ABSTRACT
Sokorpa specialists, called tuwancha – “those who know”, are characterized by their reserved manner in dealing with the other-than-human realm and by the crucial role played by the other-than-human beings in initiating transhuman communication. In a nocturnal visit, these beings transmit their knowledge, thus initiating future specialists and determining the manner they will fulfill their societal duties. The chapter distinguishes between two manifestations of tuwancha that are associated with different transhuman relational modes. The coexistence of these relational modes in Sokorpa socio-cosmology is analyzed in the context of historical processes, sociocultural change, and the negotiation between the familiar and incoming. The blending of the creator Aponto with the Christian God and the deification of the owner of corn Osema, as well as the emergence of tuwancha-who-preach represent important modifications in Sokorpa transhuman communication.
