Ethnography is defined as a scientific description of people and their culture. Fortis choice to title his ethnography, Kuna Arts and Shamanism, because a lot of the artifacts discussed in his ethnography for the Kuna people can be considered forms of art that are used for shaman practice. An example of art that the Kuna people practice is the nuchukana, which is also referred as nuchu. The nuchukana are can only be made by males as traditional sacred practice of the Kuna culture and these artifacts can range in shape, size and style. Art is defined as an expression of human creativity that produces apparition for its emotional power. Nuchu statutes are seen as protectors from evil and helpers of the Kuna people. “She told me the story of each one and what type of wood they were carved from. She said that with them in the house she felt secure. They protect all her family by keeping away dead people souls and demons.” (Fortis 2012: 67) This woman that Fortis was interviewing is expressing her emotional connection to the nuchu as western would express their own emotion connection to say a da Vinci panting. Each nuchu carving is unique and produced to have the family feel as this woman above felt, protected. Furthermore, nuchukana aid shamans in curing and diagnostic rituals and can protect a household from mischievous spirits. These nuchu are formless in spirtit and can only speak to a shaman or none shamens through thier dreams. (Fortis 2012: 2) In social anthropology cosmology is closely connected to the study of religion, which reflects to the nuchukana because these carvings are being made and used in a religions manner. The Kuna cosmology perspectives mainly revolves around nature, especially trees, are sacred space. The nuchu are made with trees that have to be properly horned before the men begin to carve out these statues. Since the Kuna people belive in evil spirits and demons the practice of creating the nuchu become predominate in protection themselves and family from harm, “I remember Nixia Pèrez, our host and friend, commenting that she would never spend the night there for she fearful encountering kimala, “ghost”, which are said to wander around that side of Ustupir, far from the house where people live”, (Fortis 2012: 28-29). Another connection to the Kuna cosmology perspective to nuchu carvings is the perceptive of sickness and death. The appearance of the nuchu reflects an image of death to the Kuna people, “the image of a couple of generic persons, loving a sterile afterlife powerfully recalls that of a couple of nuchukana: generic
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Commonly western art is seen as paintings or sculptures that are displayed for the public. However, these art pieces hold no religious connection as the nuchu do. These pieces of art do not have spirits inside painting and are not used by a religious man to cure someone of an illness. Even in western religions there are no artifacts that hold the same qualities as the nuchu because of their unique spiritual connection to nature. The nuchu are made with trees, trees in their culture are highly respected and praised in the Kuna culture. There is not any western religious art that follow the same guidelines are the nuchu do because nature is not considered sacred space. In many western religions the sacred space is in a temple or
Commonly western art is seen as paintings or sculptures that are displayed for the public. However, these art pieces hold no religious connection as the nuchu do. These pieces of art do not have spirits inside painting and are not used by a religious man to cure someone of an illness. Even in western religions there are no artifacts that hold the same qualities as the nuchu because of their unique spiritual connection to nature. The nuchu are made with trees, trees in their culture are highly respected and praised in the Kuna culture. There is not any western religious art that follow the same guidelines are the nuchu do because nature is not considered sacred space. In many western religions the sacred space is in a temple or