The Huaorani of Ecuador

The Huaorani are a group of Indians that live in the Amazonian rainforest. They are a semi-nomadic horticultural society. They could almost be considered foragers because they do hunt for animals and the women go out for fruits and berries, but they plant crops no matter where they go. In fact, they move from area to area in order to go where the food is located. They do not use modern day agricultural methods either since they live off the land. They are a secluded group of people within the rainforest of Ecuador and are not familiar with normal Ecuadorian culture (Lu, F. E., 2001). They choose to live their lives the way they want. Even though rainforests are being cut down they still are able to find areas to live and the Huaorani Indians continue to embrace their way of life.

In order to understand a horticultural society a person must understand what horticulture means. It is planting crops without modern day agricultural methods such as fertilizers and plows (Laird, P., & Nowak, B., 2010). The men clear the trees in an area and then the women plant the crops. It is the way it has been done for many years. Among the food that they plant are plantains, peanuts, and sweet potatoes (Lu, F. E., 2001). Once they have used the soil to its full potential they leave that particular area in order to find another. They do this in order to allow the ground to heal. This will enable them to plant there again whenever they return to that area.

One of the most important things to the Huaorani, however, is family life. A family unit consists of groups of kin and eventually grows when people from other villages want to join the group. If others want to join the group they must their own houses because they are not allowed to live in the same house as the original land owners. Within kinship you will find mother and father, children, spouses, and grandchildren. This allows for a wide variety of help when it comes to daily responsibility. The extra help is also the reason why the Huaorani have many children. The more they have the bigger the helping hand. Family life is very close as well. Yet, each family member has a sense of autonomy. Everyone helps out whether they be women, children, or men. There is no laziness when it comes to caring for each other.

Usually the men provide for the family by hunting. They hunt anything from monkeys to any other animal that might catch their eye. They mostly hunt with spears, but they also hunt with blowguns. They clear trees for their wives so they can plant crops needed for ceremonies and regular consumption. The men are definitely protectors of their land. They do like it when any outsiders invade their area of land. Last, but not least, they engage in warfare if needed (Lu, F. E., 2001). Women can also hunt if they want, but it is very rare to find a female hunter within the Huaorani. Instead, they mostly take care of their crops, clean their homes, and take care of their children. Each person has his or her own duties within the household. In other words, they are doing different things in order to equal out the chores. They also live matrilocally, which means the couple lives with the bride's household (Lu, F. E., 2001).

As for their children, they used to practice infanticide, but there have been missionaries of the Christian faith that have been allowed into the Huaorani lands. The missionaries have taught them how precious life can be. Therefore, they have ceased in infanticide. Infanticide is when a mother leaves a child behind to die because of a deformity or other health problems (Laird, P., and Nowak, B., 2010). Now that there is medical care and other changes in the Huaorani lifestyle the population has grown increasingly.

When it comes to their resources there is an abundance because they do not want much. They live off the land and are free to do whatever they want. If they want to fish they fish and it is the same with hunting. The land is also free. There is no land ownership, so they gather where they please and place their houses where they want. Yet, there are social boundaries between different Huaorani groups. As for their kinship groups, the Huaorani used to live in small populations where everyone did everything together. Now a days a limited amount of people share the important daily obligation throughout the community because of the fact that population density has grown (Lu, F. E., 2001).

There is also little sharing between the different groups of Huaorani. The reason why is unknown, but since sharing is scarce one Huaorani group must be careful not to deliberately offend another. Yet, if reciprocity would take place between different groups of Huaorani hostilities probably would not be as fierce. Needless to say, there are social boundaries between the groups and are definitely leery of attack. So they tend to stay away from each other. Since Christianity is a big part of their culture now they live in their own villages because the population growth, but the social boundaries still exist.

An example of social boundaries would be how the waterway are named after different people (Lu., F. E., 2001). If a Huaorani was traveling through the forest and came upon a stream or a certain identifiable structure they would go back to the village and talk about what they found. The word would get around and soon that area would be named after the person who found it. It is then that they will clearly let any outsiders know that they cannot partake of the land by spearing them to death. That is how each area of land became owned.

On the lighter side of the Huaorani there is no argument that they like to drink and be merry. Not only that, but they become totally different people. The environment becomes warm and inviting where normally there might be hostility. They take great care and planning when it comes to ceremonies. In fact, many of their ceremonial drinking festivities lead into a marriage. One such drinking ceremony is that of the tree couple. First, the couple that is preparing the drinking party plant enough manioc stems (or roots) for as many guests they are going to invite (Rival, L. M., 2002). It takes several months for the manioc to grow, so the ceremony is not scheduled until the manioc stems are almost completely grown.

While they are planting the manioc they sing in a festive manner. It is the same when they are weeding and even before they plant. It is their way of keeping the karma levels at a balance. It is very important to them.

