Vestiges du passé. Alfred Métraux et les Čipaya de Carangas (1930-1931)

Abstract

Beginning with observations of the photographic material of the Čipaya of Carangas, published by Alfred Métraux, this paper is concerned with the temporal dimension conveyed in one of the first ethnographies of this indigenous population inhabiting the highlands of Bolivia. In recent years, it has been stated that Métraux’s engagement with the Andes acted out on two different levels, oscillating between love and hate: his scientific publications devoted to the first and his personal writings devoted to the second. Reappraisal of the various ethnographic writings he devoted to the Čipaya in relation with other works, early and more recent, questions the existence of such a distinction, allowing us to transcend the dichotomy between « past » and « present », that dilemma faced by all ethnographies.

Keywords

• Métraux
• Čipaya
• Bolivia
• Central Andes
• ethnography