Jungle Fever

Where to begin? With dark tribal paint still tattooed on our faces, we’ve emerged from three days in the el oriente (Amazon Rainforest) near the jungle town of Puyo. After taking a course on shamanism during Claire’s last term at the UO, we received an email from her Chilean professor with an invitation to attend the Gran Ritual, an annual purification ceremony performed by the Mura Shuar de Yawints community of the Ecuadorian Amazon. All who wished to find new energy, dreams and family were welcome to attend. We needed no convincing. Two full days of travel brought us to the tiny town of 16 de agosto, only accessible by loading the bus onto a makeshift ferry and floating it over a raging river.

Setting out with loaded bags, we hiked an hour through thick rainforest until we arrived at the Montaña Sagrada, an ancient burial of the only South American tribe remaining unscathed after the Spanish conquest. A small but strong community, the Shuar teaches its children to be fearless. And it shows. The second smallest children carry infants on their backs, wrapped tightly in shawls, and climb tall trees with gusto. Tzamerinda, the Shuar master of ceremonies and second chief, greeted us warmly: ¨Aqui estan en casa, hermanos (here you’re at home, brothers and sisters).¨After waging war with Peru on and off until 1995, the indigenous communities decided to begin coexisting peacefully; there is enough war and sickness in the world to fight between brothers, Tzamerinda said often.

He continued by describing the history of the Shuar community, only visited for the first time in 1999 by outsiders (Ecuadorians and internationals) after he dreamt during an ayahuaska session about his culture becoming archaeology. He was proud that it was still very much alive and became motivated to share it with other ¨brothers and sisters¨ of the globe. His vision included flying high above the earth, signifying a future full of travel; he has since visited over 50 countries in eight years with only $50 in his pocket. The way he articulated the need for peace, understanding and equality among us all was his ticket to these destinations, and for this reason he opened his doors for us to participate in the ancient cleansing ceremony.

Our experience atop the Montaña Sagrada was shared with only 15 other non-Shuar (both international and Ecuadorian) and an equal number of Shuar community members. We awoke the first morning at 4am after sleeping below baseball-sized spiders in a thatched-roof hut, to trek down a slippery trail to the river for a dip. This sacred bath began a day of fasting, music, dancing and traditional games (tug of war, a barefoot run through the forest complete with vine climb, spear battle and throwing contest) in order to prepare our cuerpos y mentes (bodies and minds) for the ayahuaska session at sundown. Sweating hard under a blazing sun surrounded by the humid Amazon, we wondered how we’d find the stamina to keep ourselves going all day and night. Tzamerinda assured us the weaker our bodies, the stronger our spirits and hearts; we were opening our minds up to the purifying experience to follow. Ryan was declared Campion (champion) and dominated the ancestral-style tug of war and spear throwing contests against Shuar men and other competitors. He was rewarded by a dance with the youthful 97-year-old Shuar abuelita without a grey hair on her head (note photos).

We were given names in Shuar (Claire was Ipyak, sacred plant signifying the life blood between all brothers, and Ryan, Iumpum, man of the universe), a final dose of many tobacco snortings and more chicha (a brew of fermented yuka masticated by the elder women of the community… apparently full of vitamins and energy….we were thirsty and it tasted delicious).

The moment of truth arrived when stood in line and chugged bowl after bowl of steaming ayahuaska brew. We downed six each before the caldron was empty, vomiting profusely after each dose. We then sat down in the darkness and were left in silence to dream. The sacred circle held us together; we could feel each others energy, but were instructed not to communicate, as the experience was our own, yo, and no one else’s.

Next thing we knew we were waking up again at 4am to the Shuar calls for our final cleansing in the chilly river. Much reflection during consultations with tribal elders about our sueños (dreams) ensued, followed by many thanks, dances and gifts. What an experience!!! We have been on recoup mode since yesterday. Slept for 15 hours last night, with frequent trips to the bathroom, ridding our bodies of the last of the green liquid (and anything else left). The goodbye was tough, as we felt we had found family in only 3 short days. You were all in our dreams that night, as we reflected over the year and made goals for the future. Thanks for the unconditional love and support. Can’t wait to see you in a few months.

We have arrived in Baños for a week or more of hiking among sublime peaks and active volcanoes. More to come soon. For photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/clapoma/XmasAndAONuevoInBahiaOrienteWithShuar