Mythologies of the Amahuaca Tribe

The bow and arrow was the traditional method of fishing off the water’s edge but today, the Amahuaca use nets or large spears and fish from their canoes. The bow and arrow is now seen more as a toy for young boys, though there is evidence the method is making a comeback. Although fishing is the main source of protein for the Amahuaca, they do still hunt.

Amahuaca is a Panoan language of South America, spoken by fewer than 200 people in Peru and Brazil. Although there are still many fluent speakers in their communities, the Amahuaca language is considered endangered because few tribal children are being raised to speak it. There are two Amahuaca dialects, known as Inuvakeu and Viwivakeu. Amahuaca is closely related to the Isconahua and Cashinahua languages, and some linguists consider them to be dialects of the same language as well. Amahuaca is an agglutinative language with predominantly SOV word order. Amahuaca is a place name, referring to the Capivara River in Brazil (which runs through the territory of the Amahuaca tribe.) Some Amahuaca people also use the names Yora ("people") or Honi Kuin ("real men") to refer to themselves. The Amahuacas are also sometimes known as Ipitineri, a name given to them by their Piro neighbors. Spelling variants of these tribal names include Amawaka, Amauaca, Amaguaca, Amhuaca, Amaguaco, Amajuaca, Amhuaca, Amahuaka, Amehuaque, Amewake, Amuewaka, Ameuhaque; Impetineri, Ipetineri; and Huni Kui. There have also been many Amahuaca subgroups and clans (not all of which are still in existence today), of which the best known are the Sayaco band (also spelled Sayacu or Cayacu) and the Maspo band. Other Amahuaca subgroups have included the Kotinawa (Cutinahua), Indowo (Inohuo), Isawo (Isahuo), Kapiixichi (Kapii xochi or Shihuanahua,) Nashishmawo (Nashishnahuo), Rondowo (Ronohuo,) Shimanawa (Shimanahua,) Xaawo (Shahuo,) and Punchahuo (Ponguicha'o).

The Amahuacas are an Amerindian tribe who live in the Peruvian part of the great Amazon River basin area, which extends through Brazil to parts of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Peru. The Amazon River and its mighty tributaries (17 of which are over 1,600 km or 1,000 mi long) drain about 40% of South America, including the largest area of tropical rain forest in the world. The largest community of Amahuacas lives in the surroundings of Puerto Varadero, a community located in the tropical jungle next to the Peruvian-Brazilian border. The first expedition of Spanish conquerors into this region was led by Vicente Yánez Pinzón, who discovered the mouth of the Amazon and ascended it for about 80 km (50 mi) in ad 1500. This was a section of the river subsequently referred to as the R'o Marañón. Subsequently, the Spanish explorer and conqueror Francisco de Orellana embarked on the first descent of the river from the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean in 1541. Battles with Amerindian tribes occurred from the 16th century onwards and have continued in one form or another even until today: a variety of scattered tribes, including the Amahuacas, continue to try to defend their land rights and their way of life. The comparative remoteness of many areas allowed for the establishment of small settlements, missions, and trading posts, as well as some river ports established early on (such as Pucallpa on the Ucayali river, one of the longest tributaries of the Amazon), but prevented the total conquest of this vast area. Even 30 or 40 years ago, large areas of the eastern lowlands and jungles of Peru, known as the montaña, where the Amahuacas and other groups live, were largely unexplored. Even before the arrival of the Spaniards, the many tribes scattered in this part of the Peruvian Amazon basin area and along the Ucayali River were engaged in a complex relationship with each other, which included trade on the one hand and raids on the other.

People known as "Amahuaca" today appear to include individuals from formerly localized groups of Indowo, Rondowo, Isãwo, Shãwo, Maxinawa, Cutinawa, Punchawo, Kapî Hîchi, Nashishnawo, and Shimanawa. Traditionally, they had no name for themselves as a people other than hondi kuí (real people) or yora (human beings). They are sparsely settled on the Inuya and Sepahua rivers and on headwater streams of the Javari, Juruá, Purus, and Piedras rivers in a deeply dissected limestone plateau on the border of Peru and Brazil. Annual rainfalls of 177 to 203 centimeters between October and April support unbroken tropical forest with abundant game. Until the end of the nineteenth century the Amahuaca were very numerous (perhaps as many as 9,000), but their number has been reduced to less than 500 in Peru and not more than 250 in the Brazilian states of Amazonas and Acre. The language of the Amahuaca is Panoan. It is most similar to that of the neighboring Yaminahua, has slight regional variations, and is believed to have separated from Conibo about 1,000 years ago.

