Traps and trapping in Amazonia: Human and non-human entanglements in Napo, Ecuador

This article sheds light on the meaning and world-making capacities of objects by examining both the material composition and social entanglements of traps in Ecuador's Napo Province. Drawing on fieldwork, we explore how objects are co-constituted alongside human and non-human entities, acquiring person-like qualities. We demonstrate that traps are not merely tools for capture or killing but also ingenious, cunning strategies for navigating disadvantaged positions and disrupting others’ relationships with their environments. However, unlike hunting, trapping affords prey new forms of agency. We define trapping as an interaction mediated by a modified environment composed of “false” signs. Traps are not preassembled tools but emerge through dynamic interactions, co-constructing the field of research itself.