Machine derived contents note: Preface; 1, Introduction; 2. The poetics of Kuna verbal art; 3. White Prophet: A Kuna myth chanted, spoken and translated; 4. Counselling a new chief: A fugue of metaphors; 5. The report of a curing specialist: The poetics and rhetoric of an oral performance; 6. The hot pepper story: Strategies in text and context; 7. The Agouti story: On play, joking, humour and tricking; 8. The grammar of poetry and the poetry of magic: How to grab a snake in the Darien; 9. Some final words; References; Index