Otobo's Amazon Safari
The Huaorani or Waorani, also known as Huao, are an Amazonian people living in the lowland forests of Ecuador in the Yasunì Biosphere Reserve, declared by UNESCO in 1989 and comprised of Yasunì National Park, Intangible Zone and Waorani Ethnic Reserve. Information on Huaorani history and distribution prior to the twentieth centuries is scarce and speculative and there’s a mystery surrounding their origins. The Huaorani have the reputation of being the fiercest warriors of the Amazon and the first contacts with missionaries, oil workers, rubber gatherers and loggers have always been conflicting. Very confident and stoic, they don’t show anger and proudly assert that they have never been conquered defending bravely the boundaries of their territory. Gender equality, respect for the elderly, care of children and sharing of goods represent the grounds of their egalitarian society.
In the last decades large areas of the rainforest where they lived have been invaded and degraded by petrol companies and settlers who keep deforestating to build new roads, drilling platforms and pipelines. The Huaorani continue to experience rapid cultural change and often choose to move to towns such as Coca or settlements near roads. Fortunately many of them still live in harmony in the rainforest with the aim of preserving the Yasunì at any cost and keep mantaining their tradicional way of life with pride and determination.
Many characteristics make them distinct from any other group in the Amazon suggesting that the Huaorani were quite isolated, even from other indigenous groups of the area, for a long time. For example, their language Huao Terero (or Huao Tededo) is not directly related to any other language and suggests a separation or break from their relatives thousands of years ago. Tradicionally they are hunters and gatherers, legendary even among other Amazonian indigenous groups for their extensive knowledge about the rainforest and animal life, their hunting skills and strength . Hunting supplies a major part of the Huaorani diet and is of cultural significance. They use hardwood spears to kill ground mammals like peccaries and poison darts shot from blowguns to hunt birds and monkeys. In the past they lived exclusively deep in the forest, avoiding larger rivers and it is rumored that they were unable to swim. Nowadays the Huaorani live along wide rivers, are excellent swimmers and amply rely on fishing for their sustenance.
