Togábi
This is the story of how Togábi was killed:
Togábi was killed by men who lived many years ago. (He was also called Gorodédé.) Togábi was a medicine man, but one that could curse people.
They say it was Ucatédé (their chief) and his friend Baráyudé that killed Togábi.
When they killed him, it’s said, a horse fly came out of him and bit Ucatédé’s leg and left a large boil on it. (It was really Togábi in the form of a horse fly.) And another one came out and bit Ucatédé’s companion Baráyudé on the leg. And it left a large boil on his leg.
The next thing Togábi did was to almost destroy them with a storm.
After killing Togábi they grabbed his daughter Gorode. He said to his daughter: “Goro á! Those men have killed me. They have killed me! So call down a storm upon them.” And a storm came upon them.
And then it was when she remembered what her father had said. She called with a purpose and said: “Father, that’s enough! They have grabbed me and have me in their power.”
And they said to her: “Goro á! Come now, and call out with purpose to your father to see if he’ll make the rain stop.”
So she called and said: “Father, enough! They have taken me!” And, it’s said, after she said that, the rain stopped, and she saved her people from the storm that her father had thrown down.
Oidabiade – Campo Loro, Paraguay – 1988.
Transcribed and translated to English by: Maxine Morarie.
