Dayuma
 | This article includes a improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (April 2024) ) |
Dayuma | |
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| Born | ca. 1924 Fish River, Gikita (uncle) (cousin)Mincaye |
Dayuma (also Dayumae) (born ca. 1930, - March 1, 2014) was a member of the
Biography
Dayuma was born sometime in the early 1930s in the
When she was young, her family was terrorized by a Huao warrior named
When she came to a river at the edge of the jungle, Dayuma saw a group of foreigners coming down the river in canoes. As she crossed over to them, the men raised their guns to fire at her, but for whatever reason they did not. When Dayuma arrived safely on the other side of the river, she called back to the two other girls who had come with her, and they came over as well. It was then that she received modern clothing for the first time, since the Huaorani traditionally only wear strings around their waists, wrists, and ankles.[citation needed]
Dayuma lived outside of Huaorani territory on a hacienda for many years. There were many Quechuas there, as well as people from other places. Over time she began to assimilate into the Quechua culture and language. It was there that she was befriended by an American missionary named
In 1955,
Not long afterwards, while still living at the hacienda and working closely with Rachel Saint, Dayuma converted to Christianity. Rachel Saint began to teach her more about the Bible and Dayuma continued to teach Rachel more of her language. Then in 1958, two women from Dayuma's tribe emerged from the jungle and wanted her to return with them, telling her that her mother,
Thus began the first peaceful outside contact recorded with the Huaorani tribe. Dayuma taught the language, and was instrumental in converting much of her family to Christianity. Elisabeth Elliot said "Dayuma was the preacher."[citation needed] Christianity might have had a large effect on the tribe; most touted the number of homicides plunged by almost 90%.[citation needed] Dayuma also had learned to sew while she was living with the Quechuas, and she made clothes for her people. Dayuma remained with the Huaorani until her death in the village of Toñampade, near to where the five missionary men were killed in 1956. It is also the location of theirs and Rachel Saint's graves.[citation needed]
References
- ^ Zylstra, Sarah Eekhoff. "Died: Dayuma, First Convert from Tribe that Martyred 'Gates of Splendor' Missionaries". Christianity today. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- ^ Ziegler-Otero 2004.
3) The Dayuma Story 4) Living Under the Spear
Bibliography
- Hitt, Russell T. Jungle Pilot
- Saint, Steve. End of the Spear (book)
- Wallis, Ethel Emily. Dayuma: Life Under Waorani Spears
- Ziegler-Otero, Lawrence (2004), Resistance in an Amazonian Community: Huaorani Organizing against the Global Economy, ISBN 978-1-84545306-0.
- Beyond the Gates of Splendor (documentary film)
