Dugout Canoes: How They’re Made & Their History
11 janvier 2019
Catching up with pygmy marmosets
8 mars 2019The idea of “survival of the fittest” has ties to Darwin’s famous visit to the Galapagos Islands, so it seems natural that indigenous communities in mainland Ecuador still demonstrate this fitness of survival in their daily lives.
Happily removed from the breakneck pace of modern society, many indigenous groups that live in the depths of the Amazon rainforest have preserved their ancient ways for centuries. One of the most important practices for these communities is hunting. Where large-scale farming is impossible in the dense undergrowth of the jungle, and raising animals is equally impractical, the communities must rely heavily on hunting to provide food. But what weapons do they use?
That’s where blow guns and poison darts come in! Combining both precision and potency, these ancient weapons are vital to their way of life. From a young age, the hunters in these indigenous communities begin honing their skills, so that by the time they are adults they have deadly aim for even the most agile, small targets high in the upper branches of the rainforest.
So what poison do they use for their blow gun darts? Curare is the most common poison for darts, extracted from vines by the same name. This poison is highly effective and works almost immediately, paralyzing all of the muscles, eventually leading to the animal’s suffocation when its respiratory muscles become paralyzed. The blowgun itself is handcrafted, usually from palm stems. It will usually be between one and two feet long.
What else is do indigenous communities eat? Fish, fruit, and vegetables complement the food that is hunted in the Amazon. The produce is either gathered from the forest or it may be grown in small community gardens. There are various methods of fishing as well, some of which do employ the use of poison arrows.
When you visit Sacha Lodge, you might have an opportunity to try out the blow guns for yourself! A community visit to the local indigenous groups are exciting parts of any Sacha Lodge itinerary. While you’re visiting the community, you will learn about and even participate in the traditional ways of life, including cooking, ceremonies and rituals, and of course, practice using a blow gun.
