In my past work I have explored the construction of identity in relation to others in a Bolivian Amazonian society, through the ambivalent attitudes the Ese Ejja display towards non-indigenous and mestizo Bolivians. I argued that the Ese Ejja's ambivalence reflects their notion of identity as mutable, contextual and relational. The relationship described was characterized by self-debasement on the part of the Ese Ejja, who appeared to be saying, in contrast with an attitude often encountered in Amazonia and elsewhere, that they were not “proper” people. This I partly attributed to historical, economic and political factors, but I also showed it to be consistent with the indigenous strategy of avoiding direct confrontation with dangerous entities, as can be observed in their constant negotiations with powerful beings. In this chapter I wish to give an account of these powerful beings exploring the notion of eshahua, a principle of volition and agency shared by such beings and the Ese Ejja, often referred to in Spanish as “anima” (soul).

The Ese Ejja can be described as “animist” in the sense that they endow some animals and plants with eshahua, although this idea needs qualification, as the translation as anima conceals a profound conceptual difference between the Ese Ejja and the Spanish term, namely that eshahua is substantial and tangible.