Contribution short abstract:

This talk is based on my ongoing work of creating a Huni Kuin song archive. I analyse the complexities that arise between demands for commoning and claims of spiritual authority. By contrasting the interests of the stakeholders involved, I reflect on the ethical pitfalls of commoning.

Contribution long abstract:

My PhD research is a collaborative endeavour with several Huni Kuin communities to create an archive for Pakarin, a powerful song genre performed by ritual experts. Working on knowledge deemed at the same time sacred and an essential part of indigenous heritage brings with it several delicate questions. Consequentially, the demands of several stakeholders have to be weighed: The demands of ritual experts and their descendants who view their knowledge as pertaining to their family, the demands of their communities who expect reciprocity from the researcher, the demands of their neighbours to an inclusive approach towards heritage, and finally, the objectives of indigenous organizations tasked with representing their people and transforming sacred heritage into a common resource. How can collaborations unfolding during a movement of cultural revitalization keep true to the goal of creating commons while respecting ethics of care, secrecy and personal learning relationships between ritual experts and their students? Where are the lines between the sacred secret and shared heritage? And how to navigate the parallel striving for limiting access to sacred knowledge in order to uphold indigenous values on the one hand and the politics of performing and sharing this knowledge for intercultural partnerships, educational purposes and political activism on the other? This talk takes a specific view on the Huni Kuin case of powerful songs, situates my research in South American indigenous politics of heritagization and explores the inevitable challenges of commoning.