Bélgica Dagua, "Ants fighting the lightning."

From interviews with Tod D. Swanson

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English Translation

We will talk about why the ukuys fly away during certain seasons. First, the ukuys experience a sudden change in climate, called paju. There is lightning and heavy rain, and it rains all morning until noon. Throughout the morning, the rain falls steadily. In the afternoon, when the sun clears the sky, the elders used to say “kaaan!” They said this because the sun begins to give off intense heat. Then, at dawn, around five in the morning, the ukuys begin to fly. When they fly, they are eaten. Do you say “caaan!” to the sun? The intense sun appears in the afternoon. When the sky is clear, around three in the afternoon, the sun becomes very strong. So what does caaan mean? Caaan! is a way of saying that the sun is intense. We say caaan when we know what will happen: it rained all day, and today the sun is strong, so the ukuy ants will fly. Because it is their time to fly, this is what we see when we watch closely. We see them pushing soil outward, again and again. At each exit there is the sound “chuzu, chuzu, chuzu.” They work like people. They are small ants, the workers in charge of digging. Yes, they are the ones who work. When they finish clearing the path, the true mother ant comes out from inside, once the path is wide and the exit hole is clear. They begin to come out around five in the morning, and that is when they fly. Whoever wakes up early to burn will burn them to catch them. Whoever does not wake up early will still be sleeping. When it rains, it is cold and misty. How can they come out if it is cold? Some remain sleeping because of the cold. But if they are not lazy, some will come out. If people wake up at night and rise early to catch them, they burn the ukuys to eat them. Those who do not wake up will miss them; the ukuys will fly away, and bats usually eat them. That is why the elders said that when the ukuys come out like that, they fly upward to fight with the lightning. The ukuys fight the lightning. “Aauh!” they said. When one reaches up high, he says, “Why are you talking to me like that? You shout and shake my house. Winda! You make it explode.” His house shakes as the lightning strikes, throwing “tiik, tiik.” That is why he comes out to confront the lightning and scold it. When he reaches it, they begin to argue. The lightning is very strong. They strike each other in the middle of the forehead. He says, “That is not right. I told you, if you stab me with your spear, I will cut your neck with my teeth,” he says to the lightning. After arguing, because he was not struck in the forehead, he comes back down to the ground. When he returns to the earth, he begins to reproduce. That is how the elders told the story. That is why the lightning does not burn the leaves. The lightning was afraid because it broke his house. He went up to fight the lightning, they said. This is how the ukuys are found fighting. Can they really fight the lightning? Is the lightning stronger? The elders said that when his house was broken, he went inside to warn the others to come out and fight. When nothing happened to him, he returned again to reproduce. That is why they fly out to fight. When his house was destroyed by the lightning, he came out angry to confront it. That is how the elders explained it. Earlier, did you say kaaan to the sun? Do they call the sun like that, or does the sun call them? Why are their shirts— their wings— wet when the sun is intense? Kaaan! So they can dry. That is why the sun becomes strong, the elders said, so the ukuys can dry their wings. That is how the elders told us about the ukuys. Do they return to the ground? Yes. When they fall back to the earth, they already carry eggs. They sit and begin to produce. From one, many will come. If we dig, we can find them there, full of eggs. Are you saying they flew yesterday? These are the ones that flew yesterday, the ones that flew at dawn. In the afternoon they came back down after battling. What month does this happen? Do they fly every year like this? The elders said there are two types: chunda ukuy and putu ukuy. In the month of putu, the putu ukuy usually fly. Others come out in February, and those are called chunda ukuy. That is what the elders told us. There are two types of ukuy. The ones here—what type are they? These are putu ukuy. When the putu season is ending, the putu ukuy come out. Those that come out in February are the chunda ukuy, during chonta season. That is how the elders explained it.

