Cycles of destruction and regeneration: historical experience among the Ette in northern Colombia

Abstract

This article focuses on the reflections of a Colombian indigenous group on their own historicity. It describes and analyzes how the Ette (also known as “Chimilas”) from the plains of the Ariguani River have ordered and made sense of their historical experience. For this group, the future is both cyclical and linear. The idea of a beginning and end of history is complemented by the idea that the movement from one point to another occurs through cycles of destruction and regeneration. Such ideas have significant implications on the forms of action and consciousness of members of this group, and on the capacity with which people are endowed to influence the course of events.