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The Waorani, Waodani, or Huaorani, also known as the Waos, are an
Indigenous people There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...
from the Amazonian Region of
Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
( Napo, Orellana, and
Pastaza Province Pastaza () is a Provinces of Ecuador, province in the Oriente (Ecuador), Oriente of Ecuador located in the eastern jungle. The capital is Puyo, Ecuador, Puyo, founded on May 12, 1899, with a population of 33,325. The city is now accessible by pave ...
s) who have marked differences from other ethnic groups from Ecuador. The alternate name ''Auca'' is a pejorative
exonym An endonym (also known as autonym ) is a common, name for a group of people, individual person, geographical place, language, or dialect, meaning that it is used inside a particular group or linguistic community to identify or designate them ...
used by the neighboring
Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several Indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, an Indigenous South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language ...
natives, and commonly adopted by Spanish-speakers as well. (' in
Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several Indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, an Indigenous South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language ...
) means 'savage'. They comprise almost 4,000 inhabitants and speak the
Waorani language The Waorani (''Huaorani'') language, commonly known as Sabela (also ''Wao, Huao, Auishiri, Aushiri, Ssabela'' ; autonym: Wao Terero; pejorative: ''Auka, Auca'') is a vulnerable language isolate spoken by the Waorani people, an indigenous grou ...
, also known as ''Huoarani'', ''Wao'', ''Sapela'' and ''Auca'', a linguistic isolate that is not known to be related to any other language. Their ancestral lands are located between the
Curaray The Curaray River (also called the Ewenguno River or Rio Curaray) is a river in eastern Ecuador and Peru. It is a tributary of the Napo River, which is part of the Amazon basin. The land along the river is home to several indigenous people groups, ...
and Napo rivers, about 50 miles (80 km) south of
El Coca Puerto Francisco de Orellana (), also known as El Coca (), is the capital of province of Orellana in eastern Ecuador. The city is located in the Amazon Rainforest at the confluence of the Coca River and the Napo River (the smaller Payamino Riv ...
. These homelands—approximately 120 miles (190 km) wide and 75 to 100 miles (120 to 160 km) from north to south—are threatened by
oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...
exploration and
illegal logging Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase, or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a p ...
practices. In the past, Huaorani were able to protect their culture and lands from both
indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...
enemies and settlers by force of arms. In the last 40 years, they have shifted from a hunting and gathering society to living mostly in permanent forest settlements. As many as five communities—the
Tagaeri The Tagaeri are an eastern Waorani people living in Yasuni National Park, in the Ecuadorian Amazon Basin, named after one of their members, Tagae. Nearby Kichwa communities sometimes refer to them as Awashiri, or "high-ground people". They live ...
, the
Huiñatare The Waorani, Waodani, or Huaorani, also known as the Waos, are an Indigenous people from the Amazonian Region of Ecuador ( Napo, Orellana, and Pastaza Provinces) who have marked differences from other ethnic groups from Ecuador. The alternate ...
, the
Oñamenane The Waorani, Waodani, or Huaorani, also known as the Waos, are an Indigenous people from the Amazonian Region of Ecuador ( Napo, Orellana, and Pastaza Provinces) who have marked differences from other ethnic groups from Ecuador. The alternate ...
, and two groups of the
Taromenane The Taromenane are an uncontacted people living in Yasuni National Park, at the Ecuadorian Amazon Basin. Together with the Tagaeri they make up the two last known indigenous groups living in voluntary isolation in Ecuador. The clan is believed t ...
—have rejected all contact with the outside world and continue to move into more isolated areas.


Etymology

The word ' (plural of ' 'person') means 'humans' or 'men' in '. Before the mid 20th century, it included only those kin associated with the speaker. Others in the ethnic group were called ''Waodoni'', while outsiders were and are known by the derogatory term '. This structure duplicates the in-group/out-group naming conventions used by many peoples. It reflects a period of traumatic conflict with outsiders during the 19th and early 20th century
rubber boom The Amazon rubber cycle or boom (, ; , ) was an important part of the socioeconomic history of Brazil and Amazonian regions of neighboring countries, being related to the commercialization of rubber and the genocide of indigenous peoples. Cente ...
/
oil exploration Hydrocarbon exploration (or oil and gas exploration) is the search by petroleum geologists and geophysicists for hydrocarbon deposits, particularly petroleum and natural gas, in the Earth's crust using petroleum geology. Exploration methods V ...
. The name ' (or the alternative English spelling ''Waodani'') represents a transliteration by English-speaking
missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...
linguists Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds and equivalent gestures ...
. The phonetic equivalent used by Spanish-speakers is ' (reflecting the absence of ''w'' in Spanish spelling). The sounds represented by the English and Spanish letters ''d'' and ''r'' are
allophones In phonology, an allophone (; from the Greek , , 'other' and , , 'voice, sound') is one of multiple possible spoken soundsor '' phones''used to pronounce a single phoneme in a particular language. For example, in English, the voiceless plosi ...
in the
Waorani language The Waorani (''Huaorani'') language, commonly known as Sabela (also ''Wao, Huao, Auishiri, Aushiri, Ssabela'' ; autonym: Wao Terero; pejorative: ''Auka, Auca'') is a vulnerable language isolate spoken by the Waorani people, an indigenous grou ...
(also known as Sabela, Wao Terero, and pejoratively known as ''Auca'').


