I stay a lot in the City of Punchana, which is the capital of the Punchana District in the Maynas Province of the Loreto Region in northeastern Peru. It is in the Peruvian Amazon Jungle, and is a neighborhood on the outskirts of the city of Iquitos, Peru located on the fork of the Amazon and the Nanay Rivers. The house I stay in is typical of native homes. It is a large open building as most native houses are, except that smaller rooms had been made by using woven palm frond dividers to separate the open space. The front door opened into a small room. Straight ahead of the front door a divider opened into a small front bedroom. The open doorway was private-ed only by a hanging bed sheet. A second opening to the right of this doorway led directly into a rather large living room area that made up the main part of the house. This room and the kitchen area were continuous all running together. A small propane powered stove set against the south wall of the kitchen area.
A long wooden hand made table along with a half dozen small white four legged stools sat a little off center of the east edge of the room. A five gallon bucket full of clean water and a large blue plastic bowl used to wash dishes in sat atop a small wooden table. This room also was divided by a palm frond divider. Two beds one facing the other along with a box that was used for storing clothes were the only furnishings. Large gossamer mosquito tents, liken to cobwebs hung from bamboo stringers over each bed. Outside of this small bedroom used by the two youngest boys in the family, a structure with three single shelves set against one wall of the kitchen area. It held a half dozen mismatched plates, a conflicting array of drinking glasses, and at least one fork, knife and spoon for each member of the family. Guest were always given the best of the eating utensils with younger members of the family having to eat later.
A single step carved from the hard red clay of the floor led up to the split level of the back room and to the back door. The back room was also a bed room with one bed against the north wall of the house. The divider for this room was made from a combination of palm fronds, and split wooden slats tightly woven between thin wooden sticks. This room also was divided from the main house by a single cloth door that hung across its opening. A back door led onto a back porch where a well worn wooden bench had been attached to the back house that was made of saw lumber or slat boards.
A couple of wash basins and a bar of soap set atop the crude wooden shelf. Tooth brushes hung from nails hammered into the wall. Clean water captured from rain water that was directed off the tin roof of the house was captured in a rusting 55 gallon barrel. This water was used for washing ones hands, face, or for taking a standing bath so to say. I always found pouring water over you body with a dipper from the barrel more than stimulating. For some reason the water always seemed to be icy cold for that moment of shock. There was no indoor sanitary plumbing as a well worn path lead out across the back yard led to a small, falling down hovel that was served as an outhouse.
Entering the house I had shouted out for Mama, whom I hope was home. I used the most endearing term for Mother which is "Mamita." My adopted mother answered in Spanish indicating that she was in the kitchen area. Making my way back to the table I saw my mother and an older man seated around the table. A younger man around twenty four or twenty five years old, and a younger woman in her late teens or early twenties stood to one side. A small stainless steel frying pan set atop the propane stove's open flame; a piece of chicken sizzling in the pan along with some rice that I assumed had been left over from breakfast.
Mamita introduced the older man to me, but not the two younger people. The man was a Shaman or Medicine man from the small city of Requena which was about 130 miles down the Amazon river from Iquitos. The woman told me that he was her true father and had come to visit for the day. I had heard of him numerous times, but I had never met the old gentleman. I spoke to him and was surprised that he knew who I was. He was a short stocky man of medium weight and I amazed how young he looked, and that he had such a full head of curly dark salt and pepper colored hair. He wore a pair of long pants, a checked blue and white short sleeve shirt, sandals, and a number of necklaces around his neck. The necklaces were made up of beads, teeth, plant seeds, and a few assorted feathers. My adopted mother said he had taught her all she knew of plant medicines and the healing effects of the rainforest. Mamita, was known in the community as a “Bruja” (brew-ha) or witch. This is not a bad name as she processes powers that I sometime find hard to explain. She has a vast knowledge of leaves, plants, trees, and other medicinal herbs that abound in the jungle. I explained that I was very pleased to meet her father and excused myself and went into the back bedroom where I slept, and got four inexpensive pocket knives from my suitcase. Entering the kitchen once more I sat down at the table across from her father. I knew her father's last name was “Agulia” in Spanish which meant “Eagle” in English. One of the knives had an eagle printed on the plastic handle scales. The knives were single bladed folding pocket knives that were made in China. I asked him if he wanted one of the knives and he immediately picked the folder with the eagle on the handle. I smiled and asked him if he wanted the other three knives as gift to give to someone else. His face brightened and he immediately handled one each to the two young people stand near the table. He thanked me and put the fourth folding knife into his pocket. We talked some more, and I send the youngest of my adopted brothers to a small nearby store for some Inca Kola to drink.
The old man ate the chicken and rice and listened to the conversation, nodding occasionally. The evening came quick as we continued to discuss things of the jungle, where his family had come from originally and what tribe he belonged to. He told me that he was from a tribe that called themselves, Colombians.
Before he left for the night I saw him talking to my mother. Walking over to me he said he had a gift for me, but needed to warn me of the powers of the gift he was giving me. He reach up and removed a necklace from his neck that had five most unusable teeth strung on a long green and black woven cord. He placed the cord around my neck with the five strange teeth strung on it much to the amazement of the his two young protegees that were traveling with him. My mother put her hand to her mouth in what I saw as an act of surprise as he stepped back. His instructions on wearing the necklace of pink dolphin teeth was solemn, and straightforward. He turned toward his daughter and quickly admonished her to impress on me the gravity of this talisman that hung around my neck, and left the house with the others.
