JÍCURI Y BACÁNOWA: RITUALES DE VIDA Y MUERTE EN LA SIERRA TARAHUMARA.

Based upon 11 months of ethnographic fieldwork among the raramuri communities of the Sierra Tarahumara in Chihuahua (Mexico), this research examines two rituals that play a fundamental role in the raramuri world view: jicuri and bacanowa. I begin by reviewing some bibliographic references to these rituals, where sometimes they are portrayed as real, sometimes as legends. Secondly, I discuss the current ethnographic context in which the rituals of jicuri and bacanowa are performed, their function and social meaning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]