The purpose of the song is to persuade the plant man to allow the singer to take some of his medicine away with her: ‘I will go taking his spirit with me,’ she sings. ‘He is the man who stands there saying “Take me,” That Matiri Man.’ The reason that the song is necessary is that the medicine works well only if the plant cooperates and gives its medicine willingly to the healer. Simply taking the plant won’t produce an effective medicine. Getting the plant to give its medicine willingly is a delicate matter, however, because the plant is thought to be temperamental, guarded, and prone to withdraw from relationships. The song, which is sung to the matiri plant by a female singer, portrays the Matiri Man both as a seductive lover and as a skilled hunter. By portraying Matiri in this way the song represents the guardedness or inaccessibility of the man behind the matiri medicine as a kind of male sexual coyness. Once portrayed in this light the female singer knows how to behave toward the plant in order to coax him to cooperate. She attracts him with love songs like she might any evasive but attractive man who is vulnerable to women. Since hunters chew his fruits when they go out hunting it is with Matiri Runa’s power and personality that hunters endure hardship to bring back game to give to the women they love. Hence Clara’s love song to Matiri portrays Matiri Runa himself as a hunter and seductive lover who brings back game to seduce his love. The song builds on traditional patterns of courtship and love in which men hunt to give game to women in exchange for love, sex, and asua (manioc drink). Giving game to a woman is a recognized act of courtship much like giving red roses. In this case the game that is given is a bird (pishcu). The word pishcu may have a double entendre because it is a common term for the male organ frequently used by women in joking. The double entendre is made more probable by the context. ‘Drinking his little fruits, sitting there to give the bird (he killed) to the woman he loves so that what he wants will happen. He seduced her. That is how Matiri Man is.’ Since in the larger context the song is about the relationship of the Matiri Man to the singer herself, it is likely that Clara is referring to herself as the woman that the Matiri Man is trying to seduce. What Clara hopes to receive from the Matiri Man is his medicine. Hence the bird given to the woman probably ultimately refers to the Matiri Man’s medicine, here compared to stereotypical male gifts of game and sex. By singing teasingly to him in this way the female singer turns the tables on him. By flattering the male plant with her song she seduces him into giving her his medicine. In the beginning of the song Matiri Man is the one in control, seducing women. By the end, however, he is the ‘man who stands there saying take me’ and Clara concludes, ‘I will go taking his spirit away with me.’ Matiri Man When he goes to the forest Carrying his matiri fruits To kill this bird Matiri Man goes carrying it Killing birds Filling the basket Giving (her) a bite [of the game bird] Dressed in green he will bring it back Preparing that [game] bird He will have it (with him) That Matiri Tree Man Seducing a woman Drinking his little fruits Sitting there giving the bird (he killed) to the woman he loves So that what he wants will happen He seduced her That is how Matiri Man is That matiri fruit I will go taking his spirit He is the man who stands saying “Take me.” That Matiri Man Matiri Runa pai sachama. Amtirita aparisha riushcai Cai pishcuta wañuchingahua Matiri tapata undachisha canichisha Verdilla churasha apamuj mara chi pishcuta pelasha charisha Martiri ruya runaga warmita engañasha Matiri Ruya pai muyuhuata upisha payhua enamorado warmita pishcuta cusha tiasha pay munai tucusha engañara (Pastaza Quichua past tense) Chasna man matiri runaga matiri muyuga. Payhua supaita apasha risha apahuai nisha shayaj runa mara matiri ruyaga