Customer Reviews

Stories, Myths, Chants, and Songs of the Kuna Indians (Llilas Translations from Latin America Series)

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A people whose stories are for the most part, unknown. A people who protect their privacy even as cruise lines and passengers treat their towns like living museums. A people with stories, songs, chants, and lots and lots of in-jokes! The Cuna Indians of Panama. Though the majority of their stories are told visually, in the brilliant molas, or embroidered shirts, Cuna women wear, this book features word for word translations of stories by Cuna storytellers and songs sung by Cuna women. One page features the original language text, and the opposite page the text in English. Many indigenous peoples' stories and songs are being lost all over the world; this book, and others like it, preserve them. A helpful tool for anthropologists, I expect, but more for storytellers who look to help their audiences "meet" people from around the world, especially peoples whose lives, tales, and stories they could not have imagined. This is a great book with great explanations of the culture of a great people!