THE SHAMANIC PRACTICES OF THE CHACHI PEOPLE IN THE NORTH OF ESMERALDAS, ECUADOR

Abstract

It starts from the conception of shamanism as a set of traditional beliefs and practices that ensure the ability to cure diseases and generate human suffering. For this reason, shamanic practices constitute an essential part of indigenous peoples, presenting a range of dimensions that structure the way of seeing and understanding the world, from the recognition of the existence of spiritual beings to the belief in spirits that grant power to the shamans to do good and evil. This article aimed to describe the shamanic practices of the Chachi people of northern Esmeraldas and identify the relationships between envy and witchcraft. A qualitative approach was used with an ethnographic research design and an explanatory analysis based on the interlocutors' accounts. The results showed that the Chachi population performs shamanic practices with two goals: improving health and doing evil.