by Catten Carter
In the depths of the Amazon jungle, there lived a tribe known as the Konyukis. They held unique beliefs about mischievous entities called Rectum Spirits, which were both mysterious and feared.
According to Konyuki legend, these spirits were creations of Bokumbo, the trickster god. Known for his playful and troublesome nature, Bokumbo delighted in creating chaos and was an entity who embodied the air itself.
One day, overcome by a fit of mischief, he conjured numerous invisible and unpredictable spirits, releasing them into the world to stir things up. These spirits were unlike any others, as they entered humans through the most unexpected passage—the rectum. Thus, the Konyukis aptly named them the ‘Rectum Spirits.’
Once inside a person’s body, these spirits could take control, causing their hosts to behave absurdly—acting foolishly, speaking nonsense, and engaging in bizarre antics, often with animals or other humans.
However, the Konyuki tribe discovered a defense against these spirits. Their Wise Woman, Inyoni, had a dream where the spirits inadvertently revealed their weakness. Being entities of air, they could be repelled by resistance.
Inyoni realized that by clenching the buttocks and occasionally releasing rapid bursts of air, the spirits could be kept at bay. While it seemed oddly straightforward, this method proved effective. Whenever a Konyuki sensed mischief nearby, they would tighten their cheeks, take a deep breath, bend forward, and release air before re-clenching, effectively fending off the spirits.
And so for the tribe it became a routine. Periodically throughout the day, the Konyukis would clench their buttocks and rapidly let out air… They called it the ‘rectal prayer.’
During festivals, they performed a dance known as the “Kulu-kulu,” where tribespeople rhythmically clenched an unclenched their buttocks to the sound of music, and in the end of the dance, bending forward and all at once, loudly release air… This lively display served as a communal reminder to ward off the spirits.
Through these practices, the Konyuki tribe managed to survive and flourish, passing down their unique story through generations—a testament to their resilience and ingenuity in the face of trickster-god-inspired mischief.