The story of Tunchi

This is the story of Tunchi. He was not a person. He never thought about doing anything good, only bad things. He spent his life drying out trees. He was simply told “you are going dry out this tree”, so he did. He would blow hard and that tree would dry out. In just a few minutes he could dry a tree. People wanted to know if he did whatever children or anyone asked him to do and so they approached him. However, the oldest members of the community, who knew the importance of the trees for everyone, said to him that what he did was wrong and asked him not to do it because then it could damage him. 

Then he answered that he was not the one doing it, it was Tunchi, the strong Tunchi who no one could dominate, and he added that Tunchi was a man. People began to be afraid of him because in addition to drying out trees he also began to dry out people. It is said that he would say: “I´m going to dry out this person”, and then he would blow until that person would dry out and stand still for a few minutes. People said the Tunchi just lived for wickedness

He dried out so many trees that the people met with the oldest people to find out how to stop him, because shade was becoming scarce, the water springs which surrounded the community were drying up. The nights were everlasting while the oldest people went through their memories and remembered what their grandparents, great grandparents and their ancestors had taught them. After many nights of thinking, the oldest member of the group, Manu, told the rest that his ancestor´s memory had told him what they could do. 

Everybody worked on the grandfather Manu´s plan, which was to make a huge tree which covered the whole territory. As they were doing it they filled it with a lot of stones. When the tree was ready, Tunchi could be challenged. At the moment of seeing it, he asked if dried or cut down the tree. To show that he could keep his word, he took an axe and started to work. However, those people hadn´t only filled the trunk with big stones, they had also recited a prayer to the big tree. Tunchi, who didn´t give up, worked until he managed to create a hole in the trunk, which he climbed into and continued cutting the big tree with his axe until the it fell down.

From the fallen tree a red liquid started to pour out. The liquid became a blood-red river and Tunchi got a severe cough. He coughed and coughed many times. People whispered that as the trees were drying out he was going to get dry out as well. Since Tunchi couldn’t stop coughing, he began to lose weight and his body dried up because the cough didn´t let him drink or eat. Whenever he had something to eat or drink he brought it back up. The same thing happened to him and the trees, they both started drying out. When he saw himself, he began to give advice and asked the people to never dry or cut down trees because since it had happened to him, it could also happen to them, to die dried out like the trees that he had blown on. When he didn´t have anything to say, it is said that he cried and gave them some good advice. He said to the children that they had to obey the words of their ancestors and learn that wide and ancient trees are untouchable, and they must be respected. He also asked them to grow more trees instead of cutting them down. Lastly, he reminded the people that it was because he didn´t hear his elders voices that he was dying like that. Ít is also said that he dried out just like he had dried out many trees.

CUENTOS DE LA LUNA LLENA, TRADICIÓN ORAL YUKPA Y WIWA DE LA SERRANÍA DEL PERIJÁ, VILMA GÓMEZ PAVA

NARRADOR: MANUEL MALO

TRADUCCIÓN ANA ELVIA NIEVES

TRADUCCIÓN AL INGLÉS: EDER GIOVANNI GARCÍA RINCÓN

RTADUCCIÓN AL FRANCÉS: ADRIAN FELIPE QUEZADA

RESGUARDO WIWA: CAMPOALEGRE

LUGAR: RIVERA DEL MARACAS

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