The city of Atalaya sits where the Urubamba and Tambo rivers meet, in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon. It is the closest jungle city to the Amahuaca’s remote village of San Juan, a two-day upriver journey by pekepeke (motorised canoe). The Amahuaca, once thought to be at the brink of extinction, still live on ancestral lands in relative isolation. Although their culture is threatened by various forms of western development, a resilience of community and kinship unites the Amahuaca. San Juan is the second largest Amahuaca village on the banks of the Inuya river. No more than 40 people live in the village at any one time. Margarita (around 65 years old) is one of the only elders left with knowledge of the old ways. After greeting us on arrival with a meal of boiled yucca and fish in broth, she listens to questions from anthropologist Christopher Hewlett about the Amahuaca’s myths of origin and creation. A school lesson in the largest Amahuaca village on the Inuya, San Martin, is a five-hour journey downriver from San Juan. A young boy is distracted while others stand to recite the Peruvian national anthem before starting their lesson. The influence of Peruvian national policy and education is prevalent even in these remote places, where there is no running water or electricity. Most children must wear a uniform and sing the national anthem before starting each day. The bow and arrow was the traditional method of fishing off the water’s edge but today, the Amahuaca use nets or large spears and fish from their canoes. The bow and arrow is now seen more as a toy for young boys, though there is evidence the method is making a comeback. Although fishing is the main source of protein for the Amahuaca, they do still hunt. Other Amahuaca families live even more remotely than those in San Juan, close to the border with Brazil. This man is called Ayahuasceiro to account for his suspected use of the hallucinogenic plant Ayahuasca, known to be used in Amahuaca communities in the past. He insisted on being photographed in a uniform used by petroleros, men who work for the oil and gas companies in the region, an example of how wearing Western clothing is a way of demonstrating one is civilisado.

The Amahuaca believe that Indian peoples were first nonhuman animals and that they themselves originated from a xopaan, the gourdlike fruit of a begonia. Their principal culture hero, Rantanga, is equated with the sun and regarded as the source of fire, cultivated plants, and stone axes, as well as the creator of animals. Themes of Amahuaca myths include floods, earthquake, holocaust, an arrow-cane ladder to the sky, ancestral twins, the sun and moon as incestuous siblings, and female frog spirits with vagina dentata. Eclipses warn of the imminent arrival of cannibalistic spirits. A deformed baby is thought to be sired by an incubus spirit. The universe is inhabited by a host of spirits ( yoshin ) that are feared but can be manipulated. The most dangerous animal spirits are those of predators. Celestial bodies, including aurora borealis, are spirits of people who once lived on earth. Angry spirits of the dead ancestors can kill the living with epidemic diseases. A healer ( hawaai ) drinks ayahuasca and blows smoke into a patient's nostrils. By swallowing powdered tobacco and ayahuasca, he can send his jaguar alter ego to retrieve a lost soul. A childless woman who does not menstruate may eat sour seeds of a certain fruit or be beaten lightly with a paddle club to induce menstruation and pregnancy. To help infants grow fast, become strong, and learn to walk, mothers rub juice of genipa fruit or leaves from sturdy plants on their skin. Soup is blown or vomited onto the bodies of youngsters during harvest ceremonies to make them strong. Nasal and head congestion are treated with tobacco blown through a short, bone snuff tube, one end of which is inserted in one's mouth and the other in the nose. A virulent toxin secreted through the skin of a small frog called kambó is rubbed into open wounds to bring visions, purge the body, and increase hunting skill. Infusions of aromatic plants are rubbed on the skin to increase hunting success by camouflaging body odor. Individuals use chants and many kinds of fruits, seeds, leaves, and roots to treat their own illnesses, as well as to make them irresistible to a desired mate or repel an unwanted spouse. Scratching the caudal scales of a boa constrictor is thought to lessen the pain of stings by large black ants in the gardens.

The Amahuaca are located in the tropical jungles of Peru. The largest community of Amahuaca is in Puesto Varadero, a jungle community on the Peruvian-Brazilian border. The Machiguenga, Yine-Piro, Yaminahua, Amahuaca, Ashaninca, Nahua and Kugapakori Indigenous Peoples have traditionally occupied the Urubamba Valley, situated between the central and southern regions of Peru. In the beginning of the 18th century, missionaries met with resistance by these peoples, because the region was isolated from the national society. After the rubber boom, the phenomenon of the hacienda and the patrons appropriated indigenous territories and exploited their work force. This also led to the arrival of Dominican missionaries to the region. In this manner, the national policies of territorial occupation in the Amazon, since the advent of the Republic, has been characterized by the intensification of this colonization, as well as the mercantile activity and extraction. This trend is consolidated with the promulgation of the Law of Lands and Mountains (No.1220) in 1909, that incorporates the State's domain over lands traditionally occupied by Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon, but that were not acquired as agreed to in the Civil Code of 1852. Through this law, large areas of land were granted to businesses and explorers. Such arrangements continued until 1974, when Decree No.20653 (Law of the Native Communities and of Land and Cattle Promotion in Jungle Regions) was proclaimed. Before this law, Decree 3 of 1957 established the legal term "reserve," creating sixty-four of them to assure the subsistence of the Indigenous Peoples. Nonetheless, the settlers in the Urubamba Valley occupied 34,000 hectares and their relation with the native communities have remained unequal, especially in labor and business issues. Also, land disputes arose mostly because of the invasion of communal territory, with the consent, or at least the indifference, of the authorities. In the scope of environmental conservation to the exploitation of wood and the activities of fishing and hunting, should be added the exploitation of hydrocarbon in the Valley of Urubamba trough the Supreme Decree o 24-95-EM, of November 3, 1995. This is especially effective in the Camisea Zone after the discovery of huge gas reserves have affected the economic, social and cultural life of Indigenous Peoples.

