The ancestral world of the Auca indigenous people
The Huaorani, also known as the Auca, number approximately 3,000 and inhabit a territory of around 13,000 square kilometers in the Ecuadorian Amazon jungle. Most of them live permanently on the outskirts of mission settlements. Only small groups of Auca live deep in the forest; while they are not uncontacted, they are an ethnic group that chooses voluntary isolation.
Their homeland is a portion of jungle between the Napo and Curaray Rivers, with the Yasuni River marking the eastern boundary of their ancestral territory.
Historically, the Auca were renowned for their exceptional hunting skills. They used blowguns to shoot darts poisoned with “curare.” For these indigenous people, poison is not just a tool for killing but also a means of connecting with the world of magic. If handled carefully, following ancient rituals and traditions, the poison’s effectiveness is believed to increase.
However, hunting does not always yield the desired results. Animals such as the tapir or peccary are becoming increasingly scarce in the Yasuni forests, forcing the indigenous people to rely on agriculture, primarily cultivating manioc and plantains.
According to the Auca, death is not caused by illness but by negative energies or even a curse cast by an enemy. To counteract such threats, the Auca raise small animals like monkeys, which they keep close as protective barriers against potential curses. These animals act as shields, absorbing any negative influences directed at a family member. In other instances, the Auca keep birds of prey, such as harpy eagles, in captivity. These birds hold a central role in Amazonian mythology as the carriers of souls to the underworld.
Another important aspect of Auca culture is the pursuit of balance. A person who accumulates material goods or possesses unique knowledge creates an imbalance within the community. Therefore, the abundance of both material wealth and knowledge must be shared, made accessible to all, and collectivized. For instance, if a community member possesses unique knowledge about the medicinal properties of plants and does not share it, this could provoke envy, discomfort, or negative energies within the community.
To restore balance, a curse may be cast on the individual in question, ensuring the source of conflict is resolved. However, when the use of curses exceeds its intended purpose, it is considered black magic. This black magic can deeply affect the psychology of individuals, sometimes even causing death, and is an indirect cause of clan conflicts, which occasionally result in the murder of the shaman who cast the curse.
The Auca have a unique conception of death. According to their philosophy, the soul survives the body depending on the nature of death. Additionally, the manner of death determines where the soul goes after separating from the body. For example, the soul of someone who dies in war will coexist in the afterlife with the souls of others who died in the same way.
The soul of someone who dies from black magic cannot separate from the body and remains trapped within the skull, existing as a dark cloud for eternity.
Unfortunately, the ancestral world of the Auca is under constant threat. Their territory, which overlaps with Yasuni National Park, is officially protected from oil exploitation, yet five areas within it have already been allocated for such purposes and are operated by an equal number of companies. This leads not only to pollution from occasional oil spills but also to deforestation caused by the construction of roads and settlements. Furthermore, it disrupts the lives of the native Auca, who are often employed by these companies as a source of inexpensive labor.
YURI LEVERATTO
