara. The study proposes a reinterpretation of Panoan ethnohistory through a Cayubaba lens, identifying four diagnostic moments that illuminate the transformations of this inter-ethnic connection. First, during the missionary history of the late 18th century, the Cayubaba welcomed and adopted the Pacaguara, facilitating their integration into Jesuit missions. Second, the rubber boom of the late 19th century saw a role reversal, as the “civilized” Cayubaba fled forced labor and found refuge in Chacobo communities. Third, the Chacobo myth of the origin of sexual relations links them once more with the Cayubaba, narrating their common ancestry. Finally, contemporary Chacobo remember that they learned to play the zampoña (pan flute) from the Cayubaba, thereby generating their “traditional” musical style. Taking these four data sets as a series, the article highlights the crucial influence of Cayubaba mediation in the history of the Bolivian Panoan peoples and proposes a comparative reflection on the problem of recessive alterity.