Language and the art of mourning among the Miskitu

Abstract

This article views two forms of actions, which are classified into anxieties and desires, resulted from the rituals referred to the imminent transition from adolescence into adulthood, among the Miskito adolescents. This first one is a mask dance, known as "Mosko", which is performed for the most part by single young men and women from the Kakabila community. The second one is a believed and clearly contagious condition known as "Grisi Siknis", which occurs predominantly among the Miskito single young women in the Eastern Miskito villages of Nicaragua and Honduras. This section emphasizes that when there is lack of rituals for the direct transformations to adulthood; rituals that allow the expression of concerns related to this change of condition, it could be particularly dramatic for individuals.