Customer Reviews

The Bird Who Cleans the World and Other Mayan Fables

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This short book tells us stories which tell us a great deal about Mayan culture and values amongst the Jakaltek-Maya in Guatemala. These stories reinforce values of community, ecology, the perils of laziness, and above all...RESPECT for elders. Sometimes these fables seem to have no moral whatsoever, but nonetheless, are usually entertaining. As the importance of the oral tradition amongst Mayan peoples is gradually deteriorating due to modernization, Montejo gives us a wonderful glimpse at Mayan fables, and the values they pertain to.

These lucid stories of creation, nature, ethnic relations and ethnic conflicts, related to Victor Montejo by his family and the elders of his Guatemalan village, are illustrated with images reproduced from ancient Mayan artifacts. Although useful in reconstructing the history and anthropology of the Maya, the tales can also be enjoyed by readers of all ages and backgrounds.

"The book's illustrations...help connect ancient Mayan myths with the oral tradition that persists today. Mr. Montejo's introduction to this tradition is a gift that outsiders should treasure." --The New York Times Book Review

"...all the stories offer a satisfying blend of humor and wisdom. This engaging anthology provides adults and children with rare insights into one of the cultures that make up the tapestry of contemporary Southern California." --Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Interesting graphics from Mayan sources help underscore the essential originality of this volume." --Library Journal

"...THE BIRD WHO CLEANS THE WORLD is one of the few books to capture the oral Mayan tradition, making it also a crucial study of pre-Columbian beliefs." --The Bloomsbury Review

This collection of short stories from the Maya Indians features more modern tales than other collections, with modern themes such as "don't pollute" and environmental degradation. I didn't enjoy this book as much as I've enjoyed other collections of Mayan folktales, which feel to me to be more deeply attached to core Mayan culture and not so much to modern values.

The stories herein are all quite short and read quickly, and I found myself wanting some longer tales mixed in with the shorter ones. If you already own several collections of Mayan folktales this is a good book to supplement your library, but I wouldn't turn to this book as an introduction to the Mayan world. For that I'd turn to Mayan Folktales From the Alta Verapaz, Heart of Heaven Heart of Earth, and Mayan Folktales by James Sexton. I'd consider "The Bird Who Cleans the World" to be a secondary or supplementary text and not a primary text. It's worth reading and owning but just isn't as powerful as the other works I've named here.