[Measles epidemic ("romé") among the Hitnü (Arauca, Colombia, 1964): an ethnography-based history]

This study describes the 1964 measles epidemic among the Hitnü people of Arauca, Colombia, based on the perspective of this Indigenous people. For this, a Historical Anthropology study was carried out with field diaries based on two ethnographic approaches (1976-1982 and 2023-2024). The data were collected for over about 50 years from the survivors of the epidemic, and the most recent records refer to older Hitnü who knew the facts from the oral tradition of their parents. Results show that the Hitnü recognize the characteristics of a measles epidemic ("romé"). Moreover, symbolic questions followed explanations about the epidemic, and this study argues that their interpretations suffered the influence of the historical and sociopolitical context of the time, characterized by struggles between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. This experience shows the value of Ethnography to reconstruct facts related to epidemics and explore health emergencies based on the perspective of the affected people to be reported by ethnographers who distance themselves from the often hegemonic narratives that reinforce inequalities, delegitimizing or ignoring the knowledge and resolution capacities of Indigenous people regarding this type of event and their interpretations, which, as with Hitnü and other South American groups, are linked to their relationship with non-Indigenous people over time.