I’m going to tell you a story
that my grandmother told to me:
In ancient times, there was a terrible drought. The heat was intense, the water became thick and fetid, and fish washed up dead along the riverbanks. At night, you could hear the aquatic beings calling out for help.
The screams of these beings eventually reached Oko.
Oko was a young woman with black hair, brown eyes like the spots of a jaguar, and skin like a snake. She was drinking yagé (ayahuasca) with her grandmother, the last shaman of the community.
Suddenly, a spiritual vision arrived. A flash of light illuminated Oko’s face to guide her forward. Her ancestors—the Siona, Siekopai, and A’i Cofán—formed a circle around her.
That same day, Oko told her grandmother that she was setting out to find the Great Ceiba tree.
Oko journeyed through the jungle, cutting vines to collect water. Along the way, she found bush meat, cassava, and firewood, all left for her by the invisible beings who always walked ahead of her.
At first, she was afraid whenever she heard their footsteps and voices, but with time, she became accustomed to their presence.
Whenever Oko came across a ceiba tree, she cut a branch with her axe. Yet, after weeks of walking in the scorching heat, she still hadn’t found the Great Ceiba. Doubts began to creep into Oko’s heart.
Suddenly, Oko looked up and saw the Great Ceiba tree before her, with a torrent of water rising through its trunk and branches. The most beautiful fish swam inside of it, as birds soared above.
Oko tried to cut down the tree with her axe, but the trunk was too thick and strong. So, she called upon the jungle animals to see who might bring it down. The deer, the macaws, the woodpeckers, and the peccaries all tried, but none succeeded.
Finally, a group of squirrels appeared. Known for their ability to climb trees and move quickly, they scaled the mighty tree. At the top, they cut the thin vine that was the only thing holding the tree to the sky.
When the tree fell with a tremendous crash, the Amazon River was formed, and from its branches flowed the Aguarico and Napo rivers.
The aquatic beings returned to the rivers, along with all the fish and water creatures.
Then Oko dove into the Aguarico and became its guardian.
Project creators:
Aneth Lusitande · Daris Payaguaje · Michelle Gachet · Magdalena Quenamá · Morelia Mendúa
Project tutor (ECO/24):
Gisela Volá
Narrative consulting:
Ángela Arboleda
Recording:
Crash estudio
Video and audio editing:
Michelle Gachet
Web design:
Monica Aranda · Omar T. Bobadilla
Edited by
Allison Keeley · Monica Aranda
We would like to express our deepest gratitude to:
Daris Payaguaj’s family
Magdalena Quenamá’s family and the A’i Cofán Dureno community
Lexie Grooper and Luis Muñoz
Daniela Santander and her great fig tree
This project is a beneficiary of ECO/24.
