Cuna
/ˈkuː.nə/noun
An English variant name for the Kuna, an Indigenous people of Panama and Colombia, and formerly for their language.
Did you know?“Cuna” is now generally replaced by “Kuna” or, increasingly, “Guna,” reflecting Indigenous preferences rather than a change in the people themselves.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Colonial Period
Guna
Guna
“Indigenous ethnonym associated with the people historically known in English as the Kuna or Cuna; the deeper origin is uncertain.”
16th–17th Century
Spanish
Cuna
“A Spanish colonial spelling used for the Indigenous people and their language in the Darién and Caribbean regions.”
19th Century
English
Cuna
“An English ethnographic form referring to the people and their language.”
20th Century
English
Kuna
“The more common English spelling, based on another representation of the same ethnonym.”
Modern English
English
Cuna
“A recognized variant, though “Guna” and “Kuna” are increasingly preferred in contemporary usage.”