Chiefs, Scribes, and Ethnographers

Kuna Culture from Inside and Out

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Anthropology
Cover of the book Chiefs, Scribes, and Ethnographers by James Howe, University of Texas Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: James Howe ISBN: 9780292779631
Publisher: University of Texas Press Publication: January 1, 2010
Imprint: University of Texas Press Language: English
Author: James Howe
ISBN: 9780292779631
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Publication: January 1, 2010
Imprint: University of Texas Press
Language: English

The Kuna of Panama, today one of the best known indigenous peoples of Latin America, moved over the course of the twentieth century from orality and isolation towards literacy and an active engagement with the nation and the world. Recognizing the fascination their culture has held for many outsiders, Kuna intellectuals and villagers have collaborated actively with foreign anthropologists to counter anti-Indian prejudice with positive accounts of their people, thus becoming the agents as well as subjects of ethnography. One team of chiefs and secretaries, in particular, independently produced a series of historical and cultural texts, later published in Sweden, that today still constitute the foundation of Kuna ethnography.

As a study of the political uses of literacy, of western representation and indigenous counter-representation, and of the ambivalent inter-cultural dialogue at the heart of ethnography, Chiefs, Scribes, and Ethnographers addresses key issues in contemporary anthropology. It is the story of an extended ethnographic encounter, one involving hundreds of active participants on both sides and continuing today.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The Kuna of Panama, today one of the best known indigenous peoples of Latin America, moved over the course of the twentieth century from orality and isolation towards literacy and an active engagement with the nation and the world. Recognizing the fascination their culture has held for many outsiders, Kuna intellectuals and villagers have collaborated actively with foreign anthropologists to counter anti-Indian prejudice with positive accounts of their people, thus becoming the agents as well as subjects of ethnography. One team of chiefs and secretaries, in particular, independently produced a series of historical and cultural texts, later published in Sweden, that today still constitute the foundation of Kuna ethnography.

As a study of the political uses of literacy, of western representation and indigenous counter-representation, and of the ambivalent inter-cultural dialogue at the heart of ethnography, Chiefs, Scribes, and Ethnographers addresses key issues in contemporary anthropology. It is the story of an extended ethnographic encounter, one involving hundreds of active participants on both sides and continuing today.

More books from University of Texas Press

Cover of the book Jump-rope Rhymes by James Howe
Cover of the book Ancient Origins of the Mexican Plaza by James Howe
Cover of the book Life on the Hyphen by James Howe
Cover of the book Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico, Volume 2 by James Howe
Cover of the book The Poetry of American Women from 1632 to 1945 by James Howe
Cover of the book The Southern Journey of a Civil War Marine by James Howe
Cover of the book The Negro and His Folklore in Nineteenth-Century Periodicals by James Howe
Cover of the book Deleites de la Cocina Mexicana by James Howe
Cover of the book The Fables of Phaedrus by James Howe
Cover of the book Hispanic Spaces, Latino Places by James Howe
Cover of the book Native Evangelism in Central Mexico by James Howe
Cover of the book Speech Play and Verbal Art by James Howe
Cover of the book Ellen Glasgow by James Howe
Cover of the book Probably Someday Cancer by James Howe
Cover of the book Marcoré by James Howe
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy