Choco: Embera, Nonama (Waunana), XVI century Dabaiba, pre-Columbian iconography of Sinu



Tradition title rus: 
Чоко: эмбера, нонама (ваунана); сообщения XVI в о Дабайба; доколумбовые изображения культур сину (XIV-XV в) и илама (V-I вв до нэ)
Areal ID: 
14.3.1.1
Language: 
Tradition analysis result motif count all: 
108.00
Tradition analysis result motif count cosmo: 
76.00
Motifs: 

Motif

a3


Name_eng: 
Male sun and female moon
Description: 

The Moon is female or bisexual, the Sun is male




Motif

a9


Name_eng: 
The moon defends people
Description: 

Female moon does not permit her husband or son to destroy people




Motif

a11a


Name_eng: 
Eyes of the Sun and the Moon: coolness and night
Description: 

Visible sun and/or moon are the Sun's and/or the Moon's eyes. If these eyes were not injured, light and heat would be more intense




Motif

a11b


Name_eng: 
One-eyed luminaries
Description: 

The Sun or the Moon is one-eyed (usually another eye was knocked or sucked out but sometimes this defect is not explained




Motif

a16


Name_eng: 
Dangers along the Sun’s way
Description: 

Every night the Sun passes by creatures or objects which try to destroy them




Motif

a18


Name_eng: 
The Sun boat
Description: 

During the day and/or the night (in the underworld, beyond the horizon etc.) the Sun and/or the Moon regularly travel in a boat.




Motif

a31


Name_eng: 
The incestuous Moon
Description: 

As a result of some intimate contacts and/or love affair, the Moon acquires its present appearance (often, the stains on his face) and/or ascends to the sky




Motif

a32


Name_eng: 
Figure on lunar disc
Description: 

A figure or an imprint of some being or object are seen in the Moon. (For statistical analysis motifs A32A – A32J are also included into A32)




Motif

a32d


Name_eng: 
Man in the Moon
Description: 

Human being or imprint of human being is seen in the moon




Motif

a35


Name_eng: 
Spots on the lunar disc
Description: 

Dark spots on the lunar disc are dirt, blood, paint, traces of beating, burning, scratching, etc. on the Moon person's body or face (Kiliwa: spots on the Sun) and do not form any particular figure




Motif

b9


Name_eng: 
Water in the tree trunk
Description: 

There is enormous amount of water inside a trunk of a tree or a tree turns into water




Motif

b26


Name_eng: 
Man joins wild animals
Description: 

Person who follows the wild animals turns into one of them or into their master




Motif

b29


Name_eng: 
Eschatological feast
Description: 

People turn into animals, birds or stones at a feast, after the feast, after performing a ritual or after a victory over dangerous enemy




Motif

b39


Name_eng: 
Narrow waist of an insect
Description: 

Insect-person knows the source of food (cultivated plants) and water but does not share his knowledge. To make him speak, ancestors tie a rope around his waist and pull it till the waist becomes narrow (origin of narrow place between breast and belly of insects)




Motif

b77


Name_eng: 
Primeval sky close to earth
Description: 

Originally the sky was close to the earth, then it has risen up




Motif

b86


Name_eng: 
Babylonian tower
Description: 

To reach the sky (the Sun, Moon, particular star), people build a ladder or tower that consists of separate modules (bricks, logs, sticks, etc.). This construction collapses




Motif

c2


Name_eng: 
Deluge and conflagration combined
Description: 

Inhabitans of the Middle World are (partly) destroyed (or will be destoyed) once by fire or draught, another time by a flood or the world is destroyed with a flood of fire or boiling water




Motif

c5a


Name_eng: 
Bird-scouts
Description: 

Birds or humans later changed to birds are sent to explore the earth (is it dry, are any survivals, to investigate why smoke rises to the sky, etc.) or to bring some soil to make the land that would be good for living




Motif

c5b


Name_eng: 
Animal-scouts
Description: 

During the creation of the world or after the world cataclysm animals run around making the earth big, reporting about its condition or they are sent to report the size of the growing earth




Motif

c6b


Name_eng: 
The diver is muskrat (otter, beaver)
Description: 

A muskrat (more rare beaver or otter) brings the desired object from under the water




Motif

d4a


Name_eng: 
Theft of fire
Description: 

Fire is stolen from its original owner or brought back to the people from somebody who had stolen it before




Motif

d4f


Name_eng: 
Beaver or fish let themselves to be roasted
Description: 

Beaver (in North American) or a small fish (in South America) lets fire owners catch and roast it, then revives and carries the fire away




Motif

d6a


Name_eng: 
Fire and crocodile
Description: 

Crocodile or cayman is an original or temporary owner of fire or lighting




Motif

d8


Name_eng: 
Fire and a predator animal
Description: 

Fire or summer is stolen from a big predator: a lion (in Africa), a tiger (in Asia), a bear (in Siberia and North America) or a jaguar (in South America)




Motif

d12


Name_eng: 
Food baked in the sun
Description: 

First people or inhabitants of a distant country cook food in the sun; or fire owner lies that he or she cooks food in the sun




Motif

e2


Name_eng: 
People made for a test
Description: 

Making people, creator does not reach perfection immediately. First variants of creation are rejected, then proper form and material found




Motif

e6


Name_eng: 
Because of a woman worlds become isolated
Description: 

When a woman of the child-bearing age tries to come from one world to another (e.g. from sky to earth), the communication between the worlds is blocked or broken forever




Motif

f18b


Name_eng: 
Long penis after prohibited sex
Description: 

After contact with a non-human or prohibited partner (close kin, animal, spirit) man's penis becomes so long that he had to carry it in a basket, etc.




Motif

f20


Name_eng: 
A strong embrace
Description: 

Man and woman embrace each other forever or for a long time




Motif

f27


Name_eng: 
Girls and the water spirits
Description: 

For girls and young women it is dangerous to come near water. Water creatures swallow them or drag away; a girl can die or become pregnant from a spirit; she can trigger a flood (rare: other cataclysm). Water spirits can come themselves to a girl who has her periods




Motif

f29


Name_eng: 
Girl sits on the ground
Description: 

A girl or young woman who is usually occupied with domestic work (is cooking, weaving, etc.) sits on the ground and copulates with a penis-like creature that crawls from below into her vagina




Motif

f30


Name_eng: 
Snake paramour
Description: 

A woman or a girl takes a snake, an eel (i.e. Pacific snake-eel), a lizard, or a worm for husband or paramour. People kill or badly injure him, the woman and/or her progeny or the woman herself is transformed into snake. Cf. motif k76b: the snake-husband becomes and remains a handsome man




Motif

f45


Name_eng: 
The Amazons
Description: 

There are (or were) women who live apart from men in their own village or villages




Motif

f51


Name_eng: 
The clandestine lover
Description: 

Person who conceals his or her identity comes to his or her lover (at night). Next time, the lover puts a mark on the stranger's face, body or clothes doing this intentionally (to recognize him or her) or by chance (that leads to the identification)




Motif

f62


Name_eng: 
Incognito at the feast
Description: 

An (ostensibly) sick (ugly, weak, poorly clad) person remains at home when others go to the feast. The person comes by himself or herself looking like a handsome man or beautiful girl. The man (woman) does not recognize him (her) and feels against her (him) sexual interestю (All texts with motif k57, Chinderella, are also included into f62)




Motif

f86


Name_eng: 
Conditional signal
Description: 

Person summons with a certain signal a non-human being (usually his or her sexual partner or his or her protégé). Another person spies, uses the same signal or pronounces the same words and kills the being who comes to him (or uses this being sexually himself)




Motif

f86a


Name_eng: 
An eaten up pet
Description: 

Person take care for a fish, crab or other small creature. Another person spies on him or her, kills the pet and eats it up or try to do it




Motif

g6


Name_eng: 
Primeval tree
Description: 

One of the trees is the principal, original one (emerged before all the other; ancestor of wild or cultivated plants; ocean or rivers inside it; world axis; higher than all the others; overshadows sky)




Motif

g8


Name_eng: 
Restored tree
Description: 

A deep notch in the tree (or in the sky support) is magically restored as soon as persons or creatures who cut or gnaw it stop working




Motif

g8c


Name_eng: 
Cutting tree to get valuables
Description: 

(Animal-)people try to fell a tree that contains water and fish or has cultivated plants on its branches. The notch disappears and the tree becomes intact




Motif

g10


Name_eng: 
The hanging tree
Description: 

A tree which trunk is cut through do not fall because it is hold from above




Motif

g11


Name_eng: 
Squirrel the woodcutter
Description: 

A squirrel plays crucial role in felling the gigantic tree




Motif

g23a


Name_eng: 
Alive being turns into plants
Description: 

Person or creature is transformed. Separate parts of its (his, her) body give origin to different plants, mostly edible or cultivated




Motif

g26


Name_eng: 
Swallowed food: saved for people
Description: 

Food products were swallowed or hidden in person's mouth. Thanks to this people got them




Motif

g27


Name_eng: 
Plants from urine
Description: 

Person urinates producing the first cultivated plants




Motif

h4


Name_eng: 
The shed skin
Description: 

Those who change their skin become young again




Motif

h5


Name_eng: 
People and snakes
Description: 

Reptiles or invertebrates possess the medicine of immortality; are contrasted with men as immortal with mortals and/or are responsible for originating of death; or a snake's bite inflicts the first death




Motif

h9


Name_eng: 
Strong and weak
Description: 

People are mortal because they have been likened to something subject to decay and easy destruction (e.g. to the soft wood and not to the stone)




Motif

h12


Name_eng: 
The alive person comes to the land of the dead after somebody’s death
Description: 

The alive person comes to the land of the dead to bring back somebody who has recently died (besides stories about shamans who journey to the other world to bring back the soul of a sick person) or, having no particular aim, goes there in company of somebody who had recently died or following his or her tracks




Motif

h28


Name_eng: 
Plagues from the body of a person or creature
Description: 

Killed and destroyed (often burned) person or creature (usually ogre, fierce animal, powerful shaman) turns into a multitude of biting insects or into other small molesting creatures




Motif

h32a


Name_eng: 
Superfertility lost: a maltreated wife
Description: 

Supernatural woman comes to live with humans. Thanks to that, food becomes easily available. She is maltreated, goes away, temporal superfertility is lost forever




Motif

h34b


Name_eng: 
Rivers flow in both directions
Description: 

Rivers were flowing or according to the original plan had to flow in both directions; somewhere there is a river that flows in both directions




Motif

i8g


Name_eng: 
Atlas
Description: 

One giant supports the earth or the sky




Motif

i13a


Name_eng: 
The horned serpent
Description: 

Giant water-chthonic or sky serpent or dragon has horns or antlers on its head




Motif

i14


Name_eng: 
No-anus people
Description: 

Person or creature has no anus opening




Motif

i15


Name_eng: 
No-mouth people
Description: 

Anthropomorphic beings have no mouths




Motif

i17


Name_eng: 
Body anomalies of inhabitants of a distant land
Description: 

Beings without mouth, anus, genitals, whose women do not know how to give birth live in the underworld, in the sky, or in a far-away land




Motif

i18


Name_eng: 
A spouse or husband without anus or mouth
Description: 

Person visits people who have no anus or mouth. He or his sister marries or tries to marry a local dweller




Motif

i19


Name_eng: 
People inhale the odor of food
Description: 

Anthropomorphic beings satisfy their hunger cooking food and inhaling the odor




Motif

i20


Name_eng: 
The undeground dwarfs
Description: 

Race of dwarfs lives under the ground (deep under the earth or in hills and rocks) or at the horizon where the earth and the sky meet




Motif

i22


Name_eng: 
Objects in permanent movement
Description: 

There are objects which remaining on the same place are moving permanently or periodically (meet and part. rise and fall down, shut and open, rotate)




Motif

i41


Name_eng: 
Rainbow serpent
Description: 

Rainbow is a reptile (usually a snake) or (more rare) a fish, or it is related to snake, to its tongue, breath, or to scorpion's tail




Motif

i41a


Name_eng: 
Rainbow from anthill or termite nest
Description: 

Rainbow rises from an anthill




Motif

i48


Name_eng: 
Confined to the underworld
Description: 

Certain person loses his or her freedom, is confined to a far away place (often, to the underworld) and acquires cosmic dimensions: supports the earth or the sky and/or his or her movements produce earthquakes or (rare) storms




Motif

i83


Name_eng: 
The sky of birds
Description: 

Birds, first of all vultures and eagles, live in the sky, usually at one or more layers of the upper world




Motif

k8a


Name_eng: 
Jonah: swallowed by monster
Description: 

Person gets into the belly of water being or into the belly of giant creature which appearance and living place remain vague. He kills the monster from the inside and/or returns to earth by himself (i.e. not extracted by other people)




Motif

k22


Name_eng: 
Dwarfs and cranes
Description: 

Different from (common) people inhabitants of a distant land fight from time to time with non-human enemies who periodically attack them




Motif

k22a


Name_eng: 
Dwarfs attacked
Description: 

Birds or other creatures which not dangerous for common people attack dwarfs who live in another world




Motif

k22b


Name_eng: 
Man helps inhabitants of other world
Description: 

Inhabitants of a distant land who have different nature than (normal) human beings struggle from time to time with some non-human enemies. Man helps local dwellers because their enemies are not dangerous for the human beings




Motif

k27k


Name_eng: 
Diving contest
Description: 

A contest: to dive deep or for a long time




Motif

k29a


Name_eng: 
Surviving in a fire
Description: 

Hero demonstrates his supernatural abilities remaining alive in a burning hot chamber, stove, bonfire, among burning vegetation




Motif

l9d


Name_eng: 
Sharp hands
Description: 

Person has sharp nails or knife-like hands to kill people




Motif

l13


Name_eng: 
The reared up monster
Description: 

A small creature is reared up by people. When it is grown up, it becomes harmful and dangerous




Motif

l14


Name_eng: 
Reared up serpent
Description: 

A small creature (often a worm or a reptile) is brought home and reared up or it becomes to live by itself in an artificial body of water. When big, it goes out of human control or becomes something huge and/or dangerous. Cf. motif L13A (The reared up monster attacks people)




Motif

l17b


Name_eng: 
Two faces
Description: 

Person or creature has another face (another mouth) on the back of his (her, its) head




Motif

l18


Name_eng: 
Multi-headed bird
Description: 

A bird with two or more heads on top of one body is described in tales or represented in art




Motif

l22


Name_eng: 
The sound sleep
Description: 

After breaking some taboo, coming across a strange object or person, people fall asleep. They do not feel when at night spirits come and injure or kill them




Motif

l24


Name_eng: 
Monsters suffocated
Description: 

Demons (or one of them) attack people and return to their den (usually a cave or tree hollow). People make suffocating fire around the den killing most or all of the demons




Motif

l25


Name_eng: 
Demonic girl sucks brains
Description: 

People adopt a demonic child, girl or woman but discover that this being kills people (in particular babies left in its charge) sucking out their brains or taking out their eyes




Motif

l36


Name_eng: 
Woman attacks man who climbs a tree
Description: 

When a man climbs a tree (escaping from persecutor; to get bird nestlings, honey, fruits, etc.), his wife (rare: her brother) kills, injures him or turns into demonic creature who pursues him




Motif

l39


Name_eng: 
Hero is compelled to descend from a tree
Description: 

When a person climbs a tree, a demon comes to it and carries the person away, or the person follows the demon to his world by his own will




Motif

l39a


Name_eng: 
Demons from the underworld
Description: 

A demon comes from the underworld and attacks a man who has climbed a tree




Motif

l40


Name_eng: 
Reflection and shadow
Description: 

Person discovers (rare:still fails to discover) another getting to see his or her shadow or reflection in water




Motif

l42


Name_eng: 
Hero carried to ogre’s home
Description: 

An ogre or ogress catches a person and brings him to his or her home where he or she plans to cook and eat him. The hero escapes




Motif

l53


Name_eng: 
Stones into the maw
Description: 

A monstrous being is killed or neutralized by (burning hot) stones (pieces of metal, heavy fruits, etc.) thrown into its maw or anus or the being retreats when they menace to throw a stone into its maw




Motif

l56


Name_eng: 
Fire in monster’s belly
Description: 

A monster or a big animal dies when fire is kindled in its belly




Motif

l64


Name_eng: 
Removable head
Description: 

Person removes part of his or her body (head, scalp, lungs) and then puts it back




Motif

m5


Name_eng: 
Provoked insult
Description: 

Being in a situation when his life depends on a good will of a demon or animal, person either resists or does not resist the temptation to insult or to beat, bite, etc. the latter




Motif

m7


Name_eng: 
Hero waiting to be picked up
Description: 

Getting into the lower or upper world, to an island, a country at the horizon, etc. a man is unable to move further and waits for somebody who could bring him to his destination. Some animals, birds or celestial bodies pass by, the last one (often the Sun or the Moon) picks him up and brings to the place he is eager to go




Motif

m8


Name_eng: 
Breaking the obstacle
Description: 

Non-human persons work hard to destroy a strong and durable obstacle that blocks access to some place or object




Motif

m9


Name_eng: 
Stuck in a tree hollow
Description: 

Person who puts her or his head or hand into a tree hollow or (rare) other hole is stuck fast in it or falls into the hollow and dies or undergoes a metamorphosis




Motif

m16


Name_eng: 
Ugly or sick one becomes healthy and handsome
Description: 

A kinfolk (often his mother) or wife (bride) of a sick (ugly, old) man or boy do not care for him. He becomes healthy (and handsome), punishes and/or abandons those who were evil with him




Motif

m29k1 Not used in statistics


Name_eng: 
The turtle (toad, frog) is a tricky failure
Description: 

A turtle (tortoise, toad, frog) behaves foolishly creating serious problems for himself




Motif

m30


Name_eng: 
Trickster falls down
Description: 

