KeeningHeres a program from our archives.As part of their rich social and ceremonial life, the Kayapo Indians of the Brazilian Amazon have several unique forms of speaking and singing. I’m Jim Metzner and this is the Pulse of the Planet.ambience, ritual keeningWe’re listening to the voices of Kayapo women who are doing what’s called “keening.” Telling us about it is Terry Turner, a professor of Anthropology at the University of Chicago.Turner: A lot of Kayapo social life is performed in special modes of speaking. There’s ceremonial singing. There’s men’s oratory. There is chiefly chanting. All these things have their own special styles and it’s thought that the style is and essential part of the communication and marks it as being authoritative in one way or another. Well, women have their own special style. It’s a kind of keening. It always has words and it has its own stylistic elaboration like ceremony singing in some ways.Women do this on all ceremonial occasions and they may do it spontaneously. An individual woman may just do it. But on a collective occasion, it’s thought appropriate that many women do it together. No ceremonial occasion is complete without women participating in it in this way. It’s the women’s form of sanctified collective speech.This archival program is part of our thirtieth anniversary celebration. Im Jim Metzner and this is the Pulse of the Planet.
Keening
No Kayapo ceremony would be complete without the siren-like collective speech of the women, known as keening. This archival program is part of our 30th anniversary celebration. Anthropologist Terry Turner (1935-2015) was a strong proponent for the rights of indigenous peoples.
Air Date:07/30/2018
Scientist:
Transcript:
KeeningHeres a program from our archives.As part of their rich social and ceremonial life, the Kayapo Indians of the Brazilian Amazon have several unique forms of speaking and singing. I'm Jim Metzner and this is the Pulse of the Planet.ambience, ritual keeningWe're listening to the voices of Kayapo women who are doing what's called "keening." Telling us about it is Terry Turner, a professor of Anthropology at the University of Chicago.Turner: A lot of Kayapo social life is performed in special modes of speaking. There's ceremonial singing. There's men's oratory. There is chiefly chanting. All these things have their own special styles and it's thought that the style is and essential part of the communication and marks it as being authoritative in one way or another. Well, women have their own special style. It's a kind of keening. It always has words and it has its own stylistic elaboration like ceremony singing in some ways.Women do this on all ceremonial occasions and they may do it spontaneously. An individual woman may just do it. But on a collective occasion, it's thought appropriate that many women do it together. No ceremonial occasion is complete without women participating in it in this way. It's the women's form of sanctified collective speech.This archival program is part of our thirtieth anniversary celebration. Im Jim Metzner and this is the Pulse of the Planet.