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

by Joel Sherzer (Author, Photographer), Olokwagdi de Akwanusadup (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Review
This book is an ethnographic, folkloric, literary, and scholarly treasure. (Alexander Moore The Journal of Latin American Anthropology )

Product Description
The Kuna Indians of Panama, probably best known for molas, their colorful appliqué blouses, also have a rich literary tradition of oral stories and performances. One of the largest indigenous groups in the South American tropics, the majority of them (about 70,000) reside in Kuna Yala, a string of island and mainland villages stretching along the Caribbean coast. It is here that Joel Sherzer lived among them, photographing and recording their verbal performances, which he feels are representative of the beauty, complexity, and diversity of the oral literary traditions of the indigenous peoples of Latin America. This book is organized into three types of texts: humorous and moralistic stories; myths and magical chants; and women's songs. While quite different from one another, they share features characteristic of Kuna literature as a whole, including appreciation of their environment and a remarkable knowledge of their plants and animals; a belief in spirits as an important component of their world in curing, magic, and aesthetics; and, especially, great humor and a sense of play. Vividly illustrated by a Kuna artist and accompanied by photographs that lend a sense of being present at the performances, the texts provide readers with a unique aesthetic perspective on this rich culture while preserving an endangered and valuable indigenous oral tradition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 260 pages
• Publisher: University of Texas Press; 1st University of Texas Press Ed edition (February 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 029270237X
• ISBN-13: 978-0292702370
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,079,276 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Stories... of the Kuna (Cuna) Indians, August 29, 2008

By	C. V. Ramsey "storyteller" (NC, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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!