THE STRUCTURE OF CLASSIFICATION AND RANKING IN THREE HIGHLAND MAYAN COMMUNITIES

Abstract

The complementary terms bankilal and ?i¢'inal are applied by the people of Zinacantán, Chamula, and Chenalho to a number of domains of their experience: kinship, religious and political social roles, physical objects, and natural features of the landscape. The contrast between btmkilat and ?i¢'inal seems to be fundamental to the thought of the Indians living in the three communities. Here the ·logical implications of this contrast will be explored. The terms are difficult to define empirically in general terms; their meanings seem co be contextually determined. I submit that the terms belong to what might be called the ethical language of these communities rather than to a natural or empirical language and that any empirical definition will fall short the "true" meaning of the terms.