The seventeen legends presented in this book were collected in the 1980s from Puyuma individuals. They were born at the beginning of the 20th century. Some of these legends are presented in two versions, each told by a different narrator. These texts were analyzed as part of my ethnological research. Today, they are given back to the Puyuma to document their oral traditions, these stories being a testament of the language of the past. These materials will be of inestimable value for the Puyuma seeking to reconnect with the knowledge and heritage of their ancestors.

The work provides literal rather than literary translation, using a morpheme-based approach to understand the composition of each word. The translation respects the sometimes erratic nature of the story telling, which, at times, may be interrupted by memory lapses, unexpected pauses—simply put, intrusions from everyday life.