According to tradition Clibadium surinamense called Masu in the Shuar language was once a human man who had a brother named Timiu. These two brothers became transformed into the two plants most commonly used as fish poisons. Timiu, the older brother was transformed into a powerful fish poison plant, a Lonchocarpus nicou in the Fabaceae family while Masu, the younger brother was transformed in the “weak” fish poison plant pictured here, Clibadium surinamense. A brief examination of this story will show that the relative weakness of Clibadium surinamense when compared to Lonchcarpus is due to a difference in the moral character of the two brothers when they were human. The weakness of Clibadium surinamense is due to a moral fault called “ killa (quilla) in Kichwa.