La Tunda in Pacific-coast Colombian oral tradition

Record summary

La Tunda is a Colombian Pacific forest being, generally portrayed as a shape-shifting woman who lures people—especially children—away by imitating relatives or familiar figures. Twentieth-century collections of Afro-Colombian and Pacific folklore made the story available beyond local oral contexts. It matters for comparison with European changeling, wilderness-lure and anti-abduction motifs, while retaining a specific regional history shaped by African, Indigenous and colonial influences. Exact early attestations and the stability of the modern description should be checked against fieldwork publications rather than internet summaries.