Amahuaca is a Panoan language spoken by about 250 people in Peru and Brazil. It is also known as Amawaka, Amaguaco, Ameuhaque, Ipitineri and Sayaco, and is closely related to Kashinawa and Shipibo. The Amahuaca dialects include Inuvaken and Viwivaken. The name Amahuaca refer to the Capivara River in Brazil, along which the Amahuaca people live. The Amahuaca call themselves Yora (people) or Honi Kuin (real men). The name Ipitineri was given to them by the neighbouring Piro tribe. While Amahuaca has no official status it is used in some schools. A dictionary and grammar are being produced, and parts of the Bible have been translated into it. Amahuaca is a tonal language with two tones: high and low. The high tone can be marked with an acute accent (á), and the low tone is not marked.

Amahuaca is an indigenous language of the Amazon Basin in Perú and Brazil. It is also known as Amawaka, Amaguaco, Ameuhaque, Ipitineri, and Sayaco. Amahuaca is a Panoan language that is believed to be closely related to Cashinahua and Yaminawa. There around 220 speakers in Brazil, and around 328 speakers in Peru. 30% of Amahuaca speakers are literate in Amahuaca and 50% are literate in Spanish. Amahuaca uses a Latin-based script. There are some bilingual schools. A dictionary has been developed along with a grammatical description and bible portions.

The Amahuaca or Amhuaca are indigenous peoples of the southeastern Amazon Basin in Peru and Brazil. Isolated until the 18th century, they are currently under threat from ecological devastation, disease and violence brought by oil extractors and illegal loggers. In 1998 they numbered about 520. The largest community of the Amahuaca is in Puerto Varadero, a jungle community on the Peruvian/Brazilian border. The Amahuaca are also known as the Amaguaco, Amawaca, Amaw‡ka, Amawaka, Amenguaca, Ameuhaque, Ipitineri, Sayaco, Sayacu, or Yora people. As of 2000, approximately 330 of the 500 Amahuaca spoke the Amahuaca language, a Panoan language. The language is written in the Latin script, and a grammar has been published. From 1963 to 1997, portions of the Bible were translated into Amahuaca. Amahuaca people hunt, fish, farm, and work in the lumber and oil industries or as domestic servants. They harvest and process Brazil nuts. The Amahuaca people have traditionally occupied the Urubamba Valley, situated between the central and southern regions of Peru. In the beginning of the 18th century, missionaries met with resistance by these peoples, because the region was isolated from the national society. From 1822-1920 the rubber tappers began their raids, which initiated a process of colonization that affected the traditional organizations of these peoples. Thus began territorial dispersion. After the rubber boom, the phenomenon of the hacienda and the patrons appropriated indigenous territories and exploited their work force. This also led to the arrival of Dominican missionaries to the region. In this manner, the national policies of territorial occupation in the Amazon, since the advent of the Republic, has been characterized by the intensification of this colonization, as well as the mercantile activity and extraction. This trend is consolidated with the promulgation of the Law of Lands and Mountains (No.1220) in 1909, that incorporates the State's domain over lands traditionally occupied by Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon, but that were not acquired as agreed to in the Civil Code of 1852. Through this law, large areas of land were granted to businesses and explorers. Such arrangements continued until 1974, when Decree No.20653 (Law of the Native Communities and of Land and Cattle Promotion in Jungle Regions) was proclaimed. Before this law, Decree 3 of 1957 established the legal term "reserve" creating sixty-four of them to assure the subsistence of the Indigenous Peoples Nonetheless, the settlers in the Urubamba Valley occupied 34,000 hectares and their relation with the native communities have remained unequal, especially in labor and business issues. Also, land disputes arose mostly because of the invasion of communal territory, with the consent, or at least the indifference, of the authorities. In the scope of environmental conservation to the exploitation of wood and the activities of fishing and hunting, should be added the exploitation of hydrocarbon in the Valley of Urubamba trough the Supreme Decree o 24-95-EM, of November 3, 1995. This is especially effective in the Camisea Zone after the discovery of huge gas reserves have affected the economic, social and cultural life of Indigenous Peoples.