Chapter 51: An Awajun Group Forms a New Village
AS TOLD BY JOHN AGERSTEN
From Laurel to Uritoyacu
Laurel was a village we were very familiar with since it was just a short journey by speedboat from Tigre Playa. For a while now, we had traveled there for home meetings on Sunday afternoons. Many, both from the Indigenous and mestizo populations, faithfully attended the meetings. On the way to Laurel, we would pass the mouth of Uritoyacu, a small tributary to the Marañon, its opening barely visible between the trees and bushes along the riverbank. It blends its clear water with the brown murky water of the Marañon as it flows into the larger river a short distance below Tigre Playa. We were told that a group of the Awajun tribe from Laurel had moved to a small lake further into Uritoyacu on the north side of the Marañon. They had moved there to escape their "patron," a cattlerancher and farmer on a large hilly area near the village of Laurel.
The "patron" in Laurel conducted trade with the Awajun people living in the Cahuapanas tributary, which flows into the Marañon from the south, well downstream from Laurel. Over the years, he had brought several Awajun families onto his property, claiming they owed him money and insisting they work on his farm to pay off their debts. Unfortunately, during that time, it was quite common for both indigenous people and mestizos to be cheated by “patrones” and itinerant merchants who visited the villages along the rivers using small motorboats from nearby towns and provincial cattle farms. They would sell them cheap sugarcane alcohol, after which they would sell their other goods at high prices, while undervaluing the items the villagers had to trade. These traded items commonly included smoked wild boar meat, salted dried fish, turtles, and animal hides. Before the ban was implemented, there was a thriving trade in skins of wild boars, pumas, and leopards. The local people had little idea of the true value of these goods, as their contact with the outside world was very limited.
Laurel was a village we were very familiar with since it was just a short journey by speedboat from Tigre Playa. For a while now, we had traveled there for home meetings on Sunday afternoons. Many, both from the Indigenous and mestizo populations, faithfully attended the meetings. On the way to Laurel, we would pass the mouth of Uritoyacu, a small tributary to the Marañon, its opening barely visible between the trees and bushes along the riverbank. It blends its clear water with the brown murky water of the Marañon as it flows into the larger river a short distance below Tigre Playa. We were told that a group of the Awajun tribe from Laurel had moved to a small lake further into Uritoyacu on the north side of the Marañon. They had moved there to escape their "patron," a cattlerancher and farmer on a large hilly area near the village of Laurel.
The "patron" in Laurel conducted trade with the Awajun people living in the Cahuapanas tributary, which flows into the Marañon from the south, well downstream from Laurel. Over the years, he had brought several Awajun families onto his property, claiming they owed him money and insisting they work on his farm to pay off their debts. Unfortunately, during that time, it was quite common for both indigenous people and mestizos to be cheated by “patrones” and itinerant merchants who visited the villages along the rivers using small motorboats from nearby towns and provincial cattle farms. They would sell them cheap sugarcane alcohol, after which they would sell their other goods at high prices, while undervaluing the items the villagers had to trade. These traded items commonly included smoked wild boar meat, salted dried fish, turtles, and animal hides. Before the ban was implemented, there was a thriving trade in skins of wild boars, pumas, and leopards. The local people had little idea of the true value of these goods, as their contact with the outside world was very limited.
The most coveted items offered for sale were guns and ammunition for hunting. Although these were expensive goods to begin with, their prices increased disproportionately as they reached the indigenous villages and were sold on credit. No matter how much or how long they worked, the buyers rarely managed to pay off their debts. After several years caught in what resembled a form of slavery, the indigenous people in Laurel had had enough. Some had already returned to Cahuapanas, while many others found their way to the shoreline at Uritoyacu. Those who owned canoes packed their families and their few belongings, then paddled upstream along the narrow river. Others set out on jungle trails on foot, making their way to a small lake deep within the forest. They were familiar with the area from their hunting and fishing trips, and now they cleared a patch of land on a hillside near the lake to build simple huts. They named the new settlement after the river: Uritoyacu. Before coming to settle there, they had already planted manioc and banana fields, establishing a small but vital community in the wilderness.
We continued to visit Laurel, since some people from the village still attended our services, and although we heard about the escape of the Awajun group, it took some time before we had the opportunity to visit Uritoyacu. We didn't know exactly how deep into the jungle they had settled, and the river was narrow, making us unsure whether it could be navigated by anything other than a canoe. It was only after Humberto Patricio, an Awajun man from the village of Porvenir in Potro, reached out to us that we began to plan a visit to this small settlement.
Humberto Patricio had dedicated his life to Jesus back in his village, Porvenir, during one of our first visits there. He became one of the leaders among the believers in the village. We have already written about our initial visits to Potro a few years before this. In the early 1970s, the oil boom came to the jungle. A large oil company moved up the Marañon from Iquitos, which became an opportunity for both mestizos and indigenous people to find jobs for varying periods, often with relatively good pay. Patricio was one of those who got a job with them and worked there for over a year without returning to his village. According to himself, he lived a sinful life during this time.
