Vestiges of Bicameralism in the Pirahã
Posted: Fri May 09, 2014 3:16 pm
The book Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle by Daniel L. Everett contains descriptions vestiges of bicameralism among the Pirahãs, an isolated tribe living in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest:
"The Pirahãs change names from time to time, usually when individual Pirahãs trade names with spirits they encounter in the jungle." — p. 9
"Spirits can tell the village what it should not have done or what it should not do. Spirits can single out individuals or simply talk to the group as a whole. Pirahãs listen carefully and often follow the exhortations of the kaoaibogi. A spirit might say something like "Don't want Jesus. He is not Pirahã," or "Don't hunt downriver tomorrow," or things that are commonly shared values, such as "Don't eat snakes." — p. 112
"They have individual spirits, but they believe that they have seen these spirits, and they believe they see them regularly. When we looked into it, we saw that these aren't invisible spirits that they're seeing. They are entities that take on the shape of things in the environment. They'll call a jaguar a spirit, or a tree a spirit, depending on the kinds of properties that it has." — p. 134
"Throughout history people have claimed to see these supernatural entities [have had bicameral experiences — Mod]. The Pirahãs are not that much different, if at all. In the prologue, I gave one example of how the Pirahãs are eyewitnesses to spirits, and I have suggested that these spiritual encounters fall under the principle of immediacy of experience [lack spatialization of time — Mod]. But the Pirahãs encounter many kinds of spirits." — p. 137
"The kind of spirit most commonly spoken of is the kaoaibogi (fast mouth). This spirit is responsible for a range of good and bad things that happen to the Pirahãs. It can kill them or give them useful advice, depending on a whim." — p. 137
"Pirahãs see spirits in their mind, literally. They talk to spirits, literally. Whatever anyone else might think of these claims, all Pirahãs will say that they experience spirits." — p. 141
"Since for the Pirahãs spirits and dreams are immediate experiences, they often talk about them. Talk of the spiritual for the Pirahãs is not talk of fiction but talk of real events." — p. 213
"Their own beliefs were not in the fantastic and miraculous but in spirits that were in fact creatures of their environment, creatures that did normal kinds of things." — p. 271
"The Pirahãs change names from time to time, usually when individual Pirahãs trade names with spirits they encounter in the jungle." — p. 9
"Spirits can tell the village what it should not have done or what it should not do. Spirits can single out individuals or simply talk to the group as a whole. Pirahãs listen carefully and often follow the exhortations of the kaoaibogi. A spirit might say something like "Don't want Jesus. He is not Pirahã," or "Don't hunt downriver tomorrow," or things that are commonly shared values, such as "Don't eat snakes." — p. 112
"They have individual spirits, but they believe that they have seen these spirits, and they believe they see them regularly. When we looked into it, we saw that these aren't invisible spirits that they're seeing. They are entities that take on the shape of things in the environment. They'll call a jaguar a spirit, or a tree a spirit, depending on the kinds of properties that it has." — p. 134
"Throughout history people have claimed to see these supernatural entities [have had bicameral experiences — Mod]. The Pirahãs are not that much different, if at all. In the prologue, I gave one example of how the Pirahãs are eyewitnesses to spirits, and I have suggested that these spiritual encounters fall under the principle of immediacy of experience [lack spatialization of time — Mod]. But the Pirahãs encounter many kinds of spirits." — p. 137
"The kind of spirit most commonly spoken of is the kaoaibogi (fast mouth). This spirit is responsible for a range of good and bad things that happen to the Pirahãs. It can kill them or give them useful advice, depending on a whim." — p. 137
"Pirahãs see spirits in their mind, literally. They talk to spirits, literally. Whatever anyone else might think of these claims, all Pirahãs will say that they experience spirits." — p. 141
"Since for the Pirahãs spirits and dreams are immediate experiences, they often talk about them. Talk of the spiritual for the Pirahãs is not talk of fiction but talk of real events." — p. 213
"Their own beliefs were not in the fantastic and miraculous but in spirits that were in fact creatures of their environment, creatures that did normal kinds of things." — p. 271