The Indians of Venezuela belong to the Caribbean indigenous family of South America. Their division into tribes and groups, assumptions about historical ties between them are rather arbitrary and do not always correspond to the ideas of the Indians themselves – which tribe they consider related, and which one they don’t want to know.
“Terrible” Yanomami
This nation, of course, belongs to the first group. In Venezuela, the Yanomami live south of the city of Puerto Ordaz, to the border with Brazil and in northern Brazil too.
Sacred pemon stone
In the southeast of Venezuela, in the Canaima region, the Pemon Indians live, in terms of the degree of “uncivilization” they are close to the Yanomami. Pemons have a beautiful legend, from which they trace their origin.
In time immemorial, there lived a pemon named Taure Pan, and nicknamed Kueka. He was young and handsome and fell in love with the most beautiful girl from the neighboring village.
But the girl belonged to another people – the Makuchis Indians. And the pemon god Makunaime strictly forbade pemons to mix with makuchi: “Pemons should marry only pemons, and makuchi – only makuchi.” But the love of young people was so great that they disobeyed the divine covenant, got married and ran away from the village.
But people cannot hide from God’s wrath even in the densest jungle! One day, the formidable Macunaime himself appeared to the lovers, but they did not abandon their union. And then Makunaime said: “Awarokuruu.
Amoro aukowamumo Chokroro tatapiche anapo daro.” (Damn you now you will be with your wife forever!). Makunaime exhaled this curse to the wind, the wind spun like a hurricane, and Kueka and his wife hugged and turned into stone.
If they were one at a time, the hurricane would destroy them. But they chose not to part and forever remained in each other’s arms.
On the outskirts of the Pemon settlement, on the river bank, there really was a giant block of jasper, which the Indians called Kuek’s grandfather and grandmother.
Two connected figures were guessed in the outlines of the stone. Sacred ceremonies were performed around it. In the Pemon cosmogony, Kueka was considered a member of the community.
Wisdom of the Indians Tatuy (Tatuy)
The Tatuy Indians come from a large Indian empire between Venezuela and Colombia, about which not much is known. From a mixture of ancient tattoos and European conquerors, the current race of indigenous inhabitants of the state of Mérida of Venezuela (estado de Mérida) arose.
The very name “Tatuy” means “the most ancient”. And the word “Taita”, that is, “father” or “grandfather”, the natives of this tribe designated themselves in relation to other indigenous peoples of America.
By the time the Spaniards arrived, the Tatuy Indians were quite highly developed – they did not just hunt or collect fruits and “sweet roots”, but conducted reasonable agriculture and knew the healing properties of plants well.
Even in pre-Columbian times, the Tatuy Indians had a holistic cosmogony, their own pictorial writing, they knew the decimal count, moreover, they had an understanding of zero and infinity, which is rare among the natives.
The property of the Tatuy culture was the Kibario stone – a stone of time calculation, on the front side of which 36 circles are indicated, which depict months of an equal number of days and the whole year of 360 days. That is, they had their own solar calendar, different from the well-known Mayan.
The Tatuy Indians believe that, in addition to humans, there are other intelligent beings on earth who have the same rights as we do, so we must respect them and negotiate with them.
Tatuy priests (Mohans) are experts in the preparation of medicines based on herbs. They perform healing ceremonies, using their means to achieve healing that seems miraculous.
Maria from the Land of the Jaguars
The myth of Maria Lyons is a story of eternal creation and change. The Venezuelan Catholic Church, in order not to lose its flock, also honors Maria Lions – “Mary from the country of the jaguars” – as a Christian saint.
The main place of worship of the goddess is the sacred mountain of Sorte in Yaracuya, where thousands of pilgrims come every year on October 12 on Indian Resistance Day and Holy Week (Semana Santa). At this time, sacred dances on coals (los bailes de candela) and other rituals are performed at the natural monument of Maria Lionsa.
Great Chief Kasiki Gaikaipuro
Guaicaipuro in Caribbean means “prickly” or “forest spear”. It was the main weapon of the Indians, and the Spanish conquerors learned how dangerous it was in the jungle.
From a distant era that began in the decade of 1560-1570, stories have come down to us about the glorious struggle of the Indians with the Spaniards, when a dozen Indians, armed with arrows and machetes, stopped hundreds of Spaniards with cannons and guns.
Kasiki Gaykaipuro comes from the area where the city of Caracas was later founded. In these places, the Spaniards found a lot of gold, the seizure of land and the resistance of the Indians began.
Kasiki became famous for his courage, military ingenuity and great wisdom in organizing an alliance of Indian tribes to fight and negotiate with the Spaniards. In the spiritual sense, Kasiki Gaikaipuro is a symbol of courage, bravery and wisdom.