Tribal subgroups

The Waorani are subdivided into the Toñampare, Quenahueno, Tihueno, Quihuaro, Damuintaro, Zapino, Tigüino, Huamuno, Dayuno, Quehueruno, Garzacocha (río Yasuní), Quemperi (río Cononaco) Mima, Caruhue (río Cononaco) and
Tagaeri The Tagaeri are an eastern Waorani people living in Yasuni National Park, in the Ecuadorian Amazon Basin, named after one of their members, Tagae. Nearby Kichwa communities sometimes refer to them as Awashiri, or "high-ground people". They live ...
.


First encounter, as told by Scott Wallace

According to journalist Scott Wallace, American missionaries, led by Jim Elliot, attempted to contact the Waorani in the 1950s with airdropped gifts and visual messages. After establishing a visual relationship, they attempted to land a small airplane on a beach nearby and contact the tribe in person. Six Waorani tribesmen killed them with spears.


Culture


Worldview

In traditional
animist Animism (from meaning 'breath, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Animism perceives all things—animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, human handiwork, and in ...
Waorani worldview, there is no distinction between the physical and spiritual worlds, and spirits are present throughout the world. The Waorani once believed that the entire world was a forest (and used the same word, ', for both). The Oriente's rainforest remains the essential basis of their physical and cultural survival. For them, the forest is home, while the outside world is considered unsafe. In short, as one Waorani put it, "The rivers and trees are our life." In all its specificities, the forest is woven into each Waorani life and conceptions of the world. They have remarkably detailed knowledge of its geography and ecology. The Huaorani evolved to have very flat feet, which help them climb trees. Hunting supplies a major part of the Waorani diet and is of cultural significance. Before a hunting or fishing party ensues, the community
shaman Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...
will often pray for a day to ensure its success. Traditionally, the creatures hunted were
monkey Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes. Thus monkeys, in that sense, co ...
s, birds, and wild
peccaries Peccaries (also javelinas or skunk pigs) are pig-like ungulates of the family Tayassuidae (New World pigs). They are found throughout Central and South America, Trinidad in the Caribbean, and in the southwestern area of North America. Peccari ...
, as there was an extensive collection of hunting and eating taboos, for example prohibiting the consumption of
deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...
, on the grounds that deer eyes look similar to human eyes. Neither land-based predators nor birds of prey are hunted. While a joyful activity, hunting has ethical ramifications: "The Guarani aoranimust kill animals to live, but they believed dead animal spirits live on and must be placated or else do harm in angry retribution." To counterbalance the offense of hunting, a shaman demonstrated respect through the ritual preparation of the poison, ''
curare Curare ( or ; or ) is a common name for various alkaloid arrow poisons originating from plant extracts. Used as a paralyzing agent by indigenous peoples in Central and South America for hunting and for therapeutic purposes, curare only ...
'', used in blow darts. Hunting with such darts is not considered killing, but retrieving, essentially a kind of harvesting from the trees. Plants, especially trees, continue to hold an important interest for the Waorani. Their store of botanical knowledge is extensive, ranging from knowledge of materials to
poison A poison is any chemical substance that is harmful or lethal to living organisms. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figurati ...
s to
hallucinogen Hallucinogens, also known as psychedelics, entheogens, or historically as psychotomimetics, are a large and diverse class of psychoactive drugs that can produce altered states of consciousness characterized by major alterations in thought, mo ...
s to medicines. They also relate plants to their own experiences, particularly that of growing. Certain kinds of tree are considered
auspicious Auspicious is a word derived from Latin originally pertaining to the taking of 'Augury, auspices' by an augur of ancient Rome. It may refer to: * Luck, the phenomenon and belief that defines the experience of improbable positive or negative events ...
by the Waorani. Canopy trees, with their distinctly colored young leaves and striking transformation as they mature to towering giants, are "admired for their solitary character... as well as for their profuse entanglement" with other plants. Other significant trees are the pioneer species of the
peach palm ''Bactris gasipaes'' is a species of palm native to the tropical forests of Central and South America. It is well spread in these regions, where it is often cultivated by smallholders in agroforestry systems or more rarely, in monoculture. Com ...
(used for making spears and blowguns, as well as for fruit), and fast-growing
balsa ''Ochroma pyramidale'', commonly known as balsa, is a large, fast-growing tree native to the Americas. It is the sole member of the genus ''Ochroma'', and is classified in the subfamily Bombacoideae of the mallow family Malvaceae. The tree is fa ...
wood, used for ceremonial purposes. Peach palm trees are associated with past settlements and the ancestors who live there. Shamanic
ethnomedicine Ethnomedicine is a study or comparison of the traditional medicine based on bioactive compounds in plants and animals and practiced by various ethnic groups, especially those with little access to western medicines, e.g., indigenous peoples. The ...
uses the
ayahuasca AyahuascaPronounced as in the UK and in the US. Also occasionally known in English as ''ayaguasca'' (Spanish-derived), ''aioasca'' (Brazilian Portuguese-derived), or as ''yagé'', pronounced or . Etymologically, all forms but ''yagé'' descen ...
beverage and a newly identified mushroom ( ''Dictyonema huaorani'') with the analogous substance of
Psilocybe ''Psilocybe'' ( ) is a genus of gilled mushrooms, growing worldwide, in the family Hymenogastraceae. Many species contain the Psychedelic drug, psychedelic compounds psilocybin and psilocin. Taxonomy Taxonomic history A 2002 study of the ...
genus. As with many peoples, the Waorani maintain a strong in-group/out-group distinction, between ' (people who are kin), ' (others in their culture who are unrelated) and '. The use of Waorani as a term for their entire culture emerged in the last fifty years in a process of
ethnogenesis Ethnogenesis (; ) is the formation and development of an ethnic group. This can originate by group self-identification or by outside identification. The term ''ethnogenesis'' was originally a mid-19th-century neologism that was later introduce ...
. This was accelerated by the creation of ONHAE, a radio service, and a soccer league. The Waorani notion of time is particularly oriented to the present, with few obligations extending backwards or forwards in time. Their one word for future times, ', also means 'tomorrow'.


