The Amazonian Kichwas have incorporated in their culture a wide range of stories, myths, legends, and tales as part of their cosmovision, in which the contact with nature allows them to inspire situations, moments, and beliefs similar to the Western world; such is the case of the full moon with a bird called Mother Moon as important actors in the game of love in the jungle.
The Moon
The full moon is majestic in the Amazon, especially when it is placed behind the forest, allowing us to appreciate the irregular silhouette of the trees, whose scene has inspired many to draw a painting with the greatest possible detail. It plays an important role in the dynamics of the forest, lakes, lagoons, and rivers, including all organisms composed of water; that´s why the local people, guided by their ancestral knowledge, cut down the trees in the first spring when moths are not active to parasite the timber.
WHO IS MOTHER MOON
Mother Moon is a bird known as Common Potoo that feeds mainly on insects. Its nocturnal habits shred this protagonist in total mystery. In the morning, while resting, it usually perches on a broken palm tree whose cryptic colors are perfectly camouflaged with the bark of the host. Moreover, the assemblage is so perfect that it chooses a trunk with a diameter similar to its own body to go unnoticed before the eyes of its predators.
LOVE STORY
The full moon plays an important role in dealing with myths and stories in different cultures. One of the best-known tales in Western civilization is the tale of the Werewolf, while in the Amazon, the most popular is Mother Moon. During the full moon, the male produces a melancholic vocalisation, something like bouu ouu ouu ouu, which has inspired a love story.
The story mentions that the two neighboring families had a very good relationship; their children used to play together after school for as long as one day, and a land dispute came with their parents, who strictly forbade personal relations. The boys naively ignored the instructions, so they shared their time in their absence, and as expected, Cupid showed up in the hearts of two teenagers who knew perfectly well that their parents would never approve of the relationship.
THE END?
One day the couple while walking through the forest did not notice that the girl’s father was coming along the road after visiting some relatives. When he caught them holding their hands, he warned them that if they met again he would take the girl to the city and they would never see each other again.
WISHES FULFILLED
The kids, very much in love, sent letters to each other with their younger brothers until they decided to seal their endless love with a visit to the shaman, asking him to turn them into beings that would never take apart. Once their wishes were fulfilled, both were turned into a moon and a mother moon. That is why every night of the full moon, she gazes at her beloved, and he sings to his beloved Bou- ouu- ouu- ouu, in human language, ‘ I – love – you- ouu’.bird
Comments