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Erythrina poeppigiana

Family:

Fabaceae

Kichwa:

Chuku yura

Erythrina poeppigiana tree in bloom with oriole nests

Amazonian Kichwa value Erythrina poeppigiana (Kichwa: Chuku Yura) in the Fabaceae family as a tree with great powers of social and sexual attraction. Many species of birds flock to the tree to feed on its flowers and later on its seeds. What is striking about the tree’s ability to attract birds is the sheer quantity of the birds, the fact that the birds are of many different species, and the fact that the birds are almost always there when the tree is in bloom. Runa attribute this power to attract birds to a symbiotic relationship between the chawa mangu oriole and flowering tree itself. The chuku flowers attract the oriole and the oriole calls attract many other species of birds to the tree. According to tradition, in beginning times the tree was a man and the oriole was his wife. The couple had many friends who were attracted to the asua (manioc chicha, sometimes called manioc “beer” by anthropologists) they offered. The friends and relatives of the couple have now turned into the many species of birds who still drink at the social gatherings put on by the couple. Instead of chicha they now drink the flowers of the tree. When the tree blooms, its green leaves drop off so that the bright orange of the flowers stand alone. Because the trees grow along river banks their bright orange color can be seen from far away. Hence the physical beauty of the tree stands out more clearly than that of other trees. The orange flowers are said to be the headdress or clothes of the chuku spirit man hidden in the tree. The powers of social and sexual attraction once possessed by the dynamic couple now inhere in the tree. They can be acquired by humans who enter into empathetic union with the tree and his oriole wife by singing songs to the chuku tree and by reflecting on the story of how the chuku was transformed from a human man into the tree in beginning times.

