This Wednesday, we gathered in camp for another Naked Wednesday. It was a cozy evening where the shaman began with a prayer and spoke about the many strange animals of the jungle and their meanings. Afterwards, we had a quiz and learned valuable information—like where the Amazonian candiru fish likes to hide… and finally, we danced ourselves dry while Diana played her amazing drums.
Whisper’s animal prayer
steps onto a sun-warmed stone, arms wide, leaves tangled in her hair, a dreamy smile on face, takes a deep breath of jungle air, eyes half-closed in bliss.“Spirits of the soil, sky, and sandals we no longer wear… we greet you with our bare skin and open hearts! Today is Sacred Naked Wednesday!”
“No cloth shall cage us, no shame shall tame us! For the jungle knows our shapes already—every bump, every wobble, every mosquito bite!” points to the treetops, dramatically. “Today… we learn the secrets of the strange and wonderful jungle creatures! The frog that sings like thunder, the fish that climbs trees, the monkey that steals dreams—or bananas, same thing.”
lowers her voice in mock awe.“There is a beetle that glows when it tells lies… a bird that dances like it’s in love with the moon… and maybe, just maybe, the jaguar who once gave me relationship advice.”
sniffs the air and giggles.“So let your minds be open, your bodies be free, and your curiosity be bigger than your breakfast. The jungle is wise, weird, and sometimes smells funny—but it always teaches.” claps her hands once, startling a parrot.” Explore, observe, and if an animal talks to you… talk back. But be polite. Especially to snakes. They hold grudges.”
kneels on the stone, eyes closed, arms stretched upward as a butterfly lands on her nose., the voice drifts out like smoke from sacred herbs.“O spirits of the jungle, we thank you for your laughter, your paws, your wings, and your beautiful weirdness.”
“To the toucan with a nose bigger than its face—thank you for reminding us that being strange is sacred.”
“To the capybara who bathes with everyone, even grumpy caimans—thank you for showing us peace is possible in puddles.”
“To the sloth who moves like time has forgotten him—thank you for slowing us down, so we remember to breathe.”
“To the frog that glows like moonlight and the monkey who throws fruit at our heads—thank you for mischief and magic.”
“To the ants who build cities beneath our feet, and the jaguar who walks unseen—thank you for your strength, your silence, your shadow.”
places one hand to her heart, the other to the earth.“Today we learn from you. Today we laugh with you. Today, we walk wild like you—uncovered, unbothered, and a little bit weird.”
“May we always see the spirits hiding in feathers, scales, fur, and fangs. And may we never forget to thank the beetle for dancing, even if no one is watching.”
“And to Tasa, the Tapi cat… clever hunter, sneaky napper, spirit guardian in furry disguise—thank you, beloved. Tasa remind us that even in stillness, there is power. Even in a tail flick, a prophecy.”
“Let today be filled with learning, laughter, and animal wisdom. May we walk gently, howl freely, and scratch only if we have fleas or an important message to deliver.”
“The jungle watches. The animals teach. And Tasa—Tasa judges us all. Blessed be!”
This Wednesday, we followed our usual ritual bath before diving into a trivia session on the ancient cultures and gods of the Amazon. Goo claimed a decisive victory, while Shui and Micke secured second and third place. To wrap up the evening, we danced to the rhythmic beats of Diana’s drums.
Today was a laid-back and enjoyable day for the Tapi, as it was the Xoco that hosted all activities. The day began with Diana hosting the entertaining Rum Smugglers game. This year’s version of the game proved to be particularly challenging, keeping everyone on their toes. Everyone put their heads together, trying to decipher the clues, but it wasn’t until Shui cracked the code and figured out the correct sentence that we could move on to a big Beach Party also hosted by the Xoco.
Today was the Initiation of Ket and Sunny, from prospects to full Tapi. It was also the first time we gathered in the new sacred place.
It was a beautiful ceremony lead by Whisper and Summer with speeches from Bubba, Kwanita, Ket and Sunny. Afterwards there were dancing assisted by Diana from the Xoco playing drums for us all.
Today we had Día de los Muertos story hour in the camp, with a lot of good stories, both sweet, funny and scary.
Diana of the Xoco tells the first story
A girl came to my clinic the other day, thinking that she might be with child. I scanned her, and as we waited for the scanner to run she told me of a ghost near her camp. Her story moved me so I wrote it down, and here it is.
The shortcut through the planted field
is tempting as I go
The drifting clouds the moon conceal,
I cannot wander slow
The corn stands high above my head
the path I chose is muddy
It grows in rows without an end
and in the dark I hurry
I look around, I might be blind
as down the path I hustle
The air is still, there is no wind
so why do cornstalks rustle?
I feel a presence close to me
the noise is all around
Try as I might I cannot see
the reason for the sound
I’m running like a frightened cat
I cannot see the cause
It’s first on this hand then on that
I run without a pause
My heart is racing as I fly
towards our campfires’ shelter
I fear although I know not why
I tumble helter skelter
I reach the camp, I’m safe at last
amid familiar friends
I look around, for breath I gasp
as panic slowly ends
The morning comes, the sun gives light
of ever changing hue
the cornfield’s calm, and all in sight
Is glistening with the dew
I feel my fathers’ loving arm
across my shoulders fall
I lean towards him, safe from harm
He’s warm and strong and tall.
“My grandfather is buried here ”
he says and takes my hand
” he led our tribe against a foe
who tried to steal our land “
He led the charge that turned the day
and when the foe was gone
we found him bleeding, weak and grey
his life was almost done “
“he gazed upon our sacred land
and with his fading will
he reached out with his failing hand
‘I shall protect you still’ “
“We laid him deep beneath the ground
we laid him where he fell
We laid him with his feathered crown
and spear and shield as well “
“He gave his life to save us all
He died so you might live
and once you’ve served this noble call
there’s nothing more to give “
“We planted corn upon his grave
according to his will
and when we hear the cornstalks move
we know he’s with us still “
Hand in hand we trod the path
that led to home and peace
and settled by our welcome hearth
remembered sacrifice.
So sometimes when the day is done
and darkness floods the sky
I hear a rustling in the corn
and know the reason why
Diana
Catten tells the Story of Ek’Paal
Clears throat, sits down, and looks into the fire, saying with a low voice, “This story I will tell you all is not a ghost story, and it is not a scary story to tell as amusement when it gets dark, No, it’s a cautionary tale about ancient evils, that roam the night here in the jungle”.
Many gathered to listenAisha tells the story of the First Strawberry
Smiles at everyone around and says “I’d like to share a story that my late mother used to tell me before she tucked me in at night. As some of you might know, she was killed by my father’s tribe when I was still young. By sharing this story, I am hoping I can have her memory to stay with me and share it with you and to show how wise of a woman she was.. This is the story about the first strawberry”
He clarifies his voice “Goethe, I never imagine that after writing Fausto his demon Mephistofeles will stay among humans learning from his fears” laughs
Clear throat and starts *Once upon a time in the heart of the Amazon Jungle, there lived two tribal elders… Let’s call them, Bobble and Kvita… Bobble was an old fearless warrior, renowned for his unmatched trading skills and survival instincts. Kvita, on the other hand, was known for her beauty and her compassion towards everyone
Gives a small coughs and takes a sip of rum from her hip flask
A few miles outside the village there stood a ruined temple in a dark hollow of the rainforest overhung with dense foliage, which had a reputation for being haunted, because anyone who entered it was later found dead with all their bones broken
One late afternoon as the sun had turned deep orange and sparkled between the trees as it began to sink, a young girl from the village who had a bad reputation for drinking, was feeling really annoyed as she could not find a quiet spot where she could drink her rum in peace. So she went to the ruined temple and sat enjoying her drink.
‘Now the drama begins…’ licks her lips and grins
With loud footsteps a large fat priestess entered and asked the drunkard whether she could wrestle. The girl was surprised and annoyed as her drinking was being disturbed.
Of course, anyone who loves rum will of course understand her frustration,
‘Oh! Of course I can priestess’, she answered with a sullen look.
‘Come and wrestle with me then’, invited the smirking priestess with her sibilant snake-like voice. So the nervous girl and the slippery priestess wrestled.
Although the girl used all the tricks of wrestling she had learned at the village school, it was all to no avail, for the Priestess’s body was as soft as a sack of grass and as slippery as an eel. Although the girl was gasping, puffing and blowing, the priestess was
Glares at Diana, then pauses for dramatic effect, and says in a hushed voice with a smile on her lips, ‘A spirit…just think of it my friends and sisters – a slimy, grinning, grotesque spirit!!’
At last the girl was caught in a vice-like grip and her body was being banged against the floor repeatedly by the smirking priestess. In desperation the girl reached our her trembling hands and gripped the hair of the priestess and…. to her great surprise she felt a leather cap on the head of the priestess that she just couldn’t see. With widening eyes it seemed totally invisible to the naked eye.
She quickly snatched away the cap. At once the priestess let go her hold and in a pleading tone begged humbly for the return of her cap. ‘Why should I?’, answered the girl in growing confidence, realising that the spirit seemed to be in her power. ‘I have been needing a leather cap for a long time’.
‘Girl, groaned the priestess stretching out her hands, ‘but the cap is a vanishing cap which all spirits possess. Without it we can’t disappear. And when a human snatches it away from one of us, we are unable to snatch it back. We have to wait until it is freely returned to us.’
‘Haha!’ Laughed the triumphant girl, ’thank you for the information. Now I can take you home with me and make you fetch rum for me for three years. Then I’ll give you back your cap as payment for faithful service.’ But the spirit was in no mood for joking and pleaded with the girl to return the cap. Grovelling on the ground in front of her
In the end, the spirit in desperation told the girl that there were seven pots of gold buried underneath the stairs of the temple. ‘Now pleasee return me my cap and you can dig up the pots later.’
‘Dig them up yourself’, said the girl. So the poor spirit had to dig up the pots. ‘Now carry them and follow me’, ordered the girl and the poor spirit had to do what she was told. But when they approached the village the girl realised that the tribe’s villagers would come out and beat her if they should see her making a priestess carrying her heavy baggage. ‘I will have to have to explain that it’s a spirit and not a real priestess’, thought the girl, ‘then all the villagers will come to my house to ask me questions and they won’t allow me to drink my rum in peace’
So, turning to the spirit she said, ‘All right spirit. Thank you and goodbye. Here is your cap.’ The spirit took the cap and vanished at once.
The girl became very rich and was made chieftess of the tribe and lived in great luxury as most chieftess do, except me, as I am too humble to wallow in gold, as most of you will know!
Khaing
Everyone listening to stories
I was told that there were even more stories afterwards! Thank you all for coming.
