In this final section of the book, I was captivated by the varying images placed at the beginning of each chapter. I found it interesting how they varied in intricacy and design. For example, take the skyscraper in chapter 20. Here it is a fairly straight forward drawing of a somewhat 3-D building. However, when compared to, say, chapter 22 we see a sudden intensity in detail when displaying the mirrors and paths of the xapiri. From my understanding, it appears that imagery is a crucial component to conveying truth. While it is an uncommon medium in formal academic settings, here it is presented as a crucial part of the narrative. Kopenawa goes on to say how “…shamans drink the powder of the yãkoana hi trees, which is the xapiri spirits’ food. Then they take our image into the time of dream. This is why we can hear their songs and contemplate their presentation dances during our sleep. This is our school to really know things” (24). It is clear that images to the shaman are powerful mediums to gather knowledge.

A regular motif or reference was the xiapiri. These seem to be transcendent entities who are regarded as guardians of the forest and its inhabitants, embodying the interconnectedness of all living beings and the spiritual dimensions of nature. It is where the Yanomami gain their knowledge and unlike western scholarship is not independent of the human experience including things like emotion. Western knowledge however is rooted in materialism and empiricism, as it focuses on observable phenomena and measurable quantities. Spiritual or supernatural explanations are often disregarded or marginalized in favor of rational and scientific explanations. This distinction is evident for example in chapter 23 “The Spirit of the Forest”, Kopenawa discusses how “the xapiri have defended the forest since it first came into being” and only now that we are seeing devastating effects have white people invented their xapiri, “people of the ecology” (393). 

It is these kinds of distinctions that have me critique the western canon of knowledge. For years we have seen phenomena such as capitalism and neoliberalism take hold of how “modern” societies operate. However, such processes that underscore efficiency and individual utility as the primary teleological purpose of humans often come at the expense of the common good that includes factors such as the environment. Even our methodologies grounded in science are fairly limited in that they appear to me more reactive than proactive. We have to observe the world around us to draw our conclusions on how we should behave. We have to experience forest fires, floods and other natural disasters to convince ourselves that climate change is in fact happening and warrants mobilization. However, with the Yanomami, it appears that this knowledge of preserving the natural environment is ingrained in the culture. Euro-centric societies will maybe even have to turn to indigenous traditions within groups such as Yanomami in the future as a point of reference. With more discussion, I am curious if this will ever be a possibility. Is there something to take away from the Yanomami’s views on nature and if so, can it realistically be applied to Western societies? Can we truly prevent a falling sky?