Ore chujé Cornelio Isaac
Jonoiné killed a Mennonite missionary:
This Mennonite Missionary (Cornelio Isaac) was taking clothes to the Ayoreos who were near a small river called Tudujnaté. It’s said he was taking clothes to a place near the small river long ago, and we (Ayoreos) came upon him this side of Madrejón.
When we reached him, some of our group said: “Let’s go talk to that person who is white.”
Some in our group were peaceful, others were angry. We met his truck on the road this side of Madrejón.
And some among us said: “Talk to them! Talk to them!” But others didn’t put down their weapons, those that were angry. They kept going with intent to kill him.
The missionary gave clothing to them. He’d pull out clothing and give it to them. First it was the chief who gave things to them, and then his companion got out of the truck also. His friend got out, and Echogai grabbed his friend’s wrist. The missionary just kept giving clothes to them.
He was giving out clothing, but Jonoiné grabbed him as he was giving clothing to them. He was about to give them some more clothing when Jonoiné pierced him with a lance. Jonoiné hid his intentions to pierce him and did it suddenly while he was giving out the clothing.
The man went like this: “Eee” as Jonoiné’s lance pierced him. And the man’s companion went for his gun. He wouldn’t let us get any closer – he held the gun on us.
And our people said: “Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go! They’ve pierced them! They’ve pierced them! They’ve pierced them!”
We ran from them and then we stopped while still within sight of them. But we couldn’t understand his words – he said, “ee-aye, ee-aye, ee-aye!”
His friend was going to shoot us with his gun, but his companion, the one that was pierced, kept him from it; he protected us. They say he said: “Don’t shoot them; if they kill me, let them kill me.” He protected us; the missionary who was their victim said this. He protected us and took the gun away from his friend, and they didn’t shoot at us.
Carodidái, who is now deceased, and those with him stayed and didn’t run, and they were by them, and they offered them some long, braided neck feathers to show they were still friendly.
But then the men got into their truck and drove away. They left and went as fast as they could to Madrejón.
They left, and then the Ayoreos got together and they said: “Let’s go, let’s follow them and attack them. When they get to their town we’ll overtake them there.” We could overtake them because their town wasn’t far away.
Some of the Ayoreos counseled together and they said: “Stop those plans! Let’s talk to them. Probably the men are peaceful, and we can approach them in their town. Probably that one that was pierced is in the town.”
We who saw it happen thought maybe he was just pierced in his arm rather than his side, and that he might live. And we began to talk about what had happened. We recalled how he’d said to them: “Don’t shoot the Ayoreos.” And how he said: “Give them clothes.” We remembered that he’d said: “They pierced me just now, but probably I’ll be their only victim.”
He protected us, therefore they went over to the clothing and they gave more clothes to us. They gave us a lot of their things, clothing and other things. Our hands were filled with shirts and ponchos, and sheets and blankets.
It was then that we decided to talk to them. When it was light we went to them again for we saw they were still there.
Probably, during the night someone took their chief, the one that was pierced, because the only ones there in the morning were his servants. But they couldn’t scold us, because that was what their chief had told them not to do.
Campo Loro, Paraguay – 1988.
Transcribed and translated to English by: Maxine Morarie.
