Images of person in an Amerindian society. An ethnographic account of Kuna woodcarving

Bibliographic Data

ID2632965
AuthorsPaolo Fortis (University of Roehampton, corresponding author)
Year2012
Volume98
Issue1
Pages7-37
Publication date2012-07-31
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal de la Société des Américanistes (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0037-9174 • E-ISSN: 1957-7842
PublisherSociety of Americanists (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.4000/jsa.12119
OpenAlexW1595180272
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited19

This article offers an ethnographic account of Kuna woodcarving (mola making and nuchu-carved wooden figures). It focuses on the relationship between person and image among the Kuna Indians of Panama. The author argues that nuchu and mola, although considered as "art" in Western societies, are perceived by the Kuna as images of persons, and therefore endowed with a specific agency. By exploring the social life of these wooden figures, the author shows how images participate in the definition of Kuna personhood, and how they contribute to the shaping of social relations within Kuna society

Alterity · Representation · Soul · Theme (computing · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Archaeology and Rock Art Studies · Geographies of human-animal interactions

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