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Help[Opinions] Re: Karana?
in reply to a message by Array
Hmmmm, I really like the name Karuna, so I don't think Karana would be much of a stretch. It sounds very mythological. Does the book mention how the character got her name?
I'm, of course, all for names with literary associations!
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I'm, of course, all for names with literary associations!
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This would be far easier if I had thought to bring my copy to school with me! I really dislike having it so far away.
To give you some background, the book is based off of the story of a woman who was found living alone on an island off the coast of California. She'd lived alone for almost twenty years; the rest of her tribe had been taken away from the island that long ago. When they found her, they eventually convinced her to leave the island and live at a mission, where she was baptised and given the name Juana Maria. At this point, she was the only one alive who spoke her native language, and her real name was either never known or never written down. She died seven weeks after coming to the mission.
In the book itself, Karana was her true name, while the name she gave to strangers is Won-a-pa-lei, which apparently meant "The Girl with the Long Black Hair." She's not called by her true name by others in her community, but it's the name we know her by. I've been trying to find a reference to where O'Dell found Karana or what it's supposed to mean, but I haven't found anything yet.
Other references to the name I've found on the internet (not necessarily related):
-Karana is an Aboriginal name meaning "quiet place" (not from a reliable source)
-"the time required for the angular distance between the sun and the moon to increase in steps of 6° starting from 0" in the Hindu calendar
-A male deity in the game EverQuest
If you haven't read the book, you should go pick it up. :) The sequel, Zia, isn't quite so good, but it's also worth a read.
Array
You've thrown the worst fear that can ever be hurled: fear to bring children into the world. For threatening my baby, unborn and unnamed, you ain't worth the blood that runs in your veins.
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I'd like to leave the world as a better place.
To give you some background, the book is based off of the story of a woman who was found living alone on an island off the coast of California. She'd lived alone for almost twenty years; the rest of her tribe had been taken away from the island that long ago. When they found her, they eventually convinced her to leave the island and live at a mission, where she was baptised and given the name Juana Maria. At this point, she was the only one alive who spoke her native language, and her real name was either never known or never written down. She died seven weeks after coming to the mission.
In the book itself, Karana was her true name, while the name she gave to strangers is Won-a-pa-lei, which apparently meant "The Girl with the Long Black Hair." She's not called by her true name by others in her community, but it's the name we know her by. I've been trying to find a reference to where O'Dell found Karana or what it's supposed to mean, but I haven't found anything yet.
Other references to the name I've found on the internet (not necessarily related):
-Karana is an Aboriginal name meaning "quiet place" (not from a reliable source)
-"the time required for the angular distance between the sun and the moon to increase in steps of 6° starting from 0" in the Hindu calendar
-A male deity in the game EverQuest
If you haven't read the book, you should go pick it up. :) The sequel, Zia, isn't quite so good, but it's also worth a read.
Array
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I'd like to leave the world as a better place.
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I'll look for the book the next time I'm at the bookstore.
I'm always looking for book suggestions and the story sounds most interesting. Thanks. :)
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I'm always looking for book suggestions and the story sounds most interesting. Thanks. :)
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