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Narrator: Bélgica Dagua
from interviews with Tod D. Swanson
Bélgica Dagua, "How an Unwanted Man Became the Spirit-Eye Tree."
The story is taken from an interview Tod Swanson did with Bélgica Dagua on the Río Tiputini in Ecuador's Yasuni National Park. Subtitles can be switched to Quichua.
Cite video as:
Tod D. Swanson, "Bélgica Dagua, 'How an Unwanted Man Became the Spirit-Eye Tree.’” Youtube video. 2:09. October 2, 2016. https://youtu.be/-SM-n3Dv2wg
Bélgica Dagua, "Origin of the Woolly Monkeys."
As we recorded this narrative on the Río Tiputini a large flock of woolly monkeys was feeding directly over us. It is for this reason that the narrator seems to whisper.
Analysis
Please cite video as:
Tod D. Swanson, "Bélgica Dagua, 'Origin of Woolly Monkeys.’” Youtube video. 6:18. August 11, 2016.
Bélgica Dagua, "Hummingbird Calls Give Joy and Warn of Danger."
Tod D. Swanson, "Bélgica Dagua, 'Hummingbird Sounds Give Joy and Warn of Danger.’” Youtube video. 0:29. October 2, 2015. https://youtu.be/K8esX7GETCY
Bélgica Dagua, "Valued like an acacia flower."
Please cite video as:
Tod D. Swanson, “Bélgica Dagua, 'Valued like an acacia flower.’” Youtube video. 3:54. August 14, 2016. https://youtu.be/oWPz5Qf7mhE Kichwa and Spanish subtitles.
Bélgica Dagua, "The Strangler Fig Loved a Girl "
Cite video as:
Tod D. Swanson, "The Strangler Fig Loved a Girl.’” Youtube video. 6:29 August 15, 2016, 2016.
Bélgica Dagua, "Deer Papaya: A Deceased Grandfather Returns as a Deer."
Bélgica Dagua tells the story of a deceased man who returns to his grandchildren as a deer. When the children are left home alone the deer comes out of the forest as a man and gives them what appears to be papaya. He tells them he has much more out in his forest garden. He lays down to take a nap and sends them off to look. But when they go look there is no cultivated garden but only wild forest variant of domestic papaya that deer eat. When the return to question their sleeping grandfather they cannot find him. But someone runs off as a deer.
Please cite video as:
Tod D. Swanson, "Bélgica Dagua, 'Deer Papaya: A Grandfather Returns as a Deer.'" Youtube video. 3:12. March 26, 2016.
Bélgica Dagua, "Why Deer Don't Have Masters."
Bélgica Dagua argues that deer are unique in not having masters because they are the ghost of humans. Most animals have an amu , a spirit master analogous to a Hopi Kachina who protects them and causes them to flourish. To protect them these amus keep the species locked in corrals inside the mountains only letting out a few to be hunted. For this reason the animals are relatively scarce in the forest but plentiful inside the mountains.
Unlike peccaries the deer do not have amus because deer are the transformed ghosts of people who die. For this reason deer haunt the areas around their previous homes as well as their old manioc gardens. According to Bélgica there are many deer in her home community because the deer have no amu to lock them up. By contrast there are few peccary in the forest because the their amu keeps them protected inside local mountains.
A western ecologist might attribute the relative abundance of deer to hunting practices. Because deer are believed to be ghosts they are not hunted for food and consequently multiply. Peccaries by contrast are heavily hunted.
Please cite video as:
Tod D. Swanson, "Bélgica Dagua, 'Why Deer Don't Have Masters.'" Youtube video. 1:29. December 14, 2016. https://youtu.be/IdDXGLANcV0
Bélgica Dagua, "An Anthurium Used as a Beauty Cream After Pregnancy "
Cite video as:
Tod D. Swanson, "Bélgica Dagua, 'An Philodendron Used as a Beauty Cream After Pregnancy (Philodendron rugosum).’” Youtube video. 0:49 December 31, 2016. https://youtu.be/yZF42Soh2Wg
Bélgica Dagua, "How Communities Used to Drink Wholsomely"
Cite video as:
Tod D. Swanson, "How Communities Used to Drink Wholesomely.’” Youtube video. 5:54 December 31, 2016.
Bélgica Dagua, "Pasu Spirit Woman Gardening Song"
Cite video as:
Tod D. Swanson, "Pasu Spirit Woman Gardening Song.’” Youtube video. 3:36 December 31, 2016.
Bélgica Dagua, "Star Women and the Origin of Fireflies." Youtube video. 16:53. Mar 29, 2019.
Bélgica Dagua, "Why young people should not kill geckos." (Their babies will die like geckos)
Please cite video as:
Tod D. Swanson, interview. Bélgica Dagua, "Why young people should not kill geckos." Youtube video. 2:07. December 30, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1CuvkCgVOQ
Bélgica Dagua, "On the origin of the kingfisher." Youtube video. 8:11 January 1, 2019.
Bélgica Dagua, "Chukunza Ruya: A Traditional Malaria Medicine."
Cite as Tod D. Swanson, "Chukunza Ruya: A Traditional Malaria Medicine." 2:20 December 31,2018 Youtube video. 2:20. December 31, 2018. https://youtu.be/gAICrTUbsyA
Bélgica Dagua, "Bélgica Dagua, "Wawa tukuk tsuan: The woodpecker that predicts the birth of a crying baby."
Please cite video as:
Tod D. Swanson, “"Bélgica Dagua, "Wawa tukuk tsuan: The woodpecker that predicts the birth of a crying baby." Youtube video. 1:21. December 31, 2018. https://youtu.be/qEypv_QYn-g.
Bélgica Dagua, "Munditi amu: An encounter with the master of the curassow"
Cite video as: Tod D. Swanson, "Bélgica Dagua, "Munditi amu: An encounter with the master of the curassow" Youtube video. 6:39. December 31, 2018. https://youtu.be/wBBFZTKr-8I
Belgica Dagua, "Wayusa woman, her husband Capuchin Monkey, and sister Little Tinamou."
Cite video as: Tod D. Swanson, "Bélgica Dagua, "Wayusa woman, her husband Capuchin Monkey, and sister Little Tinamou." Youtube video. 10:58. October 17,, 2018. https://youtu.be/B3LR09eykKQ
"On travelling light: The hummingbird and the dove." Tod D. Swanson interview with Bélgica Dagua. YouTube video. 5:05 April 1, 2016. https://youtu.be/9T9yaWlxE9M
Belgica Dagua, Origin of the Wangana Bird https://youtu.be/GJgnCnRcwGQ
Belgica Dagua, Kuwayu Panga. https://youtu.be/U0_DvPs4Qvo
Bélgica Dagua, Origin of the White-lipped peccary https://youtu.be/X3afThG_9x8
Bélgica Dagua, "The Frog Sister of Snakes. https://youtu.be/XC0aKBc_Imo
"Bélgica Dagua, "A forest woman seeks a bride for her son" Youtube video. 5:05. May 11, 1955. https://youtu.be/OdbEUK5GFjc.
"A Girl’s Mouth acquires the Bitter-Sweet Taste of the Piton Flower." Tod D. Swanson interview of Bélgica Dagua. YouTube video 0:47. Uploaded June 2, 2020. https://youtu.be/2Vrzexr4Q-8