José María Arguedas’ “The Pongo’s Dream” is striking in its portrayal of feudal power dynamics between lords and indigenous serfs shockingly present in Peru until the middle of the 20th century. After reading the short tale, I found myself struck by the dehumanizing ways in which the Pongo was treated by the lord. The words used to describe him- “meek”, “little”, “feeble” and “pitiful”, convey both physical and intellectual discrimination, and powerfully reflect Euro-Indigenous colonial relations. The lord’s incessant orders for the Pongo to act like an animal exposed the ugly and humiliating nature of the treatment he, and other serfs like himself received from these estates, and further revealed Arguedas’ passionate anti-colonial sentiments.
Knowing that Arguedas heard the story from a Cuzco peasant offers a valuable perspective to the message that runs through it- one that comes from a place of experience and offers insight to life at the bottom of such a rigid, racist and disparate class system. I wonder what role such a story would have played in the peasant movements of the 1950’s, and whether it ever circulated beyond the lower classes?
I suppose what I am most intrigued by, is how these stories play into popular culture. Of course, undoubtedly, “The Pongo’s Dream” can be considered a vehicle for anticolonial protest and anger, but I am curious as to what extent Latin American folklore permeates culture and society today. If anyone has more experience or knowledge with folklore than I do, I wonder in what ways does it influence life in Latin America, whether that be in music, traditions, beliefs or customs?
“I am curious as to what extent Latin American folklore permeates culture and society today.”
This is a good question. One might start by asking the same question of Canada (or societies with which we are more familiar). How much are we aware of what might be the equivalent of such stories here? I think the answer is more than we might expect… We usually know a variety of fairy stories from the European tradition (Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, and so on), and I think increasingly people are also aware of indigenous stories and perspectives. Often these stories are transmitted during childhood, within the family, and so are perhaps little analyzed and half-forgotten or overlooked later in life. Yet they can also create a common framework, almost unconsciously, shared quite generally.
We might then think about what are sometimes called “urban legends” (perhaps propagated by the Internet and so on), and wonder about other forms of stories that are passed along and maybe change and take on new elements over time and depending on circumstance. Indeed, arguably folklore is not dying out (as is sometimes assumed), but becoming more important than ever if in new ways in our fractured media landscapes. Isn’t QAnon, say, a kind of modern myth with (as we have recently seen) some extraordinary repercussions.
As for Latin America, no doubt there’s much more to be said…
Hi Natalie,
I really enjoyed reading your analysis. I thought your question of whether this folktale ever expanded into the awareness of the upper classes really interesting to consider– I wonder how they would have reacted?
Regarding your second question (I’m in English Literature, and if I had to narrow my interests in that area to one subject it would probably be folk and fairy tales), I think Jon’s point is really true in the sense that the way folklore has affected Latin American culture/pop culture is not unlike many other places. However, speaking of folk tales specifically, I would suggest that, in some Latin American countries, folk tales have achieved a wider reach throughout that nation than most folk tales from Indigenous peoples in Canada, though that may simply be because the number of Indigenous people, and mestizos who may relate to their Indigenous ancestry, is greater in those places. There’s also something to be said about the “Disneyfication” (Bryman) of certain fairy tales versus others (by Disneyfication I mean the style in which the original, usually oral fairy tale, is censored and altered to please or pacify parents and convey/avoid certain messages and topics– which is done much more in some places than others). I find most folk/fairy tales in English that remain popular today have undergone superficial transformations from the original in the collective imagination (that is to say, changes not made by the folk but by corporations or the government), while in Latin American cultures I have noticed less of this and, therefore, more of the traditional development of folktales (where they slowly change through retellings). However, I haven’t done research on this obviously, it’s just something I’ve personally noticed (and read about) regarding folk and fairy tales in English, but that I don’t see as much of (though there’s still some) in Latin America. And obviously, globalization and Disney’s popularity has made many English fairy and folk tales popular in Latin America too (and folk/fairy tales popular in Anglophone countries).
Hi Natalie, I thought “Knowing that Arguedas heard the story from a Cuzco peasant offers a valuable perspective to the message that runs through it- one that comes from a place of experience and offers insight to life at the bottom of such a rigid, racist and disparate class system” was very interesting. I also believe that the author, by listening to this folktale, is met with the reality of those who live at the bottom of the hierarchy in the society, and able to grasp a better understanding of their perspective of the world.
For the question, I am not entirely sure about the Latin American folklore, but definitely I believe it affects generations and generations; for me, as a South Korean descent, even though I don’t get to see my distant families much, when I do, I used to hear many folktales from my grandmas when I was young, and they continue to tell the same stories to my young cousins. Depending on cultures, folktales and folklores play a part for continuing the tradition.