When his job ended, Patricio felt ashamed when he reflected on the way he had lived working for the company. So instead of returning home, he eventually made his way to the village of Uritoyacu. After some time, he attended a service with us at Tigre Playa. He knelt with tears and repentance in the church, praying for forgiveness. When he was about to leave and return to his village, he asked if he could share his testimony with the others, even though he had led a sinful life during his time working in the oil company. We said he could read God's Word to them and share what he had experienced with Jesus. Some of them had already accepted Jesus as their Savior at services in Laurel, and they still remembered some of the songs and hymns they had learned there.
Humberto Patricio had dedicated his life to Jesus back in his village, Porvenir, during one of our first visits there. He became one of the leaders among the believers in the village. We have already written about our initial visits to Potro a few years before this. In the early 1970s, the oil boom came to the jungle. A large oil company moved up the Marañon from Iquitos, which became an opportunity for both mestizos and indigenous people to find jobs for varying periods, often with relatively good pay. Patricio was one of those who got a job with them and worked there for over a year without returning to his village. According to himself, he lived a sinful life during this time.
When his job ended, Patricio felt ashamed when he reflected on the way he had lived working for the company. So instead of returning home, he eventually made his way to the village of Uritoyacu. After some time, he attended a service with us at Tigre Playa. He knelt with tears and repentance in the church, praying for forgiveness. When he was about to leave and return to his village, he asked if he could share his testimony with the others, even though he had led a sinful life during his time working in the oil company. We said he could read God's Word to them and share what he had experienced with Jesus. Some of them had already accepted Jesus as their Savior at services in Laurel, and they still remembered some of the songs and hymns they had learned there.
Our First Visit to Uritoyacu
After a few weeks, Humberto Patricio returned, excited to tell us that more people in Uritoyacu had come to faith. They now requested a visit from us because they wanted more teaching from God's Word. A date was set, and Humberto happily paddled back in his canoe. When the day for our visit arrived, we took the whole family upriver in the open wooden boat equipped with a motor, which was best suited for shallow, narrow rivers. In the boat, we had carefully packed our homemade waterproof bags containing mosquito nets, air mattresses, and various other supplies we would need during our days in the village.
After a little over two hours navigating the winding, narrow river, the landscape suddenly opened up, revealing a lake. It looked as if the ground had sunk. Around the lake, large, rotting trees with water reaching up to the middle of their trunks stood submerged. On one side, the jungle continued at nearly the same level, while on the other two sides, the land was higher. The trees were adorned with vines and beautiful orchids. After about half an hour of cruising among the trees, we finally arrived at the village.
After a few weeks, Humberto Patricio returned, excited to tell us that more people in Uritoyacu had come to faith. They now requested a visit from us because they wanted more teaching from God's Word. A date was set, and Humberto happily paddled back in his canoe. When the day for our visit arrived, we took the whole family upriver in the open wooden boat equipped with a motor, which was best suited for shallow, narrow rivers. In the boat, we had carefully packed our homemade waterproof bags containing mosquito nets, air mattresses, and various other supplies we would need during our days in the village.
After a little over two hours navigating the winding, narrow river, the landscape suddenly opened up, revealing a lake. It looked as if the ground had sunk. Around the lake, large, rotting trees with water reaching up to the middle of their trunks stood submerged. On one side, the jungle continued at nearly the same level, while on the other two sides, the land was higher. The trees were adorned with vines and beautiful orchids. After about half an hour of cruising among the trees, we finally arrived at the village.
The villagers stood on the shore, welcoming us warmly. We recognized several of them from our previous visits to Laurel. After greetings from the village chief, everyone watched with interest as our belongings were carried up from the boat. Our friends in Uritoyacu were very poor, even by jungle standards. However, their huts were quite decent—newly built and sturdy, made from materials gathered from the forest. There was no shortage of the distinctive palm leaves used for roofing. The village had no school yet, but some of the villagers had attended school in Laurel and could at least read a little.
Humberto explained that they had built a larger house using the same construction style as their huts. This would be our place to stay, and it would also serve as the gathering spot for services. They served manioc, bananas, and small fish, all cooked in clay pots over open fires. It tasted very good after the journey from Tigre Playa. That same afternoon, a service was announced, and both young and old made their way to the gathering. Most of them had heard something about the Bible in Laurel. They listened eagerly as I taught simple lessons from God's Word. We also taught them some new Spanish hymns. Patricio had already taught them a few songs and hymns in their language. They were impressed by the accordion I had brought with me. Everything was translated into the Awajun language. Most of the men and older boys knew some Spanish, while the women knew little to none. Many came forward when the invitation to salvation was offered, and a spiritual revival broke out in the village. We stayed there for several days, rejoicing in the receptiveness to the Gospel.
