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This is our index of Akawaio folktales and traditional stories that can be read online. We have organized our Native American legends section by tribe to make them easier to locate; however, variants on the same story are often told by American Indians from different tribes, especially if those tribes are kinfolk or neighbors to each other. In particular, though these legends come from the Akawaios, the traditional stories of other Caribbean tribes like the Carib and Arawak tribes are very similar.
Makunaima:
This is the name of the great Creator god of the Akawaio tribe.
His name is pronounced mah-koo-nye-mah and means "He Works By Night."
Traditional Akawaio cosmology has become very muddled since the arrival of Christian
missionaries. Though older myths feature Makunaima as a legendary culture hero who slays
monsters, in more recent texts, these exploits are usually ascribed to Sigu instead, while Makunaima
is translated as "God" or "Great Spirit" and is not personified. Indeed, he is said never to have been
seen by mortal man.
Sigu:
Makunaima's son and Akawaio culture hero, who helps shape the world
for the best use of the people and teaches them how to live.
Kanaima:
Evil spirits that possess people and causes them to turn into deadly animals and/or go into a murderous rage. Assassins, or
Akawaio people seeking revenge for a slain relative, sometimes invited the Kanaima spirit into themselves by
taking certain drugs or conducting certain magic rituals.
Iwarrika:
A trickster monkey, blamed for the flooding of the earth.
Acawai Flood Myth:Legends of the Acawoios:Animism and Folklore of the Guiana Indians:Guyana Legends : Folk Tales of the Indigenous Amerindians:Dark Shamans:
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