Bélgica Dagua, "The Strangler Fig Loved a Girl."

From interviews with Tod D. Swanson

Description

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English Translation

This tree used to be a human; he was a handsome young man. But this tree, when he was human, was a lazy young man. This young man was trying to make a girl fall in love with him. The girl’s father found out and told his daughter, “You are not going to be with that young man because he is lazy.” The father took the girl to another village, moving her away, but the young man kept arriving, searching for her wherever she was. And when the father found out, he would take his daughter away at night, secretly. He would take her to another place, and the young man would arrive there as well. The young man arrived wherever they were; the father took his daughter away at night. In this way they went to many places. The young man followed wherever the father took his daughter. The daughter said, “Father, where are you taking me to all these places?” “Now I am going to work a large part of the forest. I will work, cut down the trees, and plant manioc to give him something to drink. I will call him to drink chicha, and when he is drunk, I will kill him,” said the girl. “Let’s kill him now; I can’t stand him.” She spoke with her father: let us work a large part of the forest. “Father, now cut down the trees,” she said while they were working. “I am going to continue working in the manioc field,” said the daughter. “Daughter, I will cut down the trees as fast as possible, and you will work quickly on the manioc,” said her father. In this way, the father was cutting down trees in the middle of the field. While he was cutting down the trees, the young man arrived. The young man arrived when the father was working carelessly. While he was cutting, the young man grabbed him by the neck from behind. In this way, the young man killed the man who was clearing the trees. After killing him, she knew where the daughter was working; she knew where her father was. The daughter left her father behind, and the young man followed her. He arrived at the house and slept alone; from there he would go to work in the field. He arrived at night at her house and asked, “Why do you leave your father behind?” “Why do you leave your father behind? My father is cutting down the trees.” “If you truly love me, why don’t you help my father cut down the trees?” “Your father will scold me; that is why I don’t help him,” said the young man. “At night, once he falls asleep, I will go lying.” “My father is still alive,” the daughter said. She lay down to sleep, but in reality she was pretending. And when the hand came out from everywhere… When she was lying here, a hand came out from there. The hand grew like this root. The young man wrapped her with his hands until he killed her. That is why this tree wraps itself around other trees that it likes and kills them. That is how my grandfather Salomón, who was from Sarayaku, used to tell it to me. “That is what our grandfather told us; that is what I know.”

Kichwa Translation

Kay pili ruyaga pay ñaupa timpuybi ashka runa. Chi musu runa aj ashka. Pero chasna ashallata kay ruyaga killa aj ashka, pay runa ashkay. Chi killa runa ajpi, kay pay musu ashaga, payga warmita, shu soltera warmita apisha nisha munaushka. Chi munauta yaya musiashka. Yaya musiashaga ushushita rimashka: “Mana chi runata apinguichu, chi runaga killa runa man”, nisha. Mitzasha yayaga apasha rij ashka shuk puraybi. Ña shuk llaktay apasha rij ashka. Chibis kay pili runaga paktaj ashka. Musuga maskasha, maybi man nipi chaybi paktaj ashka. Chimanda chibi paktajpi yayaga rikusha, tuta mitikuchisha apaj ashka ushushita shuk partibi. Chaybi shuk partibi paktachijpi chibi tiauta uyasha, chayvi paktaj ashka kay pili runaga, pay runa ashkay. Paktajpi chibi yayaga rikusha, chimanda tuta apasha shuk parti rij ashka, mana pay ushushita apichun nisha mitzasha. Chasna ña purishka, ña tukuy partita purishka. Kay runaga katinakusha purij ashka. Chi payba ushushita mitzasha yayaga chasna apasha purij ashka. Apasha puriu pay ushushi ninga raun: “Yaya”, nishka, “yanga kasna yapakta maytas muyurianchi”. “Kunan ñuka waktangarauni”, nishka ya, “ashkata shu sachay intiruta”. Waktasha, chita ruyata kuchusha, lumuta tarpusha, chi runataga kayashun nishka upichingawa. Chi upichinga kayajpi payga asuasha, upisha, machasha chasna aushkay wanchingawa nishkay. Ña mana ushashka payga ña chi runataga mana munashka ña, chiga wanchingawa nisha. Yayawa kuintanakusha waktashka atunda kay sachata. Waktashaga yayataga nishka: “Yaya, kunanga kuchungui ruyata. Ñukaga chagrata allmasha, lumu kaspita wangungawami ringaruani”, nishka chi ushushi. Chasna nijpi ushushi ñuka ña win kuchuy pasashka shina acertashaga. Kanga ña win chagrataga allmangui nishka paywa ushushita rimashka. Chiga chasna nijpiga yayaga ña chi chaupi, chaupi chagra tukunatashi kuchuushka. Chasnayshi chi kay pili runa, runa aka, paktashka pay kuchuushkay. Chi pay paktayrisha, pay kungaylla kuchuushka. Achata apisha kuchuujtaga washamanda tag kipirigrishka kungaybi. Chasna rashaga ña chi ruyata kuchuuj runataga chay wanchishka ña kay pili runa. Chiga wanchishka washa ushushi chagrata allmaujta, payga yachara chari maybi chagrata sakimushka ajta. Kayga chayta rishka pay yayata sakisha kayga nisha. Katinakushka, katinakuj paktashka ushushi. Payga chi ichusha sakishka wasibi paktasha, pay pay sapalla puñusha chagrata allmaushka. Chasnay paktagrisha, tutaga nishka. Paktaygrishaga payta tapushka: “Imangajta kan kamba yayata ichusha sakimurangui?”. Chiga ñuka yayaga payllami ruyata kuchuura. Cirto ñukata munasha imangajta. “Ñuka yayata mana yura kuchunta, mana yanaparangui”, nisha nishka. Chi chasna nijpis: “Kamba yaya yapa piñawaj ara chiraigumi mana ñuka yanaparani”, nisha nishka. Chasna nisha rimasha paywan ña kwintanakusha. Chiga payga tuta kaytaga umasha sakisha ringarauni, puñuchisha nisha. Payga yayaga kausaunmi niura chari, chi ushushiga. Chi chasna nij pay. Puñungawashi siririshka kasna, chiga siririsha, chiga payga kasna puñuj tukusha pin siriushka. Chiga kasna, payga kasna makiwa chimanda: kaymanda tsi, kaymanda tsi, kaymanda tsi. Chi pay kasna, chasna rasha sirishkay chi kaymanda tsi, kaymanda tsi, kaymanda tsi. Chiga chasna tukushaga kasnashi payba kay anguga, kay kwinta shina shi kay makimanda wiñasha utsun. Y chi warmitaga day kipirishaga wanchinj aj ashka, kay pili runa. Chiraigushi pay chi ruyataga, pay munashka ruyataga ña, payga kipirin, payga wanchin. Chasna nisha kay piliri yuramandaga kwintaj aj anaura. Kayta kwintaj ag ara wañushka apayaya Salmon, kay mashtimanda, Sarayakumanda. Ruku apayaya chi kwintay tukuj ag aranchi ñukanchita. Chita yachani.

Spanish Translation

Este árbol antes era un humano; era un joven guapo. Pero este árbol, cuando era humano, era un joven perezoso. “Este joven estaba intentando enamorarse de una chica”. El padre de la chica se enteró y le dijo a su hija: “No te vas a juntar con ese joven porque es un vago”. El padre llevó a la chica a otro pueblo mezquinando, pero el joven llegaba buscándola a donde ella estaba. Y el padre, al enterarse, llevaba a su hija por la noche, a escondidas. La llevaba a otro lugar y allá llegaba el joven. Llegaba el joven al lugar donde estaban; el padre llevaba a su hija por la noche. De esta manera fueron a todos los lugares. El joven perseguía a donde el padre llevaba a su hija. La hija dijo: “Papá, ¿a dónde me estás llevando por estos lugares?”. “Ahora voy a trabajar una buena parte de la selva. Trabajaré, tumbaré los árboles y sembraré yuca para dar de tomar a él. Le llamaré para tomar chicha y, cuando esté borracho, le mataré”, dijo la chica. “Matemos ya, que no lo soporto”. Conversaba con su padre: trabajemos una buena parte de la selva. “Papá, ahora tumba los árboles”, mientras trabajaban. “Me voy a seguir trabajando en la chacra de la yuca”, dijo la hija. “Hija, yo voy a tumbar los árboles lo más rápido posible. Y tú trabajarás rápido la yuca”, dijo su papá. De esta manera, el papá estaba tumbando los árboles en medio de la chacra. Cuando él tumbaba los árboles, llegó el joven. El joven llegó cuando él estaba tumbado descuidadamente. Cuando estaba tumbando, le agarró el cuello por la espalda. De esta manera, el joven mató al señor que estaba talando los árboles. Luego de matar, ella sabía dónde estaba trabajando la hija; ella sabía dónde estaba su padre. La hija fue dejando a su padre y el joven la siguió. Llegó a la casa y durmió solo; de ahí iba a trabajar la chacra. Llegó de noche a su casa y preguntó: “¿Por qué vienes dejando a tu papá?”. “¿Por qué vienes dejando a tu papá? Mi papá está talando los árboles”. “Si me quieres de verdad, ¿por qué no ayudas a mi papá a tumbar los árboles?”. “Tu papá me va a hablar, por eso no le ayudo”, dijo el joven. “En la noche, a lo que duerma, voy a ir mintiendo”. “Mi padre aún está vivo”, decía la hija. Ella se acostó para dormir, pero en realidad estaba fingiendo. Y cuando la mano salía de todas partes… Cuando ella estaba acostada aquí, de aquí salía la mano. Ahí la mano creció como esta raíz. El joven envolvió con sus manos hasta matarla. Es por eso que este árbol se envuelve con otros árboles que a él le gustan y los mata. Así me contaba mi abuelo Salomón, quien era de Sarayaku. “El abuelo nos contaba, eso se”.

Analysis

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