FEATURE


Upon arrival at the Eco-lodge, we are


treated to a delicious repast of curried tapir over rice and yucca, a typical Lokono meal. According to Damon, “The Arawaks are meat eaters. They eat meat with lunch and dinner.” Only a few of the remaining tribesmen still hunt the traditional ways – with bows and arrows or dart guns – killing pacas, peccaries (Old World pigs), wild turkeys called ‘marudies’, and agoutis. And with every hunt, Damon continues, “We give thanks to the Creator. We also give thanks to the animal that has sacrificed its life for our sustenance’. I find myself pondering such a wonderful philosophy every time I savor a bite of steak or munch on a chicken breast. All of the meat to supply the


needs of the Eco-lodge is purchased from these native hunters or at the local village store. Varieties of fish plucked from the life-giving Mahaica River, along with an abundance of fresh eggs, round out the protein menu.


These privileged visitors – my husband Gustavo, son Nicolas and I – have come to this pristine wonderland, considered part of the Amazon River Basin, to go ‘birding’ and ‘field herping’. To view hoatzins and channel-billed toucans, green macaws and hummingbirds in their natural habitat.


BIRD SCENE 17


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