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IYARINA
Napo-Pastaza, Ecuador
CENTER FOR LEARNING ALLIANCE: Fundación Cotococha | Andes and Amazon Field School | Shayarina Amazonian Resilience
Scientific name
Eulodia Dagua - Widowed toucans sing love songs
Our parents used to explain to us that toucans (usually) sing in the late afternoon and in the morning.
But if the male/husband (of the pair) is killed, or if the wife/female is killed then they say that (the surviver) sings (all day).
It calls because it wants to take another (lover). My father would tell us "I killed a toucan that was in a hollow tree this morning."
And the (widowed) female would go sit on a high branch and sang "Win, win, win" until another male comes, another one. If they kill her mate she calls another right away.
"The toucan takes another husband that same day," he used to tell us.
Another one?
Another one. It goes to a very high branch and sings (without stopping) until another one lands (beside it).
(My father) used to say that the toucan sings to take a mate.
Both the females and the males?
According to my father, the females and the males do the same thing.
Right away the toucan perches way up there and sings "Han, han, han, han han" until its throat is dry.
Then another one (comes) "pu, pu, pu, pu, pu (sound of wings). Then there is silence because it has already another (lover).
That is what I used to hear my father say.
If he would kill one of them in the morning by afternoon there would be two there together (again).
That same day! Toucans!
They are womanizers?
(Yes!) Womanizers! But the female is also a "manizer." She gets him that same day! Those toucans!
My father used to say that when the toucan is singing like that, when it is singing sadly.. You know when the sun is going down "tsiuuun," over there? And for no apparent reason a toucan starts singing "Han, han, han?"
We are listening and when we hear that it just keeps on singing, we say to ourselves, "Doesn't that toucan sing sadly?"
That happens because (a human woman) has sung. That is what I have heard.
So when the toucans are singing there are also women singing their...
(Yes.) That is why I say that when (the women) sing to cause love/sorrow the (toucans) sing. The toucans sing when humans sing.
Then about this time of day, when the sun is setting (they begin to sing) across the river or over there "ha, ha, ha."
They sing until their throats are completely dry.
Is it because of (human) women that they sing?
(Yes!). It is because of human women! It is when the human (women) sing that they sing.
So when you hear it it sounds sad of course.
So somewhere where we can't see her there is a woman singing.
That is it!. Somewhere she is singing. Then this toucan will sing all day like this.
So then we wonder are you singing out of sadness? The toucan sounds sad when it sings right? You have heard it right?
Doesn't it sing sadly? That is because a (human) woman has sung to cause love/sadness. That is why it sings like that. That is what I have heard my father say.
So as we are walking in the forest at the time when the sun is setting maybe we hear a toucan....
That is poignant. That is a human singing. A human woman is singing somewhere and by her singing she causes us to hear (a toucan).
That is what my father used to say.
So instead of the actual voice of a human woman a toucan sings. I have heard that.
In the morning too?
It sings the same way in the morning. That is how it sings together with the whitening of the dawn "win, win, ..."
If you look it will go hopping to the point of a tree branch. It goes to a branch and sings "win.." That is how their song is.
That is when it makes us feel sad. Then we say (to our selves) Doesn't that toucan sing sadly?"
In beginning times was the toucan a human woman? Or a man or both?
The toucans also were both, a man and a woman. It is for that reason that all animals were in pairs when they were human.
Otherwise there wouldn't be any.
That is the reason they multiplied and are around today.
Kichwa Text
Ñukanchitaga ñukanchi yayagunaga kasna niganaun, "Sikuangaga chishibi tutamanda cantagan."0
Sinoga karita wanchikpi o warmita wanchikpi cantan niganaun chasna. Pay kayan shukta apisha nisha.
Ñuka yaya pay tutamanda auta uktuy tiaujta wanchini nigara sikuangata.
Chiga ña pay warmi sakirishaga awa ramay tiarishaga ña "win, win, win..." cantan nin, shu kari shamunagama. Shuk, pay karita wanchikpiga shukta payga kayan ña timpu wayra shina.
Sikuangaga chi punzhalla apin nigara karita.
Shukta?
Shukta, ña awa, awa ramay rishaga ña shuk urmamunaga cantangan nigara.
Apingawa cantagan sikuanga nigara.
Warmis, karis?
Warmiwas, kariwas chi puralla anun nigara sikuanga. A aw. Chasna, chita ñuka yaya kuintagara.
Sikuangaga mana unay payga awa, away tiarisha... "Ja, ja, ja, ja" ña kungas chakirin.
Chiga shukga pu, pu, pu, pu, pu. Chiga chun tukun. Ña apipasan shuktaga ña.
Ñuka yayaga chita yangas nigara pay kuintashkata uyajgarani pay.
