Customer Reviews

Dance of the Dolphin: Transformation and Disenchantment in the Amazonian Imagination

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A facinating book. About modern Brazilian folklore about animal transformation, particularly the were-dolphin, but also includes were-pigs, were-horses, were-snakes, were-jaguars and the werewolf. Many Brazilians still believe that many of the Amazon river dolphins are human beings who have temporarily transformed. Refreshingly, we don't hear any of the standard European "cannibalism" and "devil worship" theories that are so often associated with the werewolf and were-animals in general. Instead, those who transform are usually nothing worse than spooky... the were-dolphin is notoriously fun-loving, often plays a musical instrument in human form, and is very seductive. The folklore is saturated with folk beliefs centered on shamanism, and the stories are a facinating look into the belief systems and views of these people. It's nice to see a non-western viewpoint of the shapeshifter.

I first learned of this book when I bought "Journey of the Pink Dolphins" and saw that it was one of the books mentioned in the bibliographic section. Curious to learn more about the pink river dolphins and their place in Brazilian folklore, I bought the book, and I found it a very fascinating look at the folklore of the Brazilian Amazon. One of the intriguing aspects of the book is Slater's focus on the ways ordinary people tell and retell stories about the pink river dolphins and other supernatural creatures, and how the stories apparently reflect the changes taking place in the Amazon, plus other issues such as "the double standard" and the conflict between organized religion and pre-Columbian religions which the botos (the Brazilian name for the pink river dolphins) and creatures such as the Cobra Grande (the anaconda) are representatives of (according to Slater). However, to me, the most fascinating part of the book are the tales of the botos themselves. Unlike the Cobra Grande and other supernatural creatures of the Amazon, the botos can be endearing, amusing, and extremely attractive. Certainly they've fascinated me while anacondas probably never would do that. In short, I really liked the book and would recommend it, especially to those interested in folklore.