PONTIFICIA UNIVERSIDAD JAVERIANA

MYTHS/ ORAL TRADITIONS IN COLOMBIA

PRESENTADO POR: ANGÉLICA JULIETH PINILLA CUÉLLAR

Myths/ oral traditions in Colombia

It will be classified according to its origin, Colombia is divided into 5 Regions that
are:

● Caribe: Its oral tradition is integrated by the folk tales as they are: the man
caiman, the weeping woman and the elves.

● Andina: In the Andean region they express their oral tradition through songs,
riddles and myths.
The madremonte
The moan
The patasola

● Pacifica: The oral tradition in the Pacific region is expressed through poems,
sayings and its main myths are:
The tunda and riviel.

● Orinoquia: Region that expresses its oral tradition with myths and legends:
The curupira, bufeo colorado.

● Amazonas: The information and oral tradition in this region is expressed with
popular poetry llanera, contrapunteos as:
The silbador, sayona.
 Oral tradition concept

● The oral tradition in Colombia comes from the indigenous and ancient
communities who through narration created stories, songs, fables, myths,
legends, through which they left their descendants and all those who listened to
their stories the legacy of their culture and their traditions.
● Oral tradition is as old as human beings, for before the invention of writing,
information was passed from generation to generation through spoken words.
Many people around the world continue to use oral traditions to pass along
knowledge and wisdom. Interviews and recordings of community elders and
witnesses to historical events provide existing stories, anecdotes and other
information about the past.

The oral traditions and expressions domain encompasses an enormous variety of

spoken forms including proverbs, riddles, tales, nursery rhymes, legends, myths, epic
songs and poems, charms, prayers, chants, songs, dramatic performances and more.
Oral traditions and expressions are used to pass on knowledge, cultural and social
values and collective memory. They play a crucial part in keeping cultures alive.

The most important part of safeguarding oral traditions and expressions is maintaining
their every day role in society. It is also essential that opportunities for knowledge to
be passed from person-to-person survive; chances for elders to interact with young
people and pass on stories in homes and schools.

REFERENCES
Armitage, T. (2014). Top 5 Spooky Colombian Myths and Legends. Recuperado:
http://seecolombia.travel/blog/2014/10/top-5-spooky-colombian-myths-and-legends/

Colombia. (2010). Colombia is full of magic and mystery and there is barely a village in the
country that does not boast its own spirit or superstition. Recuperado de:
http://www.colombia.co/en/this-is-colombia/culture/folklore/colombias-myths-legends/
Uchenna, N. (2012). The Position of Oral Tradition (Myths, Mythology and Legends) in
Historical Records . Recuperado de: http://www.ipedr.com/vol34/031-ICHHS2012-
H10054.pdf
UNESCO. (2006). ORAL TRADITIONS AND EXPRESSIONS INCLUDING LANGUAJE AS A
VEHICLE OF THE INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE. Recuperado de:
https://ich.unesco.org/en/oral-traditions-and-expressions-00053