The material culture of the Kuna Indians of Panama and Colombia
Ric Hajovsky and his assistants motored his 45-foot dugout canoe (the Don Tiki) to every mainland and offshore Kuna village in the San Blas Comarca many times during the years he was collecting ethnographic material to sell to museums and collectors around the world. During those trips, he amassed not only a huge number of rare and seldom-seen artifacts, but also an education on how the Kuna used these pieces in their ceremonies and everyday life.
This 8½x11 inch book has over 420 pages with over 47 historic black and white photos, 980 color photographs of nuchus, pichas, old ledger books full of picture writing, Inabagiña’s sword and silver cane, and images of over 1,675 other artifacts.
Each type of artifact shown has a description of its manufacture, use, and the mythical beliefs connected to it. If you are a collector of Kuna material and bought parts of your collection in the US or Europe, you just might find some of your pieces illustrated in this compendium.
This is a serious reference book that all collectors of Kuna ethnographic art should have in their library.