Yibágui Echoi Casicaite
Acénsiadái said he was leaving to get salt:
We had just finished worshiping the bird god when we left our camp. And Acénsiadái said: “I’m going to leave. I’m going to the salt beds that we frequent.
He said this because of his daughter Yaride. “I feel sorry for Yaride because all she has to suck is pure water.” And he said: “I’m going to get some salt for her from the salt beds.”
I decided to go with him:
And later we left and went to the salt beds. We reached the road we always went on. We saw the salt beds that I referred to above, but we slept first. At first light Acénsiadái said: “I’m leaving now. I’m going to the salt beds. It’s going to rain and the salt will be ruined, that salt way over there.”
Our enemies, the Guidaigosode got there first:
We reached the salt beds but the Guidaigosode had already been there; we found a feather necklace they had left behind. It was a long white feather necklace, and we were really afraid. They started putting it around their necks. We began carrying the salt we had filled our bags with; and the Guidaigosode had taken salt too.
And then we left and slept again. At daylight we left again and what’s-his-name said, Pongora dáyabí said: “Come on, we’ll stop later. And then the next time we stop, we’ll eat.”
We dug up some water plants:
So we took off and stopped farther off. And then we left again, and when we stopped again we ate. And we dug up some water plants. And then we saw there was honey in the tree called ebédua and Garáijnaidái chopped into the trunk of the tree for it. And then we sucked honey.
And then we returned to our campsite. And everyone was out getting wild pineapple food called doridie. Some of us saw the orojno bee. They said: “Wait for us to get the honey, and then we’ll leave when the sun is over there and the next place we come to will be our camp. And we’ll be carrying our salt.”
We wanted to stop, but Pongora’s father urged us to go on:
And so they stopped for honey, and then we took off again. And they reached camp, the first ones. And Garáijnainái came out to meet me, and I gave him the salt I was carrying and he carried it in for me until we reached the camp. And then we were able to take a break from carrying the salt for a day.
Then we left again. Pongora’s dear father said: “Let’s go and stop later on. But we’ll eat the next time after that when we stop. So we left. We stopped for a while, and then left again. We should have eaten on the next stop, but we were leaving the salt beds and wanting to get far away from the Guidaigosode . Our group had gotten through the salt beds, but others were travelling behind and hadn’t caught up with us yet.
We heard noises behind us:
But then we heard some noise behind us. Perhaps it was the Guidaigosode and they had reached those behind us and were attacking them. Or maybe those behind us had seen the wasps called cosárei, a sign (garapiedie) of the Guidaigosode coming. So we went to them, and they said: “¡Cosárei qui! There were ‘wasps’ and we were startled. The wasps were coming down the same path we were on, right at us.”
They said: “Let’s get out of here, let’s leave,” that is what Pongora’s dear father said.
Some of them, however, wanted to go back for more salt. They said: “Don’t worry, the Guidaigosode are far away,” that’s what they said.
“Leave the salt beds behind and let’s go!” That’s what Pongora’s dear father said.
Pongora’s father said we younger men should go for water:
We left the place where we were and the dear one said: “Some younger men should go get water and then they’ll catch up with us and share it with us,” the dear one, Pongora’s father said.
So we went off to get water. And we got it and then returned. And we met up with them farther along the trail. The grown men were there too. Now we left them. The next morning we left.
My load of salt was too heavy:
We were approaching the trail. We found the trail, but were afraid we’d meet up with non-Ayoreos and have to abandon our load of salt and arrive home empty handed. We found the trail but went off of it. Some of us crossed paths with the first ones who had left. I was growing very tired because of having to carry my load of salt. I said: “I’m going to leave some of it. I’m just too tired. I’ll fill a little bag and carry it.” I said: “It will be the little thing I arrive with.”
And then we heard their calls. So we stopped, and turned off the trail and slept there. It was really cold and we couldn’t get warm.
They said: “¡Jo! (Whew!) What are we going to do? We haven’t eaten anything!”
Jnatua’s dear father stayed behind us:
But Jnatua’s dear father said: “Start thinking of something and we’ll stop farther on and I’ll stay behind you.”
So at daylight we took off. Jnatua’s dear father stayed behind us. Non-Ayoreos must have found him there. We waited for him. And then we heard people running. It was the non-Ayoreos running after us.
Beúidái (now deceased) said: “Bariguéjná, take our stuff!” And he left. And they all started running.
I took off empty-handed:
That was the place I would have been at the salt beds, right where they were coming. But I looked and saw Garáijnaidái over there. He said: “Let’s go! I’ll leave our stuff over there.”
We took off. Me, empty-handed. We came out where there was water. Just in time, for I was thirsty from running in the heat!
Guibéjnane – Tobité, Bolivia – 1960
Transcribed and translated to English by: Maxine Morarie.
