A maluwana or maluana is a decorated wooden disc that forms the centre point of a tukusipan, a traditional community house[1][2] of the Wayana and Aparai native American peoples, who can be found in Guyana, Suriname and Brazil.

A maluwana

Maluwanas are made from the wood of the Ceiba tree C. pentandra, also known as the silk-cotton tree.[2][3][4] The name means "house sky" in the Wayana language.[5]

The motifs of the maluwana are traditional, and represent evil animal spirits enclosed by a liminal border.[2] They were traditionally painted using colored clay, but are now painted using acrylic paints or an admixture of colored clay and superglue.[2][4]

The appropriation of maluwana imagery for commercial purposes is controversial.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Ciel de case:Mythes et Art autour du maluwana". Boukan & Une Saison en Guyane (in French). Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  2. ^ a b c d Duin, Renzo S. (2006). "Maluwana, Pinnacle of Wayana Art in the Guyanas" (PDF). Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  3. ^ Tareau, M.-A.; Greene, A.; Odonne, Guillaume; Davy, D. (2021-07-04). "Ceiba pentandra L. Gaertn. (Malvaceae) and associated species: Spiritual Keystone Species of the Neotropics". Botany. doi:10.1139/cjb-2021-0099. hdl:1807/109440. ISSN 1916-2790.
  4. ^ a b Brightman, Marc. "Painted Cosmos: the Wayana maluwana and embodiment of collectivity". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. ^ "Wayana, la symbolique du ciel de case". revue-ultreia.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  6. ^ "Affaire Maluwana : Y a-t'il mépris des coutumes traditionnelles amérindiennes ?". Guyane la 1ère (in French). 2018-08-02. Retrieved 2024-03-02.