CHIGUALO’S EPISTEMIC FUNCTION AT AFRO-COLOMBIANS PEOPLE

Abstract

Chigualo is an Afro-peoples’ ritual, practiced round a child’s death, being part of Afro-Peoples’ religious syncretism from ancestral traditions and the remaining legacy from the Christianism and Hispanic heritage. This article questions the epistemic functions of the Chingualo among the Afro- Colombian peoples, stablishing the differences between two rituals around the death. Alabaos used as ritual chants for adults’ decease and Chigualo used for children’s under 8 years old death. The article emphasizes in the roots and the etymology of the word Chigualo, the structure and the meanings of the chants present in the rituals. Finally, this article describes the rituals taking place in the Afro-peoples. The results show that the Chigualo has been understood as act of liberation, hoping the child would be on the other side with his ancestors, reaching the freedom that in this earthy plane has been denied. Furthermore, the ritual builds community and familiar bonds. In conclusion, Chigualo performs a historical memory, epistemic and spiritual: Historical because let Afro- Colombian communities remember their roots; Epistemic because the ritual comprises knowledge which is constantly updated and lived, and spiritual because the ritual pleases the community outlining moral Coexistence principles.