Miscellaneous
On the San Blas Islands, people with albinism save the world during lunar eclipse. Kuna cosmology holds that during a lunar eclipse, a jaguar is eating the moon. Kunas with albinism fire arrows at the celestial jaguar and save the world. Unlike the classic Hollywood trope of the evil albino, cultural and social ideas about albinism are not universally negative. Albinism has deep spiritual and symbolic power in the believe systems of many indigenous peoples across the Americas. Albinism is characterized by little or no pigment in the skin, hair or eyes, low vision and photosensitivity. In some cultures, those with the condition are afforded a special status. People with albinism figure prominently in the cosmology of the Kuna. One of the eight original humans had the condition. During lunar eclipses, the Kuna must stay indoors, except the “moon children” (Kunas with albinism) who fire arrows at the celestial jaguar and save the people. This episode features Kelly Allen, a writer and researcher on the social conditions of people with albinism in Uganda and Panama. The episode uses a clip from CBC Radio One's "The Imaginary Albino" by G Mullins & L Hale. as well as an interview conducted with Kelly Allen, academic and researcher on social responses to albinism in Uganda and Panama.