• The Spanish Conquest of the Ecuadorian Amazon

• Legend of the Jungle

•  Several Waorani Myths

   

            The Spanish Conquest of the Ecuadorian Amazon

 

Although not all of the conquistadors had earned good reputations, Diaz de Pineda always had a good name. He was part of the first great Spanish conquests into the jungle areas after the long conquest of the mountains. Diaz de Pineda completed many important tasks for Francisco Pizarro; he explored the territory of theYumbos, opened a road to Esmeraldas, and occupied a post in the local government of the town Pasto, until he received orders to make the journey to the country of La Canela. His house in Quito was always open to everyone: including the people of high society (nobles) and those who returned from adventures, and even the former soldiers who were no longer able to carry a sword and shield, those who risked their lives to succeed but for whom the price of failure was paid in blood. The ruler gathered together adventures waiting for action in December 1538 and ordered a conquest of unification.

Reunited and equipped, the group of 130 Spanish men, including 45 horsemen, 30 crossbowmen, and 10 craftsmen, left for the adventure. Thousands of pounds of gold were paid to the men by Diaz de Pineda to buy the necessary equipment. This money came from gold he sold from his own ranch and the chronicles say that they made the gunpowder with their own hands.

In September he climbed Guamani to look for a route; alter he passed Hatunquijos where he suffered many troubles from the Indians like rock attacks from above and by way of slingshot. Additionally during this time, the Indians lost their fear of the horses and the men and attacked with no intent of negotiating. Furthermore, the Indians set up fortifications, traps and other surprises on their land. There followed a tough battle.

He set up a camp where 20 years later Gil Ramirez would establish Baeza; he abandoned the horses and departed on the journey with 60 Spaniards. They crossed the Cosanga River and founded the Borja River, then climbed the Huagraurca and made their way around the slopes of Sumaco near the Suno River.

Diaz de Pineda had interpreters previously captured by merchants in Quito and through the use of Kichwa, a common language, they were able to organize under the leadership of the chief of La Canela (valley of the Payamino) and with the powerful ruler Hatunique (headwaters of the Aguarico River). After 27 days they returned to Cosanga. The jungle was impenetrable for the Spanish.

Four months later the captain finally made a second entrance trying a route further to the north, following the trail used by travelers, merchants, Cofanes and other Indians, what became later the community to Tuza, today, nearSan Gabriel de Carchi. They said that the chief ruled many communities and possessed much land rich in minerals and gold.

But at the moment of departure, disturbances in Quito between news of the Francisco Pizarro and Benalcazar forced Diaz de Pineda to name Gonzalez Pizarro to the position of Governor of Quito; who later conquered the land of La Canela (Cinnamon). This first discovery taken to Quito informed them of formerly unknown populations and communities in an inhospitable place, but the greatest piece of information concerned an amazing geological monument, Sumaco.  

 

Translations by Hewlett, Christopher 2007 (taken from the original “Coca La Region y sus Historias” written by Miguel Angel Cabodevilla, Cicame 1998.

 

 

 

Legend of the Jungle

 

                                                 The Flood

 

During the time of our forefathers, there began a period of ten years when the banks of the Marañon River were destroyed and in the mud that was left, small holes were made to filter out the water. The river rose rapidly and the water flooded the jungle past the backs and for ten years the jungle was submerged under water like a lake, like an ocean. It even covered the mountains including Sumaco, which was the tallest and it stayed under water. Only very few men and women were saved from the flood by building a little boat in which they also saved some animals and reptiles. On the boat they had a little earth on which they grew corn and yucca and eating just enough, they were able to survive the whole period of the flood. After a long time they unplugged the holes and filtered out the water from Lake Marañon, little by little, until the land appeared again. The people left the boat and set off in every direction repopulating the jungle.    

 

Translations by Hewlett, Christopher 2007

 

 

Several Waorani Myths

 

The Beginning

 

“One day, the two cultural heroes Nene (squirrel) and Boya (spider) tied the vulture on the highest branch during his sleep with a cotton hip cord (other versions say with a vine). When he woke up to swoop down on new victims, he fell from the branch, remained in the air upside down, and died soon after. Squirrel was then ordered by the Waorani to cut the vine which attached the giant tree to the sky. By falling, the tree became the Amazon watershed and its leaves were transformed into the different species of fish. However, if Coba had saved the Waorani from the vulture, it was to let them perish in the big flood that followed the fall of the giant ceibo tree. There was nowhere to escape, and most of the people died, except for a brother-sister pair which was sent downriver inside a waterproof log. From their union, the Waorani grew numerous again, careful as they were exclusively marrying cross-cousins” (Rival, Laura 1991, 92).

 

 

                                              The Moon

 

A brother and a sister, who have always been very close, sleep in the same hammock. In his sleep, the brother turns into a mosquito, and unwillingly penetrates his sister’s mouth. She is awakened by the tickling and soon realizes with horror that her face is stained with genipa. The young man, mortified and terribly ashamed, asks his younger brother to propel him to heaven with his blowpipe. The incestuous brother becomes the moon. The younger brother and his sister become close allies. Chagrined by her son’s absence, and heart-broken by the irreparable distance their mother watches the moon every night. (Rival, Laura 2002: 157)

 

 

                         Pregnancy and Birthing

 

It was a tragic, terrible period in our history for married men could only have one child, whom they delivered by killing their wives. Women had a birth canal and a hole, but it was too narrow to let the child out, so men had to cut their pregnant wives open to get the baby out. One day, Wegonhue observed an expectant couple from a distance. The woman was close to giving birth, so her husband went to the forest to prepare the spears for the caesarian section. He was in grief at the thought of having to kill and bury his wife and raise the baby on kapamo juice. But while he was busy making his spears, the little rodent came near the pregnant woman, held her in the back and taught her muscular movements to dilate the birth canal. The baby was born just before its father’s return. He was absolutely stunned and delighted. The word spread around, and pregnant women from the vicinity came to learn from the woman who had given birth without losing her life. From then on the Waorani race grew and multiplied. (Rival, Laura 1998: 452)