The Conversion of Indigenous Peoples to Pentecostalism in Times of Decolonization and its Potential Consequences on Identity Perception : A narrative research study in Bolivia

The research was carried out to show the potential consequences of the conversion of indigenous peoples in Bolivia to Pentecostalism. The research was based on a research conducted by Canessa in 2000 on two movements already taking place at the time of his research, the rise of Indigeonus recognition in society and the rise of Pentecostalism. The results show how these phenomena have developed in Bolivia since 2000, during which Bolivia, for example, had its first Indigeonus president, Evo Morales, who led the country between 2006 and 2019, and Bolivia went through a coup d'état in which the new president, Jeanine Áñez, representing the right, associated the Bible with the mestizos and spread hatred of the Indigeonus beliefs. Religious conversions from Catholicism / Pachamama to Pentecostalism in relation to decolonization and in- and out-group associations were investigated. The research was written with a narrative research design, in which I interviewed Pentecostal pastors who worked in La Paz and in the rural area of Quellani outside the predominantly indigenous El Alto, as well as an indigenous person who had converted to Pentecostalism. Likewise, my observations were included, mainly on Pentecostal services in La Paz and Quellani, as well as on comparisons of Catholic churches in Cochabamba and Copacabana. The observations suggest interpretations of the situation as an outsider, a Western scholar. The indigenous beliefs are commonly referred to as Madre Tierra "mother earth" or Pachamama. During colonization, however, the Spaniards came with Catholicism, and since then, indigenous beliefs and Catholicism have been syncretized and incorporated into the beliefs of Bolivians, including many indigenous peoples. Catholicism / Pachamama's religious activities are also essential for Bolivia's culture and national identity. However, since the other half of the twentieth century, many Bolivians, also indigenous, have converted to Pentecostalism, although Indigeon