Yagua Indians

The Yagua Indian culture is facing extinction. The younger generations are no longer interested in living in grass huts in the middle of the Amazon, like the elders do. Their dialect is being given up, in favor of the universal Spanish, and soon no one will ever remember they existed. This is the reason Bean and I were so adamant about visiting this soon-to-be-lost world, while we still could.

We took a short speedboat ride to an isolated island in the middle of the Amazon river, and walked about 5 minutes through the jungle. On the way, our guide painted our faces, using the bright red seeds of a local spiky fruit. With our new warrior stripes, we would blend more easily with the Yaguas... or as easily as could be expected from two glaring Gringas.

Suddenly the trees parted, and there was a grass hut taller than a one story house in the clearing. We saw several grass-skirted, be-headdressed men milling around, accompanied by bare-breasted women. I felt like an explorer that had just stumbled upon a new and untouched civilization. Which wasn´t too far from the truth, actually.

While we were there, the Indians danced for us, and we danced for them. They also taught us to use their blowguns, which measured about five feet long (making them about as tall as we are). Incidentally, I have quite the latent talent for blow gunning. My darts were the most accurate on the target! If I ever get stuck in the Amazon with a blowgun, I will surely eat like a king.

It is always a traveler's goal to have an unfiltered, authentic native experience, whether you´re in Dutch Pennsylvania, or deep in the Amazon river bed. I can say with satisfaction that Bean and I accomplished this goal, and the influence of our interaction with the Yagua Indians will stay with us, long after the bright red berry washes off our faces.