Humberto explained that they had built a larger house using the same construction style as their huts. This would be our place to stay, and it would also serve as the gathering spot for services. They served manioc, bananas, and small fish, all cooked in clay pots over open fires. It tasted very good after the journey from Tigre Playa. That same afternoon, a service was announced, and both young and old made their way to the gathering. Most of them had heard something about the Bible in Laurel. They listened eagerly as I taught simple lessons from God's Word. We also taught them some new Spanish hymns. Patricio had already taught them a few songs and hymns in their language. They were impressed by the accordion I had brought with me. Everything was translated into the Awajun language. Most of the men and older boys knew some Spanish, while the women knew little to none. Many came forward when the invitation to salvation was offered, and a spiritual revival broke out in the village. We stayed there for several days, rejoicing in the receptiveness to the Gospel.
Resistance From The Local Medicine Man
On the other side of the lake lived a mestizo with his family. He was known as a shaman or medicine man. He threatened the villagers, warning them that if they didn’t do as he demanded, he would curse them with sickness and death. He particularly disliked that many of the villagers had become Christians and no longer called upon him for spiritual practices or healing when someone was ill. If they couldn’t pay him with chickens, wild meat, or labor on his fields, he demanded payment in other ways.
It had been quite some time since our first visit, but someone from Tigre Playa, either we or the other missionaries, had gone back to the village a few times since then. During those visits, several villagers had been baptized. The indigenous people told us about the medicine man, who continued to threaten them and cause trouble.
One day, Patricio and another villager paddled to Tigre Playa in their canoe. They told us that the medicine man was still threatening them in various ways. He had warned that if they didn’t stop holding services and singing praise songs, he would poison the lake’s water so that everyone would die. The villagers were afraid, for even while living in Laurel, they had heard stories about how he had cursed and inflicted sickness on others. But they didn’t want to obey the shaman.
Not long after this event, I received a summons from the district justice. The letter stated that Humberto Patricio and I were accused by the medicine man of causing a disturbance and of defamation. When Patricio came to see us the next day, he was frightened. We gathered for a long prayer session with others in the church at Tigre Playa before heading down to the justice’s office in Barranca. The medicine man was also summoned. The judge wanted him to clarify the nature of the accusations. He was somewhat abrupt, as the shaman did not have a good reputation in the area. However, now, the shaman was acting friendly and claimed it was all a misunderstanding. The case ended with him withdrawing his accusations. He received a rebuke from the judge, and shortly afterward, he moved away from Uritoyacu.
Then peace was restored in the village. During a visit not long afterward, another baptism took place in the lake, with over 20 people baptized. During the few years this group lived in Uritoyacu, we visited them several times from Tigre Playa. All the villagers eventually received Jesus, and after some time, most of the adults and young people in the village had been baptized.
On the other side of the lake lived a mestizo with his family. He was known as a shaman or medicine man. He threatened the villagers, warning them that if they didn’t do as he demanded, he would curse them with sickness and death. He particularly disliked that many of the villagers had become Christians and no longer called upon him for spiritual practices or healing when someone was ill. If they couldn’t pay him with chickens, wild meat, or labor on his fields, he demanded payment in other ways.
It had been quite some time since our first visit, but someone from Tigre Playa, either we or the other missionaries, had gone back to the village a few times since then. During those visits, several villagers had been baptized. The indigenous people told us about the medicine man, who continued to threaten them and cause trouble.
One day, Patricio and another villager paddled to Tigre Playa in their canoe. They told us that the medicine man was still threatening them in various ways. He had warned that if they didn’t stop holding services and singing praise songs, he would poison the lake’s water so that everyone would die. The villagers were afraid, for even while living in Laurel, they had heard stories about how he had cursed and inflicted sickness on others. But they didn’t want to obey the shaman.
Not long after this event, I received a summons from the district justice. The letter stated that Humberto Patricio and I were accused by the medicine man of causing a disturbance and of defamation. When Patricio came to see us the next day, he was frightened. We gathered for a long prayer session with others in the church at Tigre Playa before heading down to the justice’s office in Barranca. The medicine man was also summoned. The judge wanted him to clarify the nature of the accusations. He was somewhat abrupt, as the shaman did not have a good reputation in the area. However, now, the shaman was acting friendly and claimed it was all a misunderstanding. The case ended with him withdrawing his accusations. He received a rebuke from the judge, and shortly afterward, he moved away from Uritoyacu.
Then peace was restored in the village. During a visit not long afterward, another baptism took place in the lake, with over 20 people baptized. During the few years this group lived in Uritoyacu, we visited them several times from Tigre Playa. All the villagers eventually received Jesus, and after some time, most of the adults and young people in the village had been baptized.
