O grito silencioso, um labirinto escuro e a noite escura da alma do povo Hupd’äh do igarape Japu de São Gabriel da Cachoeira - AM

Abstract

This thesis presents the results of ethnographic research on the silent scream, a dark labyrinth and the dark night of the soul of the Hupd’äh people of the Japu stream of São Gabriel da Cachoeira - AM, carried out between 2020 and 2025. Suicide has been occurring for some years now, with spirits haunting young indigenous people. This research discusses the signs that the Hupd’äh present before committing suicide, such as dreams, visions and voices they hear, and that with blessing it is possible to ward off the spirits that appear in dreams, which in some cases are of relatives or close friends. According to the Hupd’äh, the spirits of people who commit suicide do not go away. They remain on the earth or transform into animals that torment and persecute the living with the intention of taking them with them through suicide. Young people, because they have weaker spirits, are the vast majority of suicide victims. In a moment of anger, they take the opportunity to summon the courage to commit the act, others use caxiri, and others do not know how they attempted suicide, claiming to have a supernatural force stronger than them, inducing them to commit suicide. In this work, based on the research, I was able to perceive the importance of shamanism for protection in general. When you lose your future and your will to live, you feel like dying, so suicide is the result of those who lose it. It is extremely important to say that all cases of suicide, regardless of the form or reason, require empathy. Finally, it is necessary to implement more improvements in these villages, such as the inclusion of more public policies for these people. Therefore, suicide in São Gabriel da Cachoeira has been increasing since 2004, with several families losing people to suicide. The spirits that return to take more young people with them are almost everywhere in this region, including in Japu.