Tutamanda pay wanchika chishibi ishkay shamunguna ña. Sikuanga yanga chasna apin niganaun, hi punzhallas sikuanga.
Warmi niru?
Warminiru. Mashti warmiwas kariniru. Ña pay chi punzhalla apin ña sikuanga.
Ñuka yaya pero nigara kasnan sikuangay cantajpi, llakichinay cantajpi. Manacha indi ashkay tsiiun yaykungangaya?
Chasnaybi yangas mashti, "Ja ja ja ja ja, ja" chiga pay chima cantaun.
Ñukanchi uyashá, "Llakillachu kay sikuanga cantan?" nisha rimarinchi pay cantauta uyasha.
Chi yangas cantashka nikta uyaj arani chitaga.
Sikuanga cantashkay runa warmis cantanun chi payna....
Chi raygu nini chi llakichingaj cantakpi payga cantaunya. Sikuanga runa cantajpi cantaunya.
Chiga ña kasnagunay ña indi yaukushkay chimbagunayma, chigunama ña payga ja ja...
Kungas ña win chakiringata cantaunya ña.
Payguna runa warmimanda cantanun?
Runa warmimanda. Runa, payta cantajpi payga cantaun.
Chika kuti uyajpi llakilla.
Maybis ñukanchi mana rikushaky shu warmi cantaun.
Eso ña maybiwas cantaun ña chiga, kuna kay sikuanga ña chishakta cantanga ña kasnays cantaun.
Chi kuti llakillachu cantasha tian nisha ninchi ñukanchi. Llakilla uyarij man sikuanga cantashkata uyaj changui.
Chi llakillachu cantan chiga llakichingaj cantashka, chasna cantanya. Chita ñuka yaya nikta uyaj arani.
Shinajpi ñukanchi sachay riushkay kay indi yaykushkay chita imachari maykambi uyaunchi shu sikuanga.
Chiga llakilla. Llakilla. Chita runa cantan? Runa warmi chita maybi cantajpi payga ñukanchita uyachiun chi cantasha.
Chasna nisha ñuka yaya yanga.
Shinajpi kikin warmi, runa warmi shimira randi sikuanga.. Cantan. Umm hmm. Uyajmani.
Tutamanda shinallara.
Tutamanda chasnallatas cantan. Chi chasna cantashkaga ña ruyajta pariu ña win, win...
Rikujpi ruya ramata salta salta salta salta... pundagama rin, shu ramata rin "Win, win win..." cantaganya, chiman chita payna cantashkaga.
Chimi llakichin ya. Chiga llakillachu uyarin kay sikuanga nisha.
Sikuanga ñaupa timpu kari ashka o warmi, o ishkindi?
Ishkandi sukuangawas kari, warmi tiaj ashka. Chi rayguta pareja, pareja, pareja tukuy animal tian.
Runa ashka asha sinoga sapalla asha mana tianmachu.
Chimanda miraj mara kuna.
Spanish Text
Nuestros padres solian explicarnos que los tucanes (usualmente) cantan por la tarde y en la mañana.
Pero si matan al macho, o si matan a la hembra, ellos decian que (el sobreviviente) canta (todo el dia)
Canta porque quiere encontrar otro (amante). Mi padre nos dijo: "Yo maté a un tucán esta mañana que estaba en un hueco de un árbol"
Y la hembra vendrá a sentarse en una rama alta y cantará: "Win, win, win" hasta que otro macho venga, otro. Si ellos matan a su pareja, ella llama a otro en ese momento.
"El tucán toma otro marido ese mismo día", él solía decirnos.
Otro?
Otro. Va a una rama muy alta y canta (sin parar) hasta que otro se pare (a su lado).
(Mi padre) solía decir que el tucán canta para encontrar pareja.
Ambos, las hembras y machos?
Según mi papá, las hembras y los machos hacían lo mismo.
Ese mismo momento el tucan se cuelga ahí arriba y canta "Han, han, han, han" hasta que su garganta esta seca.
Entonces otro (llega) "Pu, pu, pu, pu" (sonido de las plumas). Luego hay un silencio porque ya ha encontrado otra (pareja).
Esto es lo que sabía escuchar de mi padre.
Si él mataba a uno de ellos en la mañana, por la tarde habría dos ahi juntos (otra vez).
Ese mismo días! Tucanes!
Son ellos mujeriegos?
(Si!) Mujeriegos! pero las hembras también son "hombreriegas" Ellas obtienen (pareja) el mismo día! Esos tucanes!
Mi papá solía decir que cuando el tucan esta cantando de esa manera, cuando esta cantando tristemente...Cuando el sol esta metiéndose "tsiuuun" hacia allá? Y sin ninguna razón aparente un tucan empieza a cantar "Han, han, han?"
