Icons of Power: Feline Symbolism in the Americas / Edition 1

by Nicholas J. Saunders

Overview

Icons of Power investigates why the image of the cat has been such a potent symbol in the art, religion and mythology of indigenous American cultures for three thousand years.
The jaguar and the puma epitomize ideas of sacrifice, cannibalism, war, and status in a startling array of graphic and enduring images. Natural and supernatural felines inhabit a shape-shifting world of sorcery and spiritual power, revealing the shamanic nature of Amerindian world views. This pioneering collection offers a unique pan-American assessment of the feline icon through the diversity of cultural interpretations, but also striking parallels in its associations with hunters, warriors, kingship, fertility, and the sacred nature of political power. Evidence is drawn from the pre-Columbian Aztec and Maya of Mexico, Peruvian, and Panamanian civilizations, through recent pueblo and Iroquois cultures of North America, to current Amazonian and Andean societies.
This well-illustrated volume is essential reading for all who are interested in the symbolic construction of animal icons, their variable meanings, and their place in a natural world conceived through the lens of culture. The cross-disciplinary approach embraces archaeology, anthropology, and art history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415153270
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	01/01/1998
Pages:	312
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Nicholas J. Saunders has held research fellowship and teaching positions in Mexico, the USA, Trinidad, Jamaica and the United Kingdom. He is currently a Visiting Fellow in the archaeology department at Southampton University.

Table of Contents

1 Introduction: Icons of power 2 Architecture of symbolism: The feline image 3 The lord, the ruler: Jaguar symbolism in the Americas 4 The Felidae in Pre-Columbian Panama: A thematic approach to their imagery and symbolism 5 Feline symbolism and material culture in prehistoric Colombia 6 The jaguar of the backward glance 7 Paragon or peril? The jaguar in Amazonian Indian society 8 Felines, patronyms and history of the Araucanians in the southern Andes 9 Mountain Lions and Pueblo shrines in the American Southwest

Editorial Reviews

'This symposium, illustrated with numerous impressive pots and icons, furnishes a fascinating prehistory of man's relationship with the haughty beauties.' - The Guardian, February 1998.

"...a fascinating pre-history of man's relationship with the haughty beauties." - The Guardian

From the Publisher

Draws evidence from the Precolumbian Aztec, Maya, Tembladera, Panamanian, and Columbian cultures as well as from the more recent Iroquois, Pueblo, Amazonian, and Araucanian societies to show how the jaguar and puma have been and are used as symbols of sacrifice, cannibalism, and war in the art, religion, and mythology of a wide range of American peoples. Also throws light on the differing perceptions of nature across the Western Hemisphere and the impact of the European contact. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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