Watariamba-WAR AND JUSTICE!

A young buck who went down in the snow came into our Munanso still warm and we prepared a feast immediately for Watariamba, the Misterio of War and Justice.    He was a buck who must have been born much earlier this year and his antlers were just beginning to develop.  We were aware that the Misterio himself had pulled this young buck so that we could prepare this feast.  We realized once again how blessed we are that we are able to have space where we can prepare these feasts outdoors in cast iron pots and directly on the grill, with the aroma of the meat and corn filling the air, and that we are in a position to be able to utilize the whole animal, including the skin which we scrape in preparation for tanning.  We are very fortunate that we live in the countryside where these animals cross our paths on a daily basis, which gives us the opportunity to present these highly valued animals to the Misterios. It is not every day that a Fundamento is presented with a complete venison feast!

These achese (organs) which include the eyes and penis of the buck will be dried and ground into a powder after being presented to Watariamba.  This powder will then be utilized in many ways, including directly in Fundamento, Bilongos, travajos, and for other Medicine Pieces.  The organs of this wild buck were very, very healthy, with a much darker and clearer coloring than any domestic animal would have.  For us it is very important to utilize healthy animals for the Misterios, as there is greater value and strength and vitality in a healthy animal.  This young buck was in supreme health before the snow put him in a position where he was unable to stand up and his organs themselves suffocated him.  (Certain animals- goats, sheep, horses, ...- if they fall in certain positions and get caught in something or it is too icy for them to stand up, their organs will put too much pressure on their lungs and they suffocate themselves.)  We see this situation and circumstance as the Misterio himself "hunting" this animal, especially since we found it while it was still warm!  Significantly this young buck arrived at a specific time, which coincided with a time when this Misterio was already in his process of going out to "hunt". 

Below, Watariamba with his buck and acheses.  The buck was cooked in one whole piece (as can be seen) upon the grill.  It is not every day or even every year that this happens, and again we have much gratitude for the blessings from Misterio that made this happen!