Nosotros escuchamos y cuando oímos que seguía cantando, nos decíamos a nosotros mismo, "Ese tucan no esta cantando tristemente?"
Eso pasa porque (una mujer) ha cantado. Eso es lo que he escuchado.
Entonces cuando los tucanes cantan también hay mujeres cantándoles...
(Sí) Por eso digo que cuando (las mujeres) cantan para causar amor/pena, los tucanes cantan. Los tucanes cantan cuando los humanos cantan.
Entonces por estas horas del día, cuando el sol esta ocultándose (ellos empiezan a cantar) por el rio o por allá "ha, ha, ha"
Ellos cantan hasta que las gargantas esten completamente secas.
Esto es por las mujeres (humanas) que ellos cantan?
(Sí!). Es por las mujeres humanas! Cuando las mujeres (humanas) cantan, ellos cantan.
Entonces cuando lo escuchas suena triste, claro.
Entonces, en algun lugar donde nosotros no podemos ver, hay una mujer cantando.
Eso es! En algun lugar ella esta cantando. Luego este tucan cantara todo el día de esa manera.
Entonces nos preguntamos, estas cantando de pena? El tucan suena triste cuando canta, verdad? Lo has escuchado verdad?
No canta tristemente? Eso es porque una mujer (humana) ha cantado para provocar amor/tristeza. Por eso es que canta así. Eso es lo que he escuchado de mi padre.
Mientras caminamos por la selva cuando el sol se esta ocultando quizás podemos escuchar a un tucan...
Esto es conmovedor. Eso es un canto humano. Una mujer esta cantando en algun lugar y por su canto ella causa que nosotros escuchemos (un tucan).
Eso es lo que mi papá solía decirnos.
Entonces, en lugar de la voz actual de la mujer un tucan canta. Yo he escuchado eso.
En la mañana también?
Canta de la misma manera en la mañana. Así es como canta, junto con el aclarecer del amanecer "win, win,..."
Si miras, ira saltando a la punta de la rama del árbol. Va a una rama y canta "win..." Así es como es su canción.
Así es cuando nos hace sentir tristes. Entonces decimos (a nosotros mismos), Ese tucan no canta tristemente?
En el inicio era el tucan una mujer humana? o un hombre o ambos?
Los tucanes eran ambos, un hombre y una mujer. Es por esta razón que todos los animales estaban en parejas cuando eran humanos.
Sino no habría ninguno
Esta es la razón que ellos se multiplicaron y estan por aquí ahora.
Eulodia Dagua - Toucan Song for a Girl No One Wants
A woman from my ayllu used to sing this but she has died now. She sang this because no men wanted to marry her daughter.
Swanson: Why didn't they want her daughter?
They didn't want her because they thought she was still a child. So that is why she sang like this. (Like) toucans. Don't they look ugly when they are babies all covered with worms? Have you seen inside their holes (nests in hollow trees)?
Have you ever seen them inside a hole (in the tree)?
That is how they will be inside there all wormy. It's disgusting how the toucan (babies) live.
So that's how they look when she is still a young child. But then they grow up quickly. But then just as the toucans become lovely when they grow up and are washed with pure rain water that is how she too will turn out to be. Will you want her when she is like that? I sing. Later she will turn out beautiful. Later when she has been washed by the rains she will turn out beautiful. Just as the toucan (chicks) turn out looking great. That is how she will turn out too.
How old was her daughter then?
She had a lot of daughters. Lots of daughters! About ten, all girls! Since that was the case and she had lots of daughters as they began to grow she wanted to give them to a husband [marry them off].
That is how she sang. That is what I will sing now.
Toucan, toucan girl//Don't you desire her//
//Little toucan girl//
As she looks at you, living all alone there
Don't you think she looks like a little ball of worms?
//You don't want her//
//The sky water will wash them off/
How beautiful she will looks then. She becomes like a toucan.
That is how you will think.
Was it you who did not want my daughter?
Wasn't it you who did not want her when she was a child?
When she looked like that?
Like a toucan she will become a beautiful woman.
Is it also you who will not want her when when is transformed?
Will you not want her when she is like a toucan?
I do not want her when she is in their nest (the hole in the tree)
This, this is what he said (then) they will say of me later.
They will all look at her and say, "How lovely the toucan looks all washed with sky water!"
Everyone will desire her when she is washed with sky water
That is how she used to sing.
Photo by: Fernando Flores
Ramphastos tucanus
Family:
Ramphastidae
English:
White throated toucan
Spanish:
Tucán pechiblanco
Kichwa:
Sikuanka / Dumbiki / Culin Culin
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