After the manioc stems are at the halfway point of being grown that is when the tree couple contact others about marriage and the ceremony. The “others” may be friend or foe. Since they will be celebrating it is normal for them to invite people from different villages in order to partake in the festivities. The only thing left to do after that is wait for the roots to grown to their complete fullness. Then a tedious task begins.

Once the stems are ready, the couple peels the manioc and place them over embers for two weeks (Rival, L. M., 2002). They have to be very careful during this period of time because if the manioc is not prepared the right way the manioc can rot or get bugs growing on them. If that happens the manioc is ruined.

During the entire time they are preparing the manioc the tree couple and whoever is helping are still singing. Again, it is to create a happiness. If at any time they are not happy it is believed that the root may go bad. The tree couple are not allowed to leave the house, except to go to the bathroom, or sleep in the same bed for that exact reason as well (Rival, L.M., 2002)..

When the manioc stems are ready it is time for the festivities to begin. The drinking party creates friendships. If, perhaps, there is one group of Huaorani that are not friends with another group the festival is the perfect time to create a bond. That way there would not be any hostilities between the two groups. Unions between a man and a woman can occur during the party as well. Marriage is a sacred thing for the Huaorani and it brings new life. As for the tree couple, they are allowed to unite with each other again after months of having to be apart. Manioc is a major thing because it is drank in every festival.

Another drinking party is that of the human birds. Individuals who study birds know that they go through a cycle every year. Birds sing all the time, they make nests, mate, feed their babies by feeding themselves, and when the food is all gone they migrate to another area. The life of a bird is symbolic to this festival. This party can lead into a marriage as well.

The ceremony usually takes place during the fruiting season because that is what birds tend to eat, and just like the birds of nature they are merry for the night (Rival, L.M., 2002). The singing and dancing that goes on is also like a bird. The men and women sing out of unison and they dance in separate ways (Rival, L.M., 2002). Many songs are sung that night about the birds of nature. The dancing continues with each song, but once the food and manioc are gone so are the festivities. That is when everyone carries on with their everyday lives.

Birds and the wild boars in another festivity that can lead into marriage. In fact, every party the Huaorani partake in can have a marriage mixed in with it. In all the ceremonies, especially this one, the men and women avoid each other. Any other time they are a people that love interaction and thrive on the essence of each other. It has been the way the Huaorani have done it for a long time and old traditions die hard.

For the ceremony women from different areas come to participate in the party (Rival, L. M., 2002). They end up staying for the entire festival. Both men and women will adorn themselves with jewelry, body paints, feathers, and many other things (Rival, L.M., 2002). They purposely act vain as they decorate themselves. As the ceremony continues the men begin to get loud and aggressive, but the women continue to spend time with each other. Then, unlike the other two ceremonies, the men and women begin to sing and dance together. They dance and sing the same. However, the men and women avoid each other. Husbands and wives, cousins, brothers and sisters, do not look or talk to each other. The ceremony will continue on until the manioc is gone.

When anyone thinks of a marriage they think of the months of preparation it takes to buy the wedding dress, get all the flowers ready, and the cake. Invitations and R.S.V.P.'s are sent out so everyone that is invited to joint the celebration will come. Dinners are carefully put together so everyone is happy. Honeymoons are planned way ahead of time so there is enough money to go where they want. The father of the bride walks his daughter down the isle, the preacher speaks the marriage ceremony, they kiss. In the long run hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars are spent on one day of a couples life.

A wedding ceremony is totally different when it comes to a Huaorani marriage. It takes place during one of these ceremonies about two-thirds through the party (Rival, L.M., 2002). The two people that are going to get married that night have no idea because it is a secret, so they are completely unaware of what is going to happen. When the time has arrived the elders, who planned the marriage in the first place, take hold of the man and woman and bind their ankles together with hammock string. The couple is also placed into a hammock where they spend the night.

The family members of the couple gather around the hammock and begin to sing wedding songs (Rival, L.M., 2002). The songs that they sing are all about helping each other out. It is very important that the couple learn to take care of each other from the beginning because it is such a big part of the Huaorani way. They sing about how they must work together. It is not necessarily doing the same things at the same time, but it does entail an understanding of what the woman must do and what the man must do. They also sing about helping out the parents. Since they live matrilocally, the husband has to learn to help out a totally different set of parents. Respect of elders is a necessary part of survival because they have been around longer than the younger generation. They know where the food is, where the animals are, and where to stay away from. Basically, they are telling them the expectation of how to be a married couple in song. The couple is also told not to divorce.

Once the singing has stopped the mother of the bride decides whether or not it is a compatible match. If she agrees to the alliance the singing starts up again, but if she disagrees with the marriage the mother runs away with her daughter (Rival, L.M., 2002). It is a win, lose, or draw situation. The next day the marriage is consummated by reciprocal gifting. The woman makes a fruit drink for the husband and the husband brings home an animal for the woman. They exchange the gifts and then the marriage is complete. If the couple chooses not to give gifts then the marriage is terminated.

