THE POWER

The power that the Shuar receives it can be considered a capacity for different forms of authority, for example; to be directing wars, or celebrations, the same ones that guides the other Shuar to the cascade, possesses inside him a guiding spirit of Arutam that gives them the capacity to exercise those functions. They had become "relatives of Arutam" and would become Arutam after death. To Arutam one speaks with terms of relationship "grandfather", "dad"... in this form the old spirits inhabit the youths to confer them the same qualities again.

The Shuar that have more than two powers cannot die easily for any cause. He will die, clear, but when he has lived enough and he will decides to die. Those that possess one, neither be able to died easily by a physical violence, although they are not immune of death by contagious illnesses. For all this the Shuar looks for Arutam.

The power for the war

We can also consider these powers inside the Shuar for the war: "it is so when one has obtained a spirit Arutam. It generally invades him with a tremendous desire to kill, the vision is developed little time before a killing expedition". The being that has been as hypostasis of Arutam is one of the beings that have tremendous physical power or they are carnivorous, then the Shuar has the security that its enemy is already conquered. If he is a young boy it will accompany his father. In a slaughter expedition they participate all those that have had visions; if some participates without visions they will be exposed to death after the slaughter, because they don't have any power that protects their life; those that possess powers don't have any difficulty of participating in the slaughter that for the Shuar people was considered as realization of justice. A half-kilometer before the established objective the participants have to declare and describe the type of Arutam that each one had seen. In this same instant takes place some sign, like sign that the enemy will die. If some of the members have bad sign (wrong dream), they may die by vengeance of the enemy.

The power for life

The boy Shuar is destined for a long life for what his parents have been able to acquire for him by means of the visions obtained in the course of life.

The Shuar is not born with a spirit Arutam. Such a spirit has to be acquired and according to certain cultural forms. The father doesn't let the boy to live after the puberty without having acquired one of them. The youth, or the boy, that looks for the power, the force of Arutam, prepares himself by means of abstinences and sacrifices until the superior being sympathizes with him and he offers him his power.

It is an honor for us to find an Arutam, because he gives us the power to live long years and at the same time he surrenders his forces for the survival amid the nature and the difficulties of the life. One has security and family tranquility, having in the midst of the community the power of Arutam.

The first trips to the cascade are the principles of the knowledge of the cosmic world which the boy Shuar should learn, receiving if it is possible some force that Arutam will grant him, when seeing that he is crossing a series of tests and difficulties. "Generally in this form the parents correct the lazy and capricious children, they obtain the health for the sick persons, they find luck in the life, they acquire capacities to conquer in the war and many other things". For when the Shuar moves away from the community he remains several days in the forest keeping rigorous fast and begging so that Arutam is seen; the Shuar has to suffer to win the compassion of him.

In this form the Shuar that authenticates with him doesn't make anything admirable, neither important, without the Arutam has predicted it to him, because he is owner of the present and of the future Shuar and of all his actions.

To receive the compassion of Arutam the Shuar tries to face a series of dangers and difficulties leaving to the different places where one is sure more or less that are sacred places.