Between jata and waweamu: Hiv/Aids in awajun communities of the Peruvian Amazon

Abstract

This article presents the notions and experiences of awajun people living with HIV/AIDS. The awajun population of "El Cenepa" district express their understanding of HIV/AIDS as an apach (non-indigenous) condition; using the expressions "jata SIDA" and "waweamu con sintoma de SIDA", portraying their novel notions of sickness and sorcery. These awajun conceptions conjugate different corporal, social and spiritual levels that intertwine with the multiplicity of what it means to "be sick". Based on the analysis of two life stories (of Elvis and Ricardo), I show the paths taken in search of health and the complex relationality displayed by families, especially mothers, of the people affected by this epidemic.