Kichwa Translation

Ukuymanda kwintagaranchi. Ukuy pay imatunu mashti, ima shina, ima shina mastishkaybi pay pawak ashkata. Ña ukuyga pay pundaga pajuta ran. Rayu, tamia, punzha, chishakta 12 hurasgama ña. Tutamanda pacha tamia. Ña chishima indi pashkarisha, ña rukuguna rimaganawn, “kann! indi shitan.” Chiwasha, ña punshayawshkay, ña pitchka tutamanday pawan ukuy. Pawasha mikuk. “Imasna ninguichi kaaan! indi?” Indiga “kann!” shitan ña chishima. “Chishima?” Aa, llawndu ashkay ña kimsa uras tupuybi “kann!” indi ran. Chiga ukuy, imara kann? “Kann!” indi shitan kan. “Kann!” niganchi chasna mashtishkay ña rukuguna niganawn. Ukuy pawangarawn kay itiruta tamian, y indi kan kasna llukshipiga ña. Kay pawanaybimi kasna ragan, nisha ña rikusha purikpi, ña allawagan ukuyga ña. Mashti allpawataga kanzhama, kanzhama, kanzhama, karan ñaybi: “tu tu tu tu tu tu tu tu.” Payguna tarabak runaguna, payba mashti, mashti pay. Ukuy payba ichilla awaguna allak anawn caran. Chi tarabakuna? Aka tarabakuna. Chiwaguna ña mashtishkay chi ukuy, kay payba kikin mamaga llukshimun ukumanda, ña anzhuta ñawita rashkay. Llukshimusha ña pitchka tutamandaybiga ña pawak angan. Chi maykay rupachik rupachinawn, maykay puñukga puñuwn chasna. Tamishaga chirita rakmawn. Tamia shullash magawn chasna imashinata ringawna. Chasna chiribi maykanga puñun, chiga killasha maykan risha. Chi tuta llikcharik ukuyta rupachishaga mikunama kuti runa chitaga, dinoga mana, mana apibagrachagawn. Puñukpi rin pay, tuta pishku mikuk an. Chimanda rukuguna niganawn kasna rishaga pay chasna wamburishaga awata rishaga rayuwan chi makanaku an nisha. Chi ukuy? Ukuy makanakun rayuwan, aah! aauh! Chi paktakrishaga nin kanga. Imata nishaga ñukataga piñasha, piñasha kapariushaga ñuka mangataga “windaga tukiachingui” nishacha nin. Pay wasitaga chi chawshin, chi rayu tiij! pay shitashaga. Chiraygu chi pay llukshisha rishaga makanakungawaka ringa rayuwan, piñanakungawa. Chiga paktashaga piñanagupi shinashaga kan shindi ashaga chakpi. Urintibi nitisha chagawn, chawpi kaybi cha paytaga mashti tuksinawn. Chiga mana nisha nin, mana ñukaga kandaga chawpi urintiga. Ña chiga payga ninchi, kay pay urintibimi mana payta. Pay lansawa tuksikpiga payga kiruwanga tias! “kamba kungata pitishkangui” nishka rayutaga. Chiga chasna nisha rimasha payga piñanakun. Chi piñanakusha ña payta mana urintita tuksikpi chi, payga iraykuma iraykusha. Urmasha ña kayga mirangawa payga shamun. Chasna nisha rukuguna kwintaganun. Imarasha paywa panga mana rupachin rayuta? Kuti rayuga kuti mansharishacha tiawn. Kuti payba wasita mashti pakishkamanda chi payga makanakungawa rin rayuwanga. Chasna niganun rukuguna chasna kwintaganun. Chasna chi makanakurian ukuyga payga. Pero payguna mana ushanun. Imaras rayura ganara rayu shinchi? Kuti shinchi ashagatami payba wasita pakiktaga payga pakpallan ringa rimanakungawaka. Makanakungawa chiga rayuga masharisha ña. Pay wasita chasna pakishka asha mana imatas rakpiga. Ña kuti bultimuk kayma mirangawa. Kuti chasna nisha kwintaganun. Shinakpi chiraygu chi wamburinun makanakungawa? Indaya makanakungawa chi payga wamburishaga rin ña pay wasita pakikpi. Pay wasita shi chi rayu “tiiik!” nisha chi pakin ña. Chi pakikpi payga piñarisha llukshisha rinawn makanakungawa rayuwan kay ukuy. Chasna nisha rukuguna kwintaganun. Ya, y kan ñankarta rimakangui indi “kaaan” chita. Payguna shina indira kayachin o indi kayaka? Pay mashti chi camisa ukunamanda, chi indi “kaaan!” rakpiga paytaga chakirin. Chiraygu chi payga chi indi “kaaan!” rawn pay chakirichu nisha niganun rukuguna. Chasna kwintaganun ukuymanda. Ña shinakpi, allpama kuti urmamun? Indaya kuti urmamun. Chiga kayga ña luluyukmawn. Chi luluyuk asha ña shamusha, tiarisha wawayangarawn. Kayga ña ashka payga mirangarawn. Kay shukwa mandalla, pero ña kay luluyukmawn. Ña shinakpi kay tian? Kaybis tiawnmi kaybi allakpi. Ña maskanguichi? Mm mashkay. Kayna, kayna pawaka ninguichi? Kayga kayna pawashkawn. Chi kayna pawakmi kayna washa pagariuta pawashkasha pay chishichari urmamura kayma makamushkawashaga. Ima, ima killa karan wata shina pawanun? Rukugunas kaytas nigaganun: shuka chunda ukuy, shuk putu ukuy. Putuybi shuka mashti pawan. Chimanda shuka febrero killaiy chiga chunda ukuy nisha rukuguna rimaganawn chitawas. Ishkay tunu chi kay ukuyga tian. Ishki tunu? Aa. Y kayga imasna? Kayga putuybi ashataga ña putu kurishkawasha auña. Putu ukuy. Putu kurishka washa. Mm, putu tukrishka washa putu ukuy. Febrero killaiy ak, chiga mashti chunda ukuy niganun. Chunda uras. Aa, chunda uraspi.