Person or creature who has no wings or is unable to fly on a long distance attempts to ascend to the sky or to fly far away but falls down or, deprived of his wings, remains in a place from which he is unable to return




Motif

m43


Name_eng: 
Doll as a decoy
Description: 

To kill or catch a monster, human figure of wood or clay or alive woman is exposed as a bait. Usually monster's claws or sharp leg get stuck in the wood




Motif

k27 (motif is not in the correlation table)


Name_eng: 
Competitions and difficult tasks
Description: 

Person is suggested to fulfill tasks that are mortally dangerous or cannot be fulfilled without supernatural helpers or capacities. The person fulfills the tasks and remains alive. A contest between persons has form of a competition or game in which the loser is deprived of his status or life




Motif

a14


Name_eng: 
Eclipses: relations between the Sun and the Moon
Description: 

Coming together of the Sun and the Moon is the reason of their eclipses




Motif

k10


Name_eng: 
Fight with the monstrous bird
Description: 

Monstrous bird (giant bat) predates on humans. Heroes fight with it




Motif

g24


Name_eng: 
Food from the sky
Description: 

First seeds (sprouts, tubors) of cultivated plants or of important edible wild plants are brought from the sky (received from the sky-dwellers)




Motif

j54


Name_eng: 
The last female survives
Description: 

Animals of particular species that were enemies of the heroes are exterminated besides the only pregnant female (rare a female and a male). Thanks to this, these animals still exist




Motif

i20c


Name_eng: 
Dwarfs live in the underworld
Description: 

Dwarfs live in the underworld that somewhat reminds the world of humans. If the dwarfs and the humans meet, it is deep under the earther




Motif

i20c2


Name_eng: 
Dwarfs live at the horizon
Description: 

The denizens of the country at the horizon (where the sky and the earth meet) are dwarfs




Motif

l9


Name_eng: 
Sharp body members
Description: 

Body members of a person has the form of cutting or piercing weapon




Motif

a8b


Name_eng: 
The Sun in the land of the dead
Description: 

When the Sun descends below the horizon, it shines to the anthropomorphic denizens of the netherworld (the dead, dwarfs, etc.)




Motif

g24a


Name_eng: 
Seeds of plants hidden on the body
Description: 

Person steals cultivated plants for the people hiding the seeds on/in his body




Motif

a14a


Name_eng: 
The conflict between the Sun and the Moon
Description: 

The Sun and the Moon are or were enemies, either permanently or in particular situations




Motif

f18a


Name_eng: 
The long penis
Description: 

Penis is so long that he can turn it round his waist or send into a woman who is at a long distance from him. (Only texts considered to describe real events and beings and not anecdotes are included)




Motif

f34b


Name_eng: 
The paramour is not a human being
Description: 

A girl (a woman, a group of women) intentionally takes a penis-being, a snake, an eel, a lizard, a worm, a big water animal or water monster or a big terrestrial mammal for paramour. People kill or maim the paramour, the woman and/or her progeny or she is transformed herself into an animal. She is blamed for her behavior





Similar traditions based on Cosmology and Etiology motifs:
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 3 Tradition: Tzotzil
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 3 Tradition:
Tzeltal
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 2 Tradition:
Northern Altai: Chelkan, Kumanda, Tubalar
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 2 Tradition:
Yanomamo (Yanoama): Yanomam, Yanomami
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 2 Tradition:
Desana, Siriano; Tatuyo, Bara, Tuyuca
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 2 Tradition:
Sicuani
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 2 Tradition:
Quinault
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 2 Tradition:
Tepehua, Totonac
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 2 Tradition:
Tojolabal, Chuj, Jacalteca, Kanjobal, Mocho (incl Tuzantec), Acatec
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 2 Tradition:
Toraja (Toradja), To Mori, Barée (=Eastern Toraja)

Similar traditions based on Adventures and Tricks motifs:
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 5 Tradition:
Barasana, Taibano, Macuna
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition:
Cofan (Cofán)
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition:
Napo (Quijo), Kanelo (“Jungle Kechua”)
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 4 Tradition:
Pemon: Arekuna (incl. Kamarakoto), Taulipang (Taurepan)
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 3 Tradition:
Ticuna (Tucuna)
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 3 Tradition:
Yanomamo (Yanoama): Yanomam, Yanomami
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 3 Tradition:
Letuama, Tanimuca, Ufaina, Yahuna
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 3 Tradition:
Sicuani
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 3 Tradition:
Kabiyari, Yukuna (Yucuna)
Shared motifs (from a list of 10 less used): 3 Tradition:
Makiritare (Yecuana)