Social memory of the Miskito religious conversion. Cultural continuity and discontinuity.

Abstract

This article refers to the form by which the miskito recreates, through their oral narrative, the group' s moment of conversion to Christianity. Religious conversion helps bear, generally, changes in the field of traditional religion aim transformation in social organization. The acceptance of the new religion implies, in the first place, that the group has adopted a new form of thing and, in the second place, that owing to this, it feels the need to objectify its distinctive attributes. Here the cultural continuity of Miskito magical-religious thought is examined in the face of conversion to Christianity.