The Peru Trip - Day Three - Part II

November 5th - Midday - The Hivaros

I am part of a loosely scattered group milling around near the jungle's edge adjacent to one of the lodge huts. We are preparing for our jungle walk and visit to the Hivaros. Everyone does a last minute check of their gear and insect repellent coverage as we prepare to go. Boris and Jorge give a few instructions and within seconds we are on a trail going into the jungle. In what seems like just a few steps we are deep into the jungle, the lodge far distant. We walk only a few hundred feet before out first stop. Jorge begins to speak about one of the jungle trees. Jorge speaks in Spanish while Boris translates. Jorge can speak English but is not confident enough in his abilities. to speak about the amazonian plants in English. Jorge, as I found out later, has both a shamanistic knowledge of the plants as well as knowledge of the plants through the eyes of western science. Jorge gained this combined knowledge by living among the Indians as a child and later in life attending the University. I tried to focus on Jorge's words as he spoke. It was difficult in the swirl of the jungle vortex all around. Thebirds continued the medley of songs that they had started at dawn. The insects sang another movement in their never ending symphony of the Amazon. The ambiance was furthered enhanced by the dim light that filtered through the jungle canopy.

Boris began his translation. In only our first stop there were plants which were used in the treatment of arthritis, as anesthetics, as fuel, and as a possible cure for cancer. The power of the jungle that filled every breath had been made manifest. Such serendipity! As Boris translated Jorge's word s about the shamanistic knowledge of the plants it became clear how the indigenous people had forged a link long ago between the jungle power that I was feeling and the tangible world.

As we continued our walk we stopped many times. It seemed like we were stopping every 50 ft. At each stop Jorge talked about more wonders hidden in the jungle plant life. More disease treatments, clothing materials, even fuel. At one point Jorge talked about how the sap of one type of tree was used for fuel. He cut a small hole in the side of the tree so that a trickle of sap ran down the bark of the tree. He then lit it with a match. It burned as if it were lighter fuel! Jorge explained how only 11% of the plants in the Amazon rain forest plants had been explored for their potential uses. At the same time the rainforest is being destroyed forever at an acre a minute. What a waste!

As we continue our walk down the jungle trail a bright blue spot appears and dances through the trees. It is a huge butterfly! This butterfly is at least 6 inches across from wing tip to wing tip! Everyone in our group who witnesses this bit of Amazon magic stops to follow the fluttering blue light across the lush green jungle backdrop. The butterfly only takes a short time to pass among our sight and then is gone. The blue light of the butterfly seemed to have had an energy all its own. All the people who shared it seem to have a little more spring in their step.

The trail is a very easy to traverse except for parts that are a little muddied. Either this trail is well traveled or geared toward visitors to the lodge or both. We haven't really traveled very far although an hour has passed. Taking time to talk about the wonders of nature in the Amazon rainforest makes for slow travel. We come to a large clearing. Off in the distance their is a large hut elevated by perhaps 10 ft on wood supports. Their are several people in the hut looking outward. They appear to wearing some kind of skins as a type of long loincloth. These must be the Hivaros. As we get closer I can see about 20 men, women, and children of all different ages waiting for our arrival.

We walk up the ladder into the hut. There is an awkward period where everyone is moving around to the proper position for some type of presentation to be given by the Hivaros. They seem to be checking us out as intently as we are checking them out! As I look into the eyes of some the Hivaros I see a darkness that seems to go to the depths of their soul, darker than the Amazon night. I had seen this look before. It was always in the eyes of someone who had undergone some type of trauma. On many of their faces this dark aura seemed to be accompanied by bright smiles. This brightness seemed to shine through the darkness. I wondered if the Hivaros had always had this look about them. In the days before the coming of the white man was their light as bright as the free flying butterfly we had seen but a short time before?

We get a short demonstration of the art of blowgun use from one man who appears to be the chief and a few of the young men of the tribe. A few of the people in our group decide to try their hand at hitting a target on the far wall of the hut. The whole event has the feeling of an event staged for out benefit. And so it is. As the demonstration was going on the rest of the Hivaros stood with their souvenirs in hand ready to be sold. As the rest of the tribe stood waiting I once again studied their appearance. The Indian features were quite striking, almost like a mix of Latin and Asian features. There was one young women whose appearance was particularly striking with almond shaped eyes, high cheek bones, a sculptured long face and jet black hair. Her body although short in stature appeared long and delicately muscular, her skin smooth and the color of cinnamon. I thought to myself she were to put on a haute couture dress and be photographed the right way she could be the toast of European fashion!

The demonstration ended and the souvenir onslaught began. I was happy to help out the tribe but the feeling of being surrounded by members of the tribe holding souvenirs in your face anxiously asking you to buy them was decidedly uncomfortable. Still, it was nice to see the bullient faces of the children when their trinkets were purchased. You could tell that all the members of the Hivaros from the children up to the elders took pride in their work.

In what seemed like minutes all the buying and selling was done and we were on our way. Some members of our group needed help carrying their haul of blowguns, necklaces, bracelets and pottery. We took a different path back to lodge that led us through a clearing filled with plants bearing flowers of brilliant magenta. We weren't stopping any more. It was clear that our itinerary now was to return to the lodge as quickly as possible. I exchanged some smalltalk with one of the other group members for what I thought was but a short while, looked up, and we were entering the lodge clearing. It is understood that the remainder of the day and early evening would be given to rest and relaxation to prepare for the night ahead. The Ayahuasca ritual awaited us....

Sandy Craig Shaw
sandy@bodhisattvasoftware.com

The Peru Trip - Day Three - Part III - The Ayahuasca Ritual.

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