Luisa Cadena, “Dream of  Women Laughing”

Why did I dream like that?” I asked my brother in the morning. I was seeing Runa women laughing back at me ajajailla!  All painted with huituc, black women.  Lots of women!” I said.    Hearing that my brother used to say, “Today we are going to find monkeys and kill them.  Just like that he lay there hearing the monkeys cry out “churuuuuucuaaaaachuruuuu”.

Look there! Your dream was true.  You stay here.  I am going to go kill the monkeys,” my brother said to me.  My brother went.  We stayed.  There were two of us.  It was his killing of the monkeys that I dreamed.   [That is why] you dreamed seeing a black face.  You dreamed a face painted black with huituc.  It means killing monkeys. Don’t you hear them cry out “churuuucuaami.”  I dreamed that black women came laughing.  Young women, charcoal colored women.