El parto indígena en la Amazonía peruana: etnografía en una comunidad nativa Kukama (Loreto, Perú)

In Amazonian anthropology, research on childbirth has been dominated by anecdotal descriptions and symbolic approaches such as 'solitary birth,' mythology, and shamanism; however, the feminine communal knowledge linked to pregnancy, the construction of personhood, and its cosmological connections remains underestimated. The objective of this research is to recognize the practices related to indigenous childbirth among Kukama Kukamiria women in the Peruvian Amazon. Methodologically, a situated ethnography was conducted in the native community of Nueva Fortuna, located in the lower Marañón (Loreto) in the Peruvian Amazon. Data collection involved interviews with 61 Kukama Kukamiria women and the observation of body techniques recorded in field notebooks. The main results show that traditional midwifery, as part of the sociocultural practices of this collective, remains the predominant practice for giving birth. In this sense, the research identified the relevance of the community's five midwives (wariratara), who accompany indigenous women throughout their pregnancies. This investigation concludes that the women of this community agency their motherhood by prioritizing the domestic space as a secure environment, due to the intimate, safe, and familiar atmosphere it represents. Furthermore, the cooperation of experts and familial support enhance confidence and care during labor. Finally, it is recognized that indigenous childbirth involves entering a state of bodily fragility that articulates biological reproduction with collective cohesion and the interdependence between human and non-human entities.