The Sanema people are part of the Yanomamo group
of tribes who live in the Amazonian rain forest of South America.
Each tribe has its own collection of stories, which is passed
on orally from generation to generation.
The Sanema believe that all the living thins of the forest came
into being through 'original ancestors', whose spirits still inhabit
Once there live Curare-woman and Original Jaguar.
Jaguar was very fond of meat and one day he caught Waipili the
frog. Jaguar mad Curare-woman cut up Waipili and Jaguar ate the
frog up. But Curare-woman saved two tadpoles called Omao and Soawe
and hid them in a pot.
Curare-woman kept Omao and Soawe safe from Jaguar. Omao and Soawe
grew fast, but Original Jaguar was still a danger. Then one day,
by some clever tricks, Omao was able to fool Jaguar into climbing
a tree, which when released from the hold of a vine threw Jaguar
into the air. He fell to the ground and was killed.
Omao was very hungry because he did not know how to grow yuca.
Only Lalagi-gi, the cosmic anaconda, knew how to grow plants.
Although Omao was very frightened of giant anaconda snake Lalagi-gi,
he wanted to learn how to grow yuca. So he gave some meat to the
snake and in return Lalagi-gi brought yuca cuttings, yams, maize
and other thing. If it had not been for Lalagi-gi people would
not have learnt how to grow crops.
It was long, long ago that Omao created the Sanema ancestors.
He decided to use hardwood trees. But Omao had great difficulty
finding them, so he asked his brother Soawe to help. Soawe was
lazy. Instead of hardwood trees, he cut down softwood trees. When
Omao returned, he was very angry. "I was going to make humans
from the hardwood trees, " he said. "Then they could
live for ever, just casting off their old skins. I was going to
make the anacondas from the softwood trees, so they would be weak
and die young. "Omao was so angry that he made the people,
the Sanema, from the softwood trees, which is why people are weak
and do not live for ever. Then he mad the anacondas from the tough
bark of the hardwood trees, which is why anacondas shed their
skins and live for a very long time. Omao was still angry, so
left the world. Way, way down the river he went to the bottom
of the sky.
It was night when the animal and Sanema ancestors appeared. Sunrise
did not come. The great curassow bird cried out all night - and
still dawn did not come. The ancestors realised that it was the
curassow bird that stopped the dawn, so they shot the bird with
arrows. The feathers of the dying bird fell off, and changed into
all the birds that now live in the forest. And the dawn came.
The story shows the threat and promise of
the forest for the Sanema people. Wild animals, floods and landslides
are a constant threat to safety. The Sanema also fear the vengeful
ghosts of animals they have killed for food.. But they also believe
that the spirits of the original ancestors are a powerful force
within nature, which can be called upon to help them. The forest
and its life may be threatening, but also supplies the Sanema
with everything they need for daily life. At the heart of Sanema
belief, lies a dependence on and respect for the forest, by this
balance is now being threatened by outsiders who are destroying
the trees and animal, and ultimately the Sanema way of life.