SIONA INDIANS IN PERU

THESE INDIANS ARE OF UNCERTAIN ORIGIN. SIONA MEANS PEOPLE. SIONA IN ECUADOR ALSO USES THE TERMS SAW MINE BA OR UPRIVER PEOPLE AND THE SECONYA COMES FROM SAKOYA WHICH IS THE NAME OF A SMALL TRIBUTARY. THE THE SECOYA USE THE TERMS SUCH AS PEOPLE OF THE RIVER.

EUROPEAN CONTACT SPEAKERS OF WESTERN TUKANOAN OCCUPIED 82,000 KM. BY 1980 THE COMBINED POPULATION OF SIONA AND SEYCOYA WAS 350. THEIR POPULATION IN ECUADOR, COLUMBIA AND PERU DID NOT REACH 1000. THE WEST TUKANOAN POPULATION 16,000 BY EUROPEAN CONTACT BY 17TH AND 18TH CENTURIES MISSIONARIES REFERRED TO THE WESTERN TUKANOANS AS ENCABELLADO BECAUSE OF THEIR LONG HAIR.

THE SIONA LIVED IN SEMI PERMANENT HOUSES AND ARE CHARACTERIZED BY ISOLATED AND CLUSTERED HOUSEHOLDS TO LARGER VILLAGES OF 100 OR MORE FOLKS. THEY MOSTLY LIVED ALONG RIVERS.THEIR SETTLEMENTS WERE BASES FOR FORAGING TRIPS THEIR POPULATION DENSITY IS .02 PER SQUARE KM. THEY BELIEVED IN ANIMALISTIC OR THE NATURAL ORDER SUCH AS ANIMALS, TREES, RIVERS, SEND THE STARS THE CULTURE HERO "BAINA" MEANING WITH THE PEOPLE . HE IS THE MAIN PROTAGONIST OF THE ORIGIN AND HIS DEEDS OF TRANSFORMATION IN MYTHIC TIMES ACCOUNT FOR THE KNOWN EARTH. THEY BELIEVE IN A TIERED UNIVERSE AN UNDERWORLD, THE EARTH, AND CELESTIAL REALMS.

THEIR MAIN RITUAL IS THE YAHE CEREMONY THAT PRESIDED OVER THE SHAMAN. THE CEREMONIES OCCUR AT VARIOUS INTERVALS. IT DIAGNOSES ILLNESSES AND PUNISHES THE ENEMY OF THE SORCERER. THE SHAMAN IS THE LEADER AND IT IS A COMMUNAL CEREMONY. A HALLUCINOGENIC CEREMONY CALLED CYAHUASCA IS THE MEDIUM THROUGH WHICH CONTACT IS MADE WITH THE SPIRIT WORLD. DISEASE IS BELIEVED TO BE CAUSED BY MAGICAL DARTS OF SORCERERS. ILLNESS AND REBIRTH ARE EXPLAINED AS THE RESULT OF VIOLATING DIET OT OTHER TABOOS. SHAMANS TREAT ILLNESS WITH RITUAL MEDICINES.

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