Weapons

The main hunting weapon is the
blowgun A blowgun (also called a blowpipe or blow tube) is a simple ranged weapon consisting of a long narrow tube for shooting light projectiles such as darts. It operates by having the projectile placed inside the pipe and using the force created by ...
. These weapons are typically from 3 to 4 meters long. The arrows used are dipped in
curare Curare ( or ; or ) is a common name for various alkaloid arrow poisons originating from plant extracts. Used as a paralyzing agent by indigenous peoples in Central and South America for hunting and for therapeutic purposes, curare only ...
poison, which paralyzes the muscles of the animal with which it is hit, so that it cannot breathe. Kapok fluff is used to create an air-tight seal, by twisting the fibers around the end of the dart or arrow. With the introduction of Western technology in the 20th century, many Waorani now use rifles for hunting.


Land rights

In 1990, the Waorani won the rights to the Waorani Ethnic Reserve, constituting . The protected status of
Yasuní National Park Yasuní National Park () is a protected area comprising roughly between the Napo River, Napo and Curaray Rivers in Pastaza Province, Pastaza and Orellana Province, Orellana Provinces within Amazon basin, Amazonian Ecuador. The national park lie ...
, which overlaps with the Waorani reserve, provides some measure of environmental protection. In August 2023, Ecuadorians approved a referendum to stop oil drilling in the Park.


See also

* '' Beyond the Gates of Splendor'', 2005 documentary. * List of Waorani people *
Operation Auca Operation Auca was an attempt by five Evangelicalism, Evangelical Christianity, Christian missionary, missionaries from the United States to bring Christianity to the Waorani people, Waorani or Huaorani people of the Amazon Rain forest, rain for ...
* Steve Saint


References


Literature

* * Man, John (1982). ''Jungle Nomads of Ecuador: The Waorani. ''Time-Life Books. ISBN 7054 07047 * . * . * * . * . * * Lawrence Ziegler-Otero ( 2004), ''Resistance in an Amazonian Community; Huaorani Organizing against the Global Economy''. Berghahn Books, New York,


External links

* . A film about the missionaries who were killed by the Waodani.
Acclaimed documentary about the Huaorani community near Yasuni.
{{Authority control Ethnic groups in Ecuador Uncontacted peoples in the Amazon