Their name means “the people” and they are a remote tribe of about 3000, their population spread over 28 communities deep in the Ecuadorian jungles.
As deforestation continues encroaching upon their home, polluting the rivers and destroying their way of life, the Huaorani face almost certain extinction. In addition, the shaman’s knowledge of medicinal plants will be destroyed, the healing substances of the rain forest forever lost to corporate greed and political power.
The indigenous peoples play a role in THE MERKABAH DECEPTION--the 2nd in the Merkabah Series, the continued adventures of the empathic professor who solves paranormal crimes for a mystical organization.
I thought it appropriate to provide a few facts about this remote South American tribe.
Quick facts
- Anyone not Huaorani is considered to be non-human
- Tribes revere the jaguar, a guardian of the Napo River
- They have a highly developed sense of hearing
- They believe they are last free men of the Ecuadoran jungle
- An egalitarian society, there is no single leader, but rather one is appointed should a situation necessitate such a designation
- Men may take several wives and vise versa should the male-female ratio not provide a mate for every gender
- The harpia or hawk is sacred and each tribe cares for one
- Palm tree fronds are the building materials for their spacious multi-family homes
- Individuals sleep on hammocks strung from poles in the dwelling or sleep on mats
- Shamon’s brew ayahuasco, aka, the Spirit Vine/Vine of the Soul/Vine of the Dead
- Fish are caught using the barbasco plant, a shrub whose substance stuns nearby fish, causing them to float to the surface
Pictures and info are from Hijos de la Selva Ecuatoriana by Erwin Patzelt. Translation of text is courtesy of the Hubby.
Intrigued?
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Myth, history, and science collide when an empathic professor is recruited by a paranormal organization.
Distraught by the frequent psychotic episodes and convulsions spreading through the student body, the owner of a prestigious prep school in Ecuador seeks help from an occult society. Summoned by a mystical society known as The Watchers, Daphne Sites must determine if the mass hysteria has unearthly origins. She’s a bit anxious—this is only her second assignment.
- To purchase on Amazon: click HERE.For a sneak peak of THE MERKABAH DECEPTION, the 2nd in the series, click HERE.
- Related Posts: Mass Psychogenic Illness; Ecuador’s Mythological Creatures
