Stories, Myths, Chants, and Songs of the Kuna Indians / / Joel Sherzer.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter University of Texas Press eBook-Package Backlist 2000-2013
• VerfasserIn: Sherzer, Joel,
• MitwirkendeR: Akwanusadup, Olokwagdi de,; Martinez, Hortenciano,; Sherzer, Joel,
• TeilnehmendeR: Sherzer, Joel.; de Akwanusadup, Olokwagdi.
• Place / Publishing House: Austin : : University of Texas Press, , [2021]; ©2004
• Year of Publication: 2021
• Language: English
• Series: LLILAS Translations from Latin America Series
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (260 p.)

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.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- List of Illustrations -- List of Photographs -- Part I. Humorous and Moralistic Stories -- Chapter 1 Introduction -- Chapter 2 The One-Eyed Grandmother -- Chapter 3 The One-Eyed Grandmother -- Chapter 4 The Turtle Story -- Chapter 5 The Way of the Turtle -- PART II Myths and Magical Chants -- Chapter 6 Counsel to the Way of the Devil Medicine -- Chapter 7 The Way of Cooling Off -- Chapter 8 The Way of the Rattlesnake -- Chapter 9 The Way of Making Chicha -- Chapter 10 The Way of the Sea Turtle -- PART III Women's Songs -- Chapter 11 Chicha Song -- Chapter 12 Three Kuna Lullabies -- Chapter 13 Counsel to a Parakeet -- Notes -- References -- Index