kuna

kuna
/kooh"neuh/, n., pl. kuna.
the basic monetary unit of Croatia.

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people
also spelled  Cuna 

      Chibchan-speaking Indian people who once occupied the central region of what is now Panama and the neighbouring San Blas Islands and who still survive in marginal areas.

      In the 16th century the Kuna were an important group, living in federated villages under chiefs, who had considerable power, and engaging in warfare with each other and with neighbouring tribes. Agriculture was primarily based on slash-and-burn techniques, and there was extensive trade, mainly by canoe along the coast. They had a well-developed class system, with captives generally being enslaved. Important chiefs were carried in hammocks; their bodies were preserved after death and buried in large graves with their wives and retainers. Metallurgy was well developed, and numerous gold ornaments have been found in the graves, along with fine ceramics and ornaments of shell.

      The principal effects of European contact were to destroy the political superstructure of the Kuna and to modify the social and religious systems. In modern times they live in small villages and depend primarily on agriculture for subsistence, supplemented by fishing and hunting. Marriage is matrilocal, giving rise to extended families of several generations in which the son-in-law is under the authority of his wife's father. Religion centres on shamans who cure the sick and practice various types of witchcraft. The sun and moon were formerly major deities, but the mythology has been much affected by European conceptions. The so-called white Indians of San Blas are actually albinos who constitute about 0.7 percent of the Kuna population and are not permitted to intermarry.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Kuna — bezeichnet: Kroatische Kuna, die Währung Kroatiens Kuna (Ethnie), ein Indianerstamm in Panama Kuna (Sprache), eine indigene amerikanische Sprache Kuna (Idaho), eine Stadt in den USA Kuna (Kroatien), ein Ort in Kroatien Kuna (Saitama), ein Dorf in …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Kuna — can refer to:* Kuna, Idaho * Kuna (isopod) , an isopod genus * Kuna (people), of Panama. ** Kuna language, spoken by the Kuna people * Kuna (surname) * KUNA, the Kuwait News Agency * Croatian kuna, currency …   Wikipedia

  • kuna — kúna ž DEFINICIJA 1. zool. životinja iz porodice Mustelidae (k. bjelica Martes foina sansar, k. zlatica Martes martes zlatka) 2. pov. jedinica novca NDH 1941 1945 (jedna kuna = 100 banica) 3. bank. jedinica hrvatskog novca u Republici Hrvatskoj… …   Hrvatski jezični portal

  • Kuna — puede referirse a: La etnia indígena Kuna de Panamá y Colombia. La lengua Kuna hablada por la etnia Kuna. La Comarca Kuna de Madugandí. La moneda kuna de Croacia. Esta página de desambiguación cataloga artículos relacionados con el mismo título …   Wikipedia Español

  • Kuna — puede referirse a: ● La etnia indígena Kuna de Panamá y Colombia. ● La lengua Kuna hablada por la etnia Kuna. ● La moneda Kuna de Croacia …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • kúna — ž 1. {{001f}}zool. životinja iz porodice Mustelidae (k. bjelica Martes foina, k. zlatica Martes martes) 2. {{001f}}pov. jedinica novca NDH 1941–1945 (jedna kuna = 100 banica) 3. {{001f}}bank. jedinica hrvatskog novca u Republici Hrvatskoj od 30.… …   Veliki rječnik hrvatskoga jezika

  • kuna — I {{/stl 13}}{{stl 8}}rz. ż Ia, CMc. kunanie {{/stl 8}}{{stl 20}} {{/stl 20}}{{stl 12}}1. {{/stl 12}}{{stl 7}} ssak drapieżny o smukłym ciele, krótkich kończynach i brunatnym ubarwieniu, ceniony ze względu na piękne futro; w Polsce objęty ochroną …   Langenscheidt Polski wyjaśnień

  • KUNA — can refer to:* KUNA FM, a radio station at 96.7 FM licensed to La Quinta, California * KUNA LP, a low power television station at channel 15 licensed to Indio, California * Kuwait News Agency …   Wikipedia

  • Kuna — Kuna, ID U.S. city in Idaho Population (2000): 5382 Housing Units (2000): 1793 Land area (2000): 2.392114 sq. miles (6.195547 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 2.392114 sq. miles (6.195547 sq. km)… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Kuna, ID — U.S. city in Idaho Population (2000): 5382 Housing Units (2000): 1793 Land area (2000): 2.392114 sq. miles (6.195547 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 2.392114 sq. miles (6.195547 sq. km) FIPS code …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • kūna — sf., kuna 1. CI1, N, [K] maita. 2. žr. kūnas 1: Lietuvis buvo kūna dėl armotų (patrankų mėsa) A1885,213(Bs) …   Dictionary of the Lithuanian Language

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