Chuku Flower Woman

The purpose of this song to a Chuku tree (Erythrina poeppigiana) is to increase a woman’s power to attract men. The theme running through out the song is the tree’s uncanny power to attract birds. The tree stands for the woman herself and the birds stand for all kinds of men who are attracted to the woman. It would be sung while the woman is alone on the river bank gazing at the tree with no human audience to hear her. As she sings the woman stands meditating (iyarisha shayan) on the tree imagining her body as the trees body. As she reflects on the tree she enters into an emotional union with it such that its powers to attract birds become transformed into her own power to attract men. Songs like this one played an important part in shaping female identity. A woman first sang these songs when she was an adolescent and then continued to sing them throughout her life. Her sense of herself as an attractive woman was thus based on a self-conscious inter- subjectivity with the Erythrina poeppigiana tree as well as with various attractive species of plants. Chuku Flower Woman Singer: Clara Santi Translated by Tod Swanson Chuku Flower Woman Chuku Flower Woman The chuku flower When it stands flowering from the very base of the tree When it gathers birds I am the woman who stands catching them When she stands opening her flowers I am the woman who stands drinking her flowers Chuku Flower Woman Chuku Flower Woman The Magpie Tanager Seeing her flower the magpie tanager Cries “pichin” over here There it stands crying “pichin” Standing there going back and forth A woman with chuku flowers Hanging from the tips of her arms Chuku Sisa Flower Woman When she turns green And her flowers open I will just drink from the tip of her flower I am the woman who stands Picking [her flowers] and bathing [in her fragrance] Seeing her flowers from afar I am the woman who stands bathing only in their smell Santi spirit woman A Woman who stands Bathing in the flowers She sees from afar Chuku Flower Woman Chuku Flower Woman When she becomes (blooms) like that Only I will take them I am the woman who, Without fear of the flowers’ thorns takes them and stands bathing in them. Chuku sisa warmiga Chuku sisa warmiga Chuku sisa, Sikimandapachalla sisarisha shayashshkay pishkulla tandarishkai japisha shayaj warmima yarin, Pay sisarisha paskarisha shayaushkai Paybaj sisata upishami shayauj warmima yari chuku sisa warmiga chuku sisa warmiga algurun pichiiin paiba sisata rikusha kayman pichin chiman pichin kaparisha shayasha tikrai washai shayarisha Paiwaj rigra pundaimi warkurisha shayaj warmima yari chuku sisa warmima yari pay verde tukujpi sisa paskarijpi upishalla paibaj sisa pundata apishalla armarisha shayaj warmi ani yari chashna tukusha Karu sisata rikusha, asnayllawa armarisha shayaj warmima yarin Armarisha shayaj warmi mandarin (warmima yarin) warmi supayga karu sisata rikusha Armarisha shayaj warmi mandarin (warmima yarin) Chuku sisa warmiga Chuku sisa warmiga Pay kashalla tukujpi Nukalla japishami Paybaj sisawa kashata Mana manzhasha Japisha armarisha Shayaj warmi mañarin Kunanga paipak nawita rikusha Chuku sisa ñawita rikusha Nawillawan wakasha Shuj lagrimata shitasha Shayaj warmi mañarin Kunanga allku shina tukushachu Kuruya shayaunmi nin Juyy