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Let ikitos.com be your guide to the
Amazon Rainforest’s best kept secret! |
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Myths and
legends guarded by Peru’s Amazon Rainforest
Page 3
Surrounded by nothing but dense forest
and male colleagues for weeks, one can imagine their longing for little
female contact. Many have reported that they saw beautiful women singing to
them from the opposite shore, trying to lure them to the other side of the
river. Some couldn’t resist and drowned in the river’s swift
currents. The one’s who withstood the attraction told us this tale. During the rubber boom at the
beginning of the 20th century, legends also tell of lonely and desperate men
who trapped pink dolphins living in these rivers and lakes, and made love to
them. This would then transform the men into male sirens who went to live
with the dolphins in the depths of the river. This is said to be the reason
why numerous rubber extractors simply disappeared and their bodies were never
found.
This little
creature known as Chullachaqui is also there to protect the rainforest. He is
a farmer, and if you come across a clearing in the forest, you might be
standing on one of Chullachaqui’s farms known as “chacras”.
If you return to the same place months later, you will find that it is still
a clear area, as if someone had been weeding it and took care of it. Chullachaqui
is said to have a very unique appearance: a tiny midget-like man that leaves
a peculiar trace. Those who have seen his tracks say he has a tiny left foot
and his right side leaves a round hole behind, apparently the mark of a
wooden leg. When he appears out of nowhere, it is often to confuse you, he
could be calling you, you will barely get a glimpse of him every now and
then, so you keep following him. And when you realize that you’ve lost
his trail, you are utterly and completely lost in the dense forest. A farmer told me
this story about an encounter he had with Chullachaqui one night: “I
was on my way back from a hunting trip. It was about 9 o’clock at night,
it was dark, and this is a dangerous time to be in the jungle since it also
marks the time when animals like snakes and tigers begin their own hunt for
prey. I was moving as fast as I could. It was then when I heard someone call
my name. It startled me and I held my lantern in the direction from where I
had heard the voice. There it was: a small, sturdy little person walking away
from me. Because of the darkness and the distance I couldn’t see him
very well. At first I
thought it was my neighbor playing a joke on me, so I called out his name and
started following him. He moved very fast ans brisk for a little fella that
he was and I had a hart time keeping up with him. I told him to slow down,
still thinking it could be my neighbor, and I kept running after him as fast
as I could. This went on for some time when suddenly I stumbled over
something and brought me to my knees. I looked down for a moment trying to
find out what it was. When I raised my head again, the creature was gone. Not
a sound, not a trace, gone. It seems as if he had fallen off the face of the
earth. Then it dawned on me: I just had an encounter with Chullachaqui.”
All creatures in
these myths have one thing in common: They are there to protect flora and
fauna of the rainforest from mankind’s harm and exploitation. Whether
you believe in these myths or not, they teach us to respect and care for the
mighty jungle, and if we do so, it will continue sharing its benevolent
powers with us. Don’t forget that the rainforest filters the
world’s polluted air, and it is one of the most important parts of the
world’s ecosystem. Thus it is our responsibility to listen to the
message of these creatures and protect the “lungs of the planet”. (Text by Elise van
der Heijden. Reprinted from Journal Peru without any kind of permission) |
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