The traditional weapon used by the Huaorani is the tapa, a lance two meters long, with one end shaped like a harpoon and the other forming a sharp point. The lance is used to hunt large prey, including the ure and the amo, two types of wild pigs, and also to kill human beings. When carried for the latter purpose, the lance used to be decorated with colourful feathers. The blowgun, or umena, is used only for hunting monkeys and birds. The Huaorani love to hunt, and they describe heaven as a place with abundant game.

For two hours, Mima and her companions, guided by their highly developed sense of direction, move through the dense foliage. Suddenly there is intense activity. Mima shouts in a high-pitched voice. Dabo also shout and shakes the branches of vegetation in his path. The entire party joins in. In the tree-tops; they have spotted a group of cotos, howler monkeys known for their terrifying screams. The monkeys in the canopy are paralysed with fear. The hunters quickly put darts, their tips coated with poison, in to their blow guns and, aiming with extraordinary precision, they send them sixty meters into the air. A monkey is hit -the curare takes about three minutes to work- and stumbles, falling to a branch ten meters below. In a display of amazing agility, Cuiquita, Mima's son-in-law, goes for the catch.

Cuiquita, like all Huaorani, is in excellent condition due, among other things, to a diet rich in protein and to constant physical activity. His ear lobes are pierced; the hole in each is very large and contains the ontoka, a wooden disk used by the Huaorani. The only clothing Cuiquita wears is a komi, a cord made of wild cotton, around his waist to keep his penis in an upright position. Because the komi represents power and energy, a Huaorani who is not thus clothed feels naked and defenceless. Women and children also wear the komi, though theirs are made of a more slender cord.

The hunt is over. Each member of the party has killed two or three monkeys. Mima carries two of them. Cuiquita has brought down a female who had a baby and he takes it as a gift for his son. The Huaorani love pets, including monkeys, rodents, and a variety of birds.

As soon as she gets home, Mima begins to burn the monkeys' fur and then puts the animals in a pot with manioc to boil, using neither salt nor any other seasoning. The Huaorani immediately eat the meat. The brain and the eyes are considered delicacies. When the catch has been particularly large, what is left over is smoked. Meanwhile, they share anecdotes about the day's hunt.

DAILY LIFE

The onka, the traditional Huaorani dwelling, provides shelter for ten to fifteen persons, members of the same family. It is spacious and reflects the practical nature of the Huaorani. Mima is lying in a comfortable position in her hammock near the fire. From there she can reach whatever she needs: firewood, water, food, cooking utensils, chambira -palm fiber-, and so on. She rolls the chambira against her thigh to produce the cord that is used to make nets, bags, hammocks, and necklaces.

A hard rain, characteristic of the Amazon, begins to fall, the drops pounding the palm roof. The fire is the centre of life in the home and will be kept alive during the night. Every couple has a hearth that provides light and heat, and that is used for cooking and keeping insects at bay. Mima's grand-daughter has settled herself at her grandmother's side, and imitates the older woman's motions. This is the way informal education among the Huaorani takes place. The children stay close to the adults, secure in the knowledge that they will never be sent away, and, without being told to do so, imitate what they see their elders doing. They are never scolded, nor are they praised. They enjoy the security of the group. If a child is orphaned, he or she is automatically taken in by relatives, members of the extended family. The home of the Huaorani is filled with laughter and song. Conversation is continuous and someone is always joking. At night the children play and laugh until they can stay awake no longer. The social life of the Huaorani is characterized by an absence of hierarchy and by a natural division of labour; no one gives orders. In spite of the different roles related to gender, it is clear that a distinguishing feature of the Huaorani is the equality that exists between men and women". Men are in charge of hunting, clearing the rain forest for gardens, protecting the family, making weapons. Women take care of the gardens, cook, watch over the children, and make objects used in daily life. But there are no rigid rules. The Huaorani are a practical, flexible people, adapting to whatever a particular situation calls for.

From January to March the forest is full of fruit and other edible plants. Thus, the "fiesta of the chonta" is celebrated, and this is also the time marriages take place. Participants take the bride and groom by surprise, carry them to a hammock, and toss them in together; then, they wrap the arms of each around the other. They sing a lovely song in which the couple is compared to a pair of blue and gold macaws who fly high in the sky forever, together and in love. This moving traditional wedding song expresses the deep desire of the Huaoran is to live in harmony in a beautiful, peaceful place.

Death is no more than a transition in life, and is not cause for worry. On one occasion in a Huaorani settlement, we observed a mother breast feeding both a newborn infant and his one-year old brother. The newborn was very weak and, during the night, we heard it gasping for breath. The mother chanted in a sad voice. And then death came. The following day there was a spot near the hammock where the earth had been recently moved. The child was buried there. There was no weeping, nor were condolences offered; life simply went on.

In times past, on coming upon a group of Huaorani dwellings, you would see the majestic keinehua, or harpy eagle. The eagle gave a shrill cry to warn residents of your approach. According to Huao tradition, the eagle is a guardian spirit providing protection for the family. It is captured in the rain forest when still a nestling, and fed and treated like a divine spirit by the family. The harpy eagle was part of the pantheon of olmec gods 3,000 years ago and, in Peru, was among the gods venerated by members of the Chavin culture. Today it is included in Huaorani mythology as well as in that of other Amazon groups. The Kachuyana of Brazil, for example, claim that the harpy "possesses the wisdom of all the spirits", and that it is the most powerful of the spirits from beyond."

AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE

For the past thirty years, the Huaorani have been subjected to serious pressures as a result of changes taking place at social, ecological, economic and political levels, changes that have affected members of the group and the country as a whole. What does the future hold for the Huaorani as roads are opened, colonists arrive, and the oil, so abundant in the hunting grounds of the Huaorani, is exploited? What will happen to the virgin forest, where the jaguar growls and wild pigs abound, there, where the Huaorani face a challenge that is, perhaps, the most serious in their history?

Night falls and the song of the hilucu is heard. It is a male calling to its mate. Once again, the song of Mima is also heard:

"As my ancestor lived, so also will I live.
As my ancestors died, so also will I die."