Spanish Translation

Historia de los ukuys: por qué salen volando en esas temporadas Los mayores contaban que, antes de que los ukuys salgan volando, primero ocurre un cambio brusco del clima, el paju. Vienen los rayos, la lluvia fuerte y llueve durante toda la mañana, hasta las doce del día. Desde muy temprano el cielo permanece cubierto y la tierra se empapa con la lluvia. Luego, por la tarde, cuando el sol despeja el día, los mayores decían: “¡kaaan!”. Decían que el sol empieza a calentar con mucha fuerza. Ese calor intenso se siente sobre todo cuando el cielo queda completamente despejado, alrededor de las tres de la tarde. Después, en la madrugada, cerca de las cinco de la mañana, es cuando los ukuys comienzan a volar. Cuando los ukuys vuelan, se los puede comer. Por eso la gente está atenta. “¿Ustedes dicen kaaan al sol?”, preguntaban. Kaaan es una forma de decir que el sol está fuerte, que el calor es intenso. Cuando llovió todo el día y al siguiente día sale un sol fuerte, los mayores decían: “¡kaaan!”, porque sabían que ese era el momento en que los ukuys iban a volar. Por eso sucede que, cuando uno anda vigilando, ve cómo los ukuys sacan la tierra hacia afuera, afuera, afuera. En cada salida se escucha como “chuzu, chuzu, chuzu”. Trabajan como personas. Son hormigas pequeñas, las obreras, las que se encargan de excavar. Ellas limpian el camino. Cuando el camino ya está limpio y el ojo de salida está ancho y despejado, entonces la verdadera madre del ukuy procede a salir desde adentro. Empiezan a salir a las cinco de la mañana y ahí vuelan. El que madrugó a quemar, quema para atraparlos; el que no madrugó, se queda durmiendo. Si llueve y hace frío, con neblina, muchos no salen. Algunos se quedan dormidos por el frío. Pero si alguien despierta en la noche y madruga, puede atraparlos y quemarlos para comer. Si no, los ukuys se van volando y los murciélagos suelen comérselos. Por eso los mayores decían que cuando salen así, van volando hacia arriba para pelear con el rayo. Contaban que los ukuys se enfrentan al rayo. “¡Aauh!”, decían. Cuando el ukuy llega arriba, le reclama al rayo: “¿Por qué me hablas así?, ¿por qué gritas y mueves mi casa?”. El rayo responde lanzando su fuerza, “winda”, haciendo explotar. El rayo sacude la casa del ukuy, lanza “tiik, tiik”, y por eso el ukuy sale de ahí enojado para enfrentarlo y regañarlo. Cuando se encuentran, discuten. El rayo es fuerte. En medio de la pelea, se hieren en la frente. El ukuy le dice: “Si me pinchas con tu lanza, yo con mis dientes cortaré tu cuello”. Así discutían, decían los mayores. Después de pelear, el ukuy baja nuevamente a la tierra para reproducirse. Por eso el rayo no quema las hojas, porque tiene miedo. Partió su casa, pero no logró matarlo. El ukuy volvió a su lugar y comenzó otra vez a reproducirse. Así contaban los mayores. Decían que los ukuys salen volando porque el rayo destruyó su casa. Por eso salen enojados a luchar. Así explicaban los antiguos. También decían que cuando el sol está fuerte y dicen “¡kaaan!”, es para que los ukuys puedan secarse. Como salen con las alas mojadas por la lluvia, necesitan el calor del sol para secarse. Por eso el sol intenso hace kaaan, decían. Cuando los ukuys vuelven a caer al suelo, ya vienen con huevos. Se sientan y comienzan a producir. De uno solo salen muchos. Si se excava la tierra, se los puede encontrar ahí, reproduciéndose. Cuando alguien dice que ayer volaron, se refiere a esos mismos ukuys que volaron en la madrugada y descendieron por la tarde, después de haber batallado. Los mayores afirmaban que hay dos tipos de ukuy: el chunda ukuy y el putu ukuy. Los putu ukuy suelen salir cuando se está terminando el tiempo de putu. En cambio, los chunda ukuy suelen salir en el mes de febrero, en temporada de chonta. Así lo relataban los mayores, generación tras generación.

Analysis

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