A few minutes had passed before I removed the necklace and looked at the teeth strung on the cord. They reminded me of jaw teeth from a dog or coyote, but more delicate.
My mother was looking at them when another much younger woman who was my adopted mother's niece, walked in. She came to the table spoke to her aunt, and reached over and pecked me a kiss on the cheek. Asking what was going on my mother explained what had transpired in the few hours before, and then explained that her father had given me a set of pink dolphin teeth strung on a necklace. The young woman who was twenty-seven years old became very nervous and began speaking rapidly in Spanish to her aunt. I was only able to catch a few of the words such as 'peligrosos and mortales ' which means 'dangerous and deadly' in English. The two women sat across the table from me, and said that only a person who were very strong referring to their magical or spiritual powers such as that of the old man who was known as a powerful shaman could wear the necklace all the time. They related that he had told them that I could not wear the necklace when I slept as the spirit that was in the necklace would kill me. I smiled broadly and laughed slightly at their wild story. Both women became very serious and concerned about my attitude.
"Do not go to sleep with the necklace on, my son.” Molina said her voice tense with emotion.
“Please, do not go to sleep with the necklace on,” the young girl I had been dating begged. “It is very powerful medicine and you do not understand, it will kill you if you go to sleep with it around your neck.”
I shook my head and muttered something about the fact that I would remove the necklace before I went to bed. Thinking back I believe I made that promise more to placate their superstition than anything else. It darkened out side and the three of us hopped in a three-wheeled moto-cart taxi and made our way down town where we ate dinner. It was a nice evening, late summer, hot, humid, and oh so romantic along the promenade that laced itself along the river front. We stopped at a small restaurant whose chairs and tables flowed out onto the white marble walkway. The breeze off the Amazon River was refreshing, the beer was cold, and Mamita's niece who was my girl friend kept telling me what a great kisser I was. Life was good. What more could one ask for?
Making our way back home, I explained that I was tired and that I was going too go to bed. My bed was in the back of the house just before you went out to the back porch. I had purchased an electric pole mounted fan a few years before, and my mother always saw to it that it was in my room when I slept. The heat and humidity of the Amazon Rain Forest is like none other in the world. I love it, but I have never really gotten used to it. The two women were in the front bedroom, laying on the bed watching television, both of the boys were gone. I lay down stripped to my sleeping shorts, pulled the mosquito netting over my bed and tucked the loose edges under my mattress. The fan moved the silken sheets of finely woven cotton in repetitive folds like a flag in a breeze.
I do not know how long I had been asleep, but slowly I began to dream of darkness. It was if I was paralyzed as I watched a boiling cloud of black soot form above my bed. I could see my body lying on the mattress and I could feel something in the room with me. When I turned to see what was behind me it was if I were slammed back into my body. There was something tightening, chocking me every so slowly like a snake coiling around my neck and chest. It constricted every so tightly around my neck. I tried to call out, to scream out for help. In my mind I know I am dreaming, or I think I am dreaming but I can not wake up, I can not lift myself from the mattress. Something heavy, powerful, terrifying was pushing me into the mattress and squeezing the life from my chest. My heart began to burn, I felt hot, sweat poured from my every pore soaking the sheet and mattress I lay on. Terrified at what was happening, once more I tried to shout out. I knew I was yelling, but I could not hear my voice. I was becoming desperate for a breath, I thrash about before feeling the tightness around my neck loosen so very slightly. A moment seemed to lapse before it began to crush me once more. That split instant was all I needed. I scream I think, or maybe I cried out in udder anguish for something, someone, anyone to help me.
I began to fade in and out, as breathing became difficult; I heard voices shouting. It was the voices of women, wailing, screaming out to someone, or something. Then I felt their hands on my body as they clawed and pulled at my arms that crossed my chest as I clenched my hands around my neck. Pulling my hands down from my throat my mother grabbed the cord that hung loosely around my neck and pulled, breaking the cord that held the teeth. The necklace gave way from around my head, and instantly I was awake, gasping for a breath. I was confused as what was happening, but I could breath and it felt good as I pushed my self up on one elbow. It was then I realized how truly wet the sheets, mattress, and my body were from perpetration.
My mother and my girl friend were both shouting at me. Molina held the necklace in her hand, shaking it wildly at me all the time speaking in Spanish so rapidly I could not understand. My girl friend also joined in on the Newt bashing as she also seemed to be repeating some of the same rhetorical. The Spanish word 'idiota' seemed to be thrown around quite loosely I thought in more than one sentence.
“I told you to not too go to sleep with this necklace on,” Mamita said her eyes wear tear full. “It will kill you my son.” She continued in a harsh voice before turning and leaving the room with the necklace.
My girl friend had gotten a wash cloth and began to wipe the cool damp cloth over my forehead and chest cooling me down. Once I was calm and cooled down she crawled under the mosquito net with me and I whispered, “thank you,” before giving her a kiss.
She spoke only one word. “Rico.”
Newt Livesay
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