Yocáqui Jnupabéjnaringui
Our ancient forefathers
Long ago the Ayoreos prayed to the sun:
“Father, where did we come from long ago? “ asked a little boy.
“We came from our ancient fathers,” answered his father. And he began to tell him the ancient stories.
Long ago they thought the sun was God, but they referred to it as “her”; they would talk to her and say: “You who are The One Above Us.”
They would call out to the sun long ago and pray to it, saying, “One Above Us, give things to us!” They would call to her in the early morning, or at noon, or at the going down of the sun. And the sun would give things to them.
A race between Tapir and the Moon:
Tapir went down a different road so he could arrive first. If Tapir arrived first, then dead people would wake up again after they died.
Moon went down another road. Moon was first to arrive, and he caused the Ayoré people to stay dead.
This is about how the first Ayoré man was made:
“Ayoré people were like the non-Ayoré people at first,” the father told his little boy.
“They killed *Yamochai (Monkey) and they ground his bones and sifted them into powder.
“Lizard was an Ayoré before, and had legs. And Lizard took the powder made from the ground-up Monkey’s bones and made body parts from it. She finished and then she blew breath into them. When she finished doing this, it was a person.
“It’s said that she put the first man to one side, and started to make the rest.
“They say that non-Ayoré people and Ayoreos all were made from the Monkey’s bones.”
The origin of animals and why turtles can’t run:
The father said to his little son, “Animals originated from a very large woman. Bigger than anything.”
The turtles were the largest animals in the world at that time. It’s said that, just by looking at things around them they could destroy them.
It’s said a little boy looked for Huge Turtle near the lake. He said: “Codé a, (Grandmother), I am going to kill Huge Turtle. I’ll wait for it by the lake.” He took his bow and arrows with him.
The grandmother said: “You be careful.”
He took all his arrows. He shot all of them them at the lake, and he broke Huge Turtle’s hip.
And that is how it was wounded. That’s why turtles can’t run; when the boy wounded Huge Turtle, he changed it, and to this day turtles can’t run.
Related by Oidábiadé in Campo Loro, Paraguay (1988)
Transcribed and translated to English by: Maxine Morarie.
