kanaimö
Ye'kwana
[edit]| ALIV | kanaimö |
|---|---|
| Brazilian standard | kanaimä |
| New Tribes | canaimä |
Etymology
[edit]Either inherited from Proto-Cariban or a South American Wanderwort; compare Kari'na kanaimo, Pemon kanaimö, and, ultimately from the same source, English kanaima.
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]kanaimö
- person turned into a monstrous or animal form and seized with a murderous rage
- the practices, mode of killing, magic, etc. used by such a person
Usage notes
[edit]Opinions among speakers differ as to exactly what form a kanaimö takes, whether a person invokes it or transforms into it, and other details.
References
[edit]- Hall, Katherine Lee (1988) The morphosyntax of discourse in De'kwana Carib, volumes I and II, Saint Louis, Missouri: PhD Thesis, Washington University, page 392: “kanaimö - night devil”
- de Civrieux, Marc (1980) “kanaima”, in David M. Guss, transl., Watunna: An Orinoco Creation Cycle, San Francisco: North Point Press, →ISBN:
- kanaima: A highly feared form of black magic widespread throughout the Carib-speaking Indians of eastern Venezuela and Guyana. The Yekuhana brought back Kanaima when they went to Amenadiña to find iron. Versions vary as to what a Kanaima actually is, but most agree that it is a person turned into a monster, jaguar, snake, etc., who ruthlessly kills for revenge, hire, or just the pleasure of it.
- Guss, David M. (1989) To Weave and Sing: Art, Symbol, and Narrative in the South American Rain Forest, Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, →ISBN, pages 3, 223: “kanaima”