The Huaorani way is definitely a curious one, but before the Christian missionaries came they used to be warriors. They fought for their land because it was sacred to them. Their land was where they gathered their food and brought home animals to eat. They fought for their people to make sure everyone was happy and there were no hostilities between family members. Worst of all they hated cohouri people. Cohouri are people that are not Huaorani by birth (Holt, F. L., 2005).. They speared for their food and anyone that they believe were invading their land. That included cohouri, oil workers, and missionaries.

They are natural fisherman, hunters, horticulturalists, and enjoy living in low density populations. Even in their longhouses there is only family, but the Huaorani lands are changing. The rainforests are being cut down for wood and oil companies are moving in. There land is formally being invaded, which made sense why they started attacking oil workers and loggers at first. All they knew was that foreign invaders were coming in and destroying what they loved so much; the rainforest.

At first the rainforest was getting cut down for the wood, but now bigger things have showed up. The oil company, Conoco, has found vast amounts of oil within the lands of the jungle and is taking advantage of it (Finley, B., 1991). Once the Huaorani were a secluded people and they liked it that way. They were able to roam anywhere they wanted and seek animals and berries. Now they the modern day world of aircraft and vehicles sounding out nearby. There peace is disappearing and the Huaorani are aggravated.

In Bruce Finley's newspaper article with the Denver Post (1991), he explains how Huaorani surround the passengers that get off planes nearby because they want to know what is going on. Curiosity has struck them hard. The planes are the repercussions of the oil companies taking over. They are not only clearing land, but they are clearing settlements that either start retaliating or they end up having to move to a different location. Not only that, but their ancestry is disappearing. In places where past relatives would have settled some of those areas are now dirt roads or cleared land with endless tree stumps. It is a sad predicament, but it is happening.

With the trees being cut down and all the noise is causing animals to run away. The water is also being poisoned by the oil companies, which create dead fish (Finley, B., 1991). In the long run it is destroying the Huaorani's nomadic ways of life and making them more dependable on horticulture. To add to the confusion the Huaorani are being exploited. The population from the oil companies is bringing in many workers. These workers see the Huaorani people, which are almost the last of the truly secluded Indians, and are taking pictures of them without asking. Those Huaorani that decide not to live the traditional way of life, which is increasing greatly, are learning to live a totally different way. They are tired of the oil companies invading their land and are finding jobs in order to buy goods and necessities so they can to survive. Only a few traditional Huaorani groups are still around.

Worst of all, the rainforest destruction and the oil companies are bringing in disease. Elevated serum imminoglubulin E (IGE) is a disease found in Huaorani that live directly outside the areas where the oil companies are working (Kron, M.A., et al, 2000). Yet, the Huaorani hat have moved away from their traditional way of living have less health problems. This definitely indicates that the oil companies are bringing in disease.

Other diseases like dermatitis, hypersensitivity, and parasitic infections have been found (Kron, M.A., et al, 2000). However, the cases found are few and far between. Some Huaorani are agreeing to inoculations and anti-virus shots for their children and themselves. It is a small step in protecting a group of people that are becoming scarce.

In conclusion, the Huaorani people are an indigenous group that are still trying to live their normal cultural lifestyles. Family life is still the same, but they are beginning to let more outsiders in. It is enabling anthropologists to understand the Huaorani people and that they are in a crisis. Their lands are being taken away by the oil companies yet, somehow, they manage to conduct their daily lives the way they have always done for years. There may only be a few Huaorani that live the traditional lifestyle, but with inoculations and disease control hopefully the few horticultural Indians left will grow into a larger group.

References

Finley, B. (Aug, 18, 1991) Amazon Indians watch oil transforming their world pollution, disease

among the results. Denver, CO. Denver Post.

Holt, F. L. (April 2005) The Catch-22 of Conservation: Indigenous Peoples, Biologists,

and Cultural Change. New York. Vol. 33, Iss. 2; pg. 199. Human Ecology.

Kron, M. A., Ammunariz, M., Pandey, J., & Guzman J. R. (Nov. 2000)

Hyperimmunoglobulinemia E in the Absence of Atopy and Filarial Infection: The Huaorani of

Ecuador. Providence. Vol. 22, Iss. 6; pg. 335. Allergy and Asthma Proceedings.

Lu, F. E. (Dec 2001) The common porperty regime of the Huaorani Indians of Ecuador:

Implications and challenges to conservation. New York. Vol. 29, Iss. 4; pg. 425 (23 pages).

Human Ecology.

Rival, L.M. (2002) Trekking Through History, The Huaorani of Amazonian Ecuador.

New York Chichester, West Sussex. Columbia University Press.