The
Tunda (La Tunda) is a myth of the Pacific Region of Colombia, and
particularly popular in the Afro-Colombian-like doppelganger monster
woman community, about a vampire.
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES South America - the Northern Andes
Andean Peoples: Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia & Colombia
The Andean origin myths begin with Lake Titicaca on the border between
Bolivia and Peru. So we too will begin there, high on the Andean
plateau, 12,500 feet above the sea, where blue waters, rock and winds all
touch and intermