Ñane Ramoy Jusú, our grandfather

(Luís Arce), Paí Tavytera village, Paraguay.

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In the beginning, only Jasuka existed. It was a vital energy, a source, a breath, an explosion. Jasuka could be perceived as a mist. And so it is, for at the beginning of the day, mist covers everything. Then, Ñane Ramoy Jusú fed from Jasuka's breasts, nourished by this primal energy. Thus was born Nande Ro, our father. Our grandfather. The Creator.

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Arasy, mother of the Sky

(Julia Villalba), Mbya Guaraní People, Paraguay

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She is the wife of Tupa and dwells on the moon. She created the first woman, Sypave, in her own image and gave her guava as a gift. She created nature, the jungle, and all living beings. From her heavenly abode, she supervises and protects the cycles of all creatures. Goddess of fertility and abundance, she is invoked to protect crops and generate food for all.

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Tamoi Jusú Papa, the first god

(Ignacio Vargas Kandyju Avante), Paí Tavyterá Village, Paraguay.

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Tamoi Jusú Papa created himself at the first dawn. He was born from an egg floating in the middle of the Parary—the eternal sea where the deceased now go. They say he was born an adult, dressed in his headband and all his clothes and ritual objects. He was also born with all knowledge, which is why he created the jungle and all the animals.

After four days—which were years—Tamoi Paparei, the first white man, was born, and with him he created the animals of the white people, which are relatives of those in the jungle: the cow, from the tapir; the dog, from the maned wolf; the chickens, from the turkeys; the goats, from the deer, etc.

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Jari Jusukuarendy, the first mother.

(Grelia Natalia Panós), Paí Tavytera People, Paraguay

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Jari Jusukuarendi was created so that the first man would not be alone. She was his companion, and her presence complemented Creation. In addition to accompanying the first father and procreating the first humans, she developed the activities that women inherited culturally: planting, weaving hammocks, making crafts, and playing the Takuapú: "The instrument made from a hollowed-out bamboo trunk, originally only playable by women. It is endowed with a clear symbolism referring to sexual union and fertilization. The takuapú is associated as a feature, forming part of ceremonies with dances and songs. In these ritual events of the Guaraní religion, women accompany the singing of verses with the tacuapú, while men do so with the mbaraká (maraca). The rhythm of the tacuaras provides the beat for the rhythmic movements, as the dancers sway their bodies in an embellishing, strengthening choreography. They maintain a joy that celebrates and objectifies healthy living conditions on earth. The presence of the female group is indispensable in the collective ceremonial performance of the takuapúes.

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Rupavẽ, the father of all

(Marcial Gómez), Mbyá Guaraní people, Paraguay.

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Tupá and Arasy created the first human couple from a mixture of clay, aguaitacaminos blood, and sacred herbs, which they soaked in the waters of a spring near Lake Ypakaraí. With this mixture, they made statues that they dried in the sun. Arasy spoke: “Woman, who was born from me in my likeness, I give you the name Sypavẽ (mother of all). To the man, Tupã said: ”I give you the name Rupavẽ (father of all). Tupã gave them advice so that they would live in love and be able to procreate peacefully. He gave Rupavẽ mbokaja (coyol palm: Acrocomia aculeata), and Arasy gave Sypavẽ the fruit of the arasa (guava: Psidium guajava).

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Jasy Jateré, the Goblin

(Marcial Gómez), Mbyá Guaraní People, Paraguay.

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The Jasy Jateré (“Fragment of the Moon” in Guaraní) is a kind of goblin or spirit in Guaraní culture. It does not let anyone see its face. According to some legends, it has the ability to turn into a bird, a floating log, or inert objects. Its primary role is to care for nature and wild animals. It becomes extremely angry if a hunter kills more prey than he will consume. If this happens, it transforms itself into any animal or plant and uses tricks to lure the offender deep into the forest where he gets lost.

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Mbói Tuí, the Great Serpent

(Roberto Gómez), Mbya Guaraní People, Paraguay

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Legend has it that, at the beginning of time, a huge serpent inhabited the Iguazú River, one of the cursed children of Taú and Keraná who represent the seven evils that torment human beings (fear, pain, crying, illness, hunger, thirst, and death). His name was Mboí Tuí, and he was the protector of the waters and the creatures that live in them.  Once a year, the local inhabitants had to sacrifice a beautiful maiden and offer her to Mboí by throwing her into the river, which at that time flowed gently. All the Guaraní tribes, even the most distant ones, were invited to the ceremony. Thus, a young chief named Tarobá arrived at the head of his tribe.

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When he met Naipí, the beautiful maiden who was to be sacrificed that year, he rebelled against the elders of the tribe and tried in vain to convince them not to sacrifice Naipí. Faced with the elders' refusal and in order to save his love from such a cruel fate, he decided to kidnap her. The night before the sacrifice, he carried Naipí into his canoe and tried to escape down the river. But Mboí, who had found out about this, became furious, and his fury was such that, bending his back, he split the course of the river, forming the Falls and trapping Tarobá and Naipí.

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Covered by the waters, the boat and the fugitives fell from a great height, disappearing forever. But Mboí, fearing that the young lovers' love would unite them in the afterlife, decided to separate them forever. Naipí was transformed into one of the central rocks of the falls, perpetually punished by the turbulent waters, and Tarobá was turned into a palm tree on the edge of an abyss, leaning over the river gorge. After causing all this havoc, Mboí plunged into the Devil's Throat, from where he watches over the lovers, preventing them from reuniting. However, on sunny days, the rainbow overcomes Mboí's power and reunites Tarobá and Naipí as a bridge of love.

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Ñumairêtî, the protector of Itá Guazú

(Milton Gayoso), Paí Tavyterá Village, Paraguay.

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First, in Nothingness, there was an explosion, followed by a great flood. When the waters receded, Itá Guazú—the Great Rock—was exposed, and plants and living beings began to appear. A protective spirit settled next to the hill to protect it and care for the animals, plants, soil, and all the surrounding nature. This spirit is Ñumairêtî, a strong and protective spirit capable of defeating anything, to whom the inhabitants of the community at the foot of the hill direct their prayers. That is why no one can climb to its summit.

Luis Arce, the community leader, told us that he once tried to climb it and a very strong wind threatened to blow him off the cliff. No one has tried again...

 

Story told by Luis Arce and translated by Carlos Ortega.

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Kuña Piragüi, the Mermaid

(Lucía Gómez), Mbya Guaraní Culture, Paraguay

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Kuña Piragüi was a very beautiful woman, a young Guaraní girl. She was a rebellious daughter who disobeyed her mother and went into the jungle alone to look for water, carrying her gourd and eating corn dough. Upon entering the jungle, she found the tapir, the Mboreví, lying by the side of the road. The girl broke off a piece of her dough and threw it to him. The animal looked at her and ate it. He ate and ate the dough. She was happy. “He ate from me,” she said. That was how Kuña Piragüí and the Mboreví fell in love. 

 

But Mborevi's father, Ñane Ramoy Papa himself, opposed this romance. So he ordered the girl's brothers to kill the tapir. And so they did, placing the tapir's testicles on the girl's hammock as a sign of punishment. When she woke up, she went mad with pain and rage and ran to the river. Her sister accompanied her, sitting by the water on a rock. But the waters of the river began to vibrate and rise. The sister ran to get help, but when they returned to the river, Kuña Piragüi was already submerged in the water. From then on, she became the owner of the fish. She is the mermaid of the river. And that is why, when the tapir feels threatened, it submerges itself in the waters, next to its beloved. They say that at night they meet in the wells and can resume their romance. 

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Story narrated by Ignacio Vargas Kandyju Avante and translated by Rodrigo Ramírez in Capitán Bado, Paraguay.

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Itá Guazú, the Great Rock

(Jorge Arce), Paí Tavyterá People, Paraguay.

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The Amambay region, the ancestral land of the Paí Tavyterá, is populated by rugged rocks and vertical hills that are home to all kinds of signs, drawings, and petroglyphs. They have been dated and are estimated to be at least 5,000 years old, carved by the ancestors of the Paí. Their meaning seems to have eroded over time, but everyone knows that these are traces of life. We were told that where there are traces of the Yaguar—or jaguarete, in Guaraní—there is the animal. And its spirit. The guardians of Roca Grande know that above them and behind them is the spirit of the Yaguar, the Ñandú, the Tapir, the great life-giving Vulva, and endless signs that need not be understood, but felt. Because they are the footprints, and therefore the spirit, of the Ancestors.

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