Tagaeri territory
Second night in the jungle. After having spend the first night at Gaba´s community, Yunemo, this night we are camping at some abstract sandy river beach in the very middle of nowhere. When night fell at 6.30pm sharp, we were still a few hours from Bameno, and with the river being so low, it would have been close to impossible navigating at night, even with a spotlight.
I was sure I´d lie awake for a long time, maybe feeling lost in the middle of the jungle… it took me exactly 5 minutes to fall asleep, and I woke up with daylight. I felt that the jungle night sounds and warm climate wrapped itself around me like a fluffy blanket, and I couldn´t find any feeling of being scared anywhere inside me, although I checked for a moment.
However, I was relieved that we had left the Tagaeri zone behind us in the afternoon. Differently from the rest of the Waorani families the Tagaeri and Taromenane tribes reject any contact with civilization, and have implemented this rejection by spearing intruders (mostly loggers transporting off some exotic woods) over the last 15 years. A year or two ago, they allegedly killed a Quichua settler that had built his house in the Amortization Zone, a strip that separates the accessible lands around from the Untouchable Zone declared as such to exclude any oil exploration. While travelling through the zone, Penti´s wife observed the shore and pointed out several times what I understood (or assumed?) to be traces of humans approaching the river from the woods.
When we travelled through the zone, Numa pointed out a pretty beach sand beach shaded by trees in a river curve, and told us that this was one place in the zone where travelers were able to camp overnight. I didn´t like the thought too much.
Days later, when we were planning the return to Coca with Numa, I was worried based on the timing on the way to Bameno that we might not make it through the Tagaeri zone on the first travel day. Numa assured that there was nothing to worry, since the river was higher and we would be able to go much faster. And then he said, Uta, these are people living so close to nature, don´t you think that they will be able to tell whether you come with bad intentions or not? I found that this was a very interesting thought. And beautiful.
I asked Penti how many people he thinks were living like this in this zone. He said, maybe 20 families (I understand that a family usually consists of 10 to 30 individuals). Numa thinks that this is widely overstated. Widely optimistic. He thinks that there might be the possibility that there are very few left. This is a sad thought.
I mentioned to Penti that I was impressed that in his public interviews (that I found on Youtube) he was so protective of the Tagaeri. He emphasizes that the Tagaeri chose not to be in contact with civilization as a means of protection of the integrity (environmental, agricultural, cultural) of their territory, and that their wish should be respected. I asked him if he had every met or spotted a Tagaeri in his life. He said no. He said that his father and uncle had a long time ago. He cannot be convinced to go into details.