Talking about Chuku yura

Eulodia Dahua - Chuku Kuru

The chuku kurus. This... Now I'm going to talk about chuku kurus. My dad had not seen the chuku kuru. I had not seen the chuku kurus My grandmother named Aselita told him (to my dad) Young son-in-law Ehh! There are many chuku kuru here. "Come cut down the tree, son-in-law." He said "Yes" and my father went to cut down the chuku tree and when he cut it he said "Many worms have grown. There are big worms." So granny Aselita was watching after they felled the tree. Grandma gathered the best worms... So she took one by one the worms taj, taj. Shaka! with the teeth I cut them shaka. He threw out his feces daz, daz and eats them kau, kau, tus, tus, tus. That's what they say. he caught another worm and with his teeth he took out the feces daz, daz, and kaou, kaou, kaou eats them raw. That's what they say Instead he looked scared and said "so these worms are edible". Then Aselita said “this is how these worms are eaten raw” Later when he was piling up the worms he took a small pot and filled it completely with worms. They meet and fight to collect. Then he asked: “How do you eat worms?” She said: "son-in-law, first crush bonito with chili pepper, crush with salt. Crush them by adding salt and they will look like carachama (fish) eggs". Then my father said “Ah We didn't used to eat these worms.” and she said “son-in-law it's good to eat these worms by picking them”. That's what my mom said. She said these worms are edible, but we haven't eaten them until now even though you can eat them. (I haven't found them either and if I found them I would eat them) We haven't eaten. My parents told us that back then. Before, many worms knew how to grow, now they are not even found in chuku trees mm (there is no more) Those chuku worms don't grow anymore. Before they grew a lot, now you can't find them m m. Why do you think you can't see those worms? Maybe the Mianka bird eats them a lot. The mianka eats a lot. If you see them growing mianka eats them a lot mee, mee or any bird that eats worms they know they are flying around puj, puj, puj, puj flying. Those who eat those worms are the eagles who eat, woodpeckers are the ones who eat a lot. There are too many of those birds that eat a lot in the jungle, maybe that's why the worms no longer grow like before m, m. Kichwa Text Chukukuruta Kuna… Kuna mashti chukukuruta kuintangarauni chiga ñuka yayaga mana rikuk ashkay paiga kuna, chukuruta mana rikuy ashkayga paytaga Aselita niska apamama nishkaya masha wawa nishkay eh chuku kurumin mana kaylla an masnawalla kuchukshami mashawalla nikpi ari nisha rishkaunay, kuna rika ñuka yayaga chukurutaga kuchushkay, chuku ruyata kuchushkabi mana kailla mirashkara niraniaka zatun kururukuguna ashara chiga chi apamama Aselita paiga rikusha kuchuska washa shayawshkay chi apamama Aselita chajlla ally hatun rukuguna tan allasha taj taj apira niray, chi chuku kuruta apisha shaka kiruwa shaka lliquishaga mashti pay isma daz daz ichusha ña kaou kaou tuz tuz tuz mikuna ninun mikuna ninun shuktas apika ña sallata taz kiruwa kiruwa pay isma daz caou caou ña chawata mikurianun payga manzharisha rikushak! shayarin mikuna chajashka kay kuruta niga chiga ña chawata chasna mikura chiga apamama Aselita nishka nirian chiga chiwasagay payga umas tandashkaway shuk kasna runa mangawawata apasha markasha rishaga niundakta tandashashkuna mitzana kuinta tandanawra nira micha chiga chitaga imasara pay tapushkay imasa, rashata mikunami nisha mana mashawa nishka kay takasha uchuwan sumak kachita churasha takakpi shigli lulun yachin tukungan mashawa ña nishkay chiga ñuka yayaga ah nishkay ñukanchi mana mikuj chakanchi pero ña ñiskay payga mana masha nishkay kay kay ally mikuna chan tandaskawnay kuna chi chita kuitaugaray ñuka mama mikunamagan kay mashtiga chukukuruga nisha pero mana mikushka chanchi kuna punzhagama mikuna man nisha nigara (ñukas mana tupashkachani, tupashaga mikuna) mana mikushachanchi, ña mikunami an chasna ñuka yaya kuintagara chita ñuka mama kuintagara, chi uras chasna ñawpa aska kuru mirakmara kuna mana ally mirak chanun chukugunaybigas m m mana ally mirakchan mashtilla kay kuru chuku kuru ñawpaga mana kaylla mirak chagara kunun mana ally rikurik chanun m m (kan rikukpi imarasha chingarin?) ajam miankachu yapaj mikukajan pay imas ajan miankaga yapaj mikukajan , pero ña mirawta rikusha mianka mana kayllachu mikunga mee mee me me yanga pishkuguna chi kuru mikukga chikwan puj puj puj puj puj siringawnaya mm kuruta mikuja chikwan mikwanguna calpintero kuruta mikuj an chigunami mikukaguna chasna chiguna ña yapa ashka tian sachama mana ali mirachin ñawpa timpu shina kurujunan. m m. Spanish Text Los chuku kurus. Este... Ahora voy a hablar sobre chuku kurus. Entonces mi papá no había visto a los chuku kuru. No había visto a los chuku kurus La abuelita llamada Aselita le dijo a él (mi papá) " Joven yerno Ehh! aquí hay muchos chuku kuru. Ven a talar el árbol yerno" Él dijo "Sí" y se fue mi papá a talar el árbol de chuku y cuando lo cortó él dijo "Han crecido muchos gusanos. Hay grandes gusanos". Entonces la abuelita Aselita estaba viendo después de que talaron el árbol. La abuelita reunió los mejores gusanos... Entonces ella cogio uno por uno los gusanos taj, taj. Shaka! con los dientes los corto shaka. Botó sus heces daz, daz y se los come kau, kau, tus, tus, tus. Así dicen. cogió otro gusano y taz con los dientes saco las heces daz, daz, y kaou, kaou, kaou se los come crudo. Así dicen. En cambio, él veía asustado y dijo “entonces estos gusanos son comestibles". Entonces Aselita dijo “así crudo se comen estos gusanos” Después cuando él estaba amontonando los gusanos llevo una olla pequeña y la llenó completamente de gusanos. Se reúnen y pelean por recoger. Entonces él preguntó: “¿Cómo se comen los gusanos?” "Ella dijo: yerno primero se aplasta bonito con ají, se aplasta con sal. Se los aplasta poniendo sal y tendrá el aspecto de huevos de carachama (pescado). Entonces mi padre dijo “Ah Nosotros no solíamos comer estos gusanos." y ella dijo "yerno es bueno comer estos gusanos recogiendolos". Eso contó mi mamá. Ella dijo que son comestibles estos gusanos, pero nosotros no hemos comido hasta ahora a pesar de que se los puede comer. (Yo tampoco los he encontrado y si los encuentro los comería) No hemos comido. Mis padres nos contaban eso en eso entonces. Antes muchos gusanos sabían crecer, ahora ni en los árboles de chuku se los encuentra m m (ya no hay ) Ya no crecen eso gusanos de chuku. Antes crecían muchísimos, ahora no se los encuentra m m. ¿Por qué crees que no se ven esos gusanos? Tal vez el pájaro Mianka los come mucho. El mianka come mucho. Si los ve creciendo mianka se los come mucho mee, mee o cualquier pájaro que comen gusanos saben estar volando alrededor puj, puj, puj, puj volando. Los que comen esos gusanos son los Cuco Ardilla que comen, pájaro carpintero son los que comen mucho. Hay demasiados pájaros de esos que comen muchos en la selva, tal vez por esoya no crecen los gusanos como antes m, m.

Eulodia Dagua - A Generous Host Becomes The Chuku Tree

Before he was human being .The Chuku Yura was a man. Now the man had a lot of birds from all over.The white-eyed parakeet the blue headed parrot , the morete macaw, and the amazon green parrots and then yellow crowed amazon parrot and the he had the macaw. So he had lots of people ( around him) like that and then he said ( to them) “If you want I will flower,” He said. “You all drink my flowers,” he used to say. “Really” They used to ask. In those days the macaws, parrots and parakeets were people. And then ( They asked) “Are you telling the truth?” “I am thelling the truth” Do yo want to eat my flowers? “If you do put yourselves into a hole,” He said. “A big holes” The hole was in a mountain like that. In order to drink my flower “zhinnn!” “You all cry out to me,” he said. Then those he had put in the hole stayed there in the hole. The as he had said the cried out “zhiin! Zhiin” And one said Over there! Look! Now he is crying out! Then, having said that one of them heard it clearly. One of heard it clearly and said

Delicia Dagua - Like the Chuku Tree I Bring Relatives Together

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

Different birds feeding on the flowers of chuku yura

Different birds feeding on the flowers of Erythrina ulei. Drawing by Estela Dagua

Tawasamba

Chuku Flowers as the feather headdress (tawasamba) of the tree man. Drawing by Estela Dagua

Chucu tree by Narcisa Dagua, Age 67, July 2010