"When we finally made it to the Yagua island we were welcomed by the chief, a rather young and very sociable fellow."




Report from Yagua village, Peru
August 29, 2000

Reaching the Yagua Indians


Today I made it to the exotic tribe of Indians called Yaguas, who live their most natural lives in the depth of the Amazon jungle within Peru. Getting to them by speedboat and cruising the majestic waterways of the Amazon system was exhilarating. One enjoys seeing so many colorful birds as they wing their existence in all possible directions. The legendary "bufeos" (gracious and enchanting freshwater dolphins) are easily seen as they come up for air giving humans a unique marine show.

When we finally made it to the Yagua island we were welcomed by the chief, a rather young and very sociable fellow. He wore a straw skirt that covered his knees, some kind of bandana around his forehead, attached to it a feather, and he held a long instrument for hunting monkeys.

Soon, I found myself literally surrounded by a curious crowd of Yaguas who indeed had become fascinated by the electronic power of my Sony digital camera! As I took picture after picture of the interesting culture, they all insisted on "seeing themselves in the little box" (as the chief interpreted to me in broken Spanish). And of course, and much to the detriment of the only lithium battery my camera has, I complied.

Women, young or old, did not cover their breasts. Children of any age or sex moved about with no clothes at all. Their faces reflected total innocence and beauty beyond description. I looked deep into their eyes as if wanting to feel the essence of legends and myths, as if wanting to be a Yagua for a moment and fully understand the mystery of their existence. I continued taking pictures. The diskettes fell from my hands. No doubt, I had been hit by a cultural flow of information overload of the exotic kind!

"No doubt, I had been hit by a cultural flow of information overload of the exotic kind!"

At one point I sat on a tree branch that had been stuck to nearby trees. Just as I sat, however, the branches broke under my weight. Instantly, my Yagua friends began to laugh. I smiled and even felt relief at seeing so much life and spiritual expression coming from the Yaguas. I must confess, though, that my buttock had really been hurt (as we say in Spanish "se me habia roto el culo!")

The Yaguas speak their own and very difficult language by the same name. They refuse to learn Spanish and show almost total apathy towards what we call "civilized way of life." Only the chief travels to Iquitos, some 30 miles away and half an hour by speedboat, about once a week, to purchase food stuff and other essentials for the Yaguas. The rest of the tribe stays put.







"They refuse to learn Spanish and show almost total apathy towards what we call 'civilized ways of life.'"







Economically, the Yaguas are a subsistence people. They grow crop, hunt and fish. Their hospitality and sociability to tourists and outsiders is also a source of needed funds.

There is one dreadful anthropological fact about the Yaguas: they are the direct descendants of recent cannibals. However, for some reason I never felt as if I was about to become some kind of meal for anyone! I saw no one bringing cooking ingredients. I kept my imagination in check. I did wonder why they had been so sociable with me, and why it was that so many of them danced around me! Some things in life will always remain a mystery...

Report from Peru,

Prof. Anibal J. Rosario