Jnani Bajai Chujé Chugúpẽredatéi
The killing of Big Bird:
It is said that one of the first men killed “Big Bird.” It was *Diti (formerly the giant sized ant) that killed Big Bird. And it’s said that he told his grandmother: “Grandmother, I’m going to kill *Natingarai.” That was Big Bird’s name.
That’s what he said: “I’m going to kill him.”
But his grandmother said: “As if you were a killer! He’s stronger than his fellow creatures; it’s said he can’t be killed.”
But Diti said: “I’ll wait till he comes down to the lake to drink water.”
He went off to wait for Big Bird, but his grandmother only said: “As if you were a killer! He’s strong.”
A very strong wind went ahead of him. And it’s said he waited and took a huge bow with him. He took huge arrows with him. He said he’d shoot his huge target with them.
He saw Big Bird and said: “There he is! There he is! He’s coming! He’s coming! He’s coming!”
And when he stopped at the lake, Diti shot his arrows and killed him. He shot him and drug him off. And that is how he finished him off.
And then he said: “Grandmother, I killed Natingarai.”
And his grandmother said: “Your victim was huge, and yet you managed to kill him!”
And they went and grabbed Big Bird, and it took many of them to pull him along.
Long ago there were no *abuei cactus. So they took Big Bird’s blood. And from that victimized blood they made the abuei cactus. And the blood colored the inside of the cactus red.
And then it was that the *datũra cactus rubbed Big Bird’s blood on itself and that large cactus is red on the outside.
Then it was that the large cactus called *darujna rubbed itself with Big Bird’s blood also, and this time, became red inside and outside on it’s peeling.
Then it was that the tree called Ajniecai threw the downy feathers of Big Bird upon its branches and they stayed there on the branches, and when it blooms it’s white like the down of Big Bird.
It was Diti who killed Big Bird, but it’s properties and parts were used by those who grabbed Big Bird and helped to drag him out of the water.
It’s said that it was the blood of Big Bird that the first men used to paint their houses. The reason they did this was that they wanted the doors of their houses to be red.
The Cutamurajai Clan claims the datũra cactus, the ajniecai tree, and asi (the downy feathers) as their clan possessions (edopasade).
Oidábiadé – Campo Loro, Paraguay – 1988.
Transcribed and translated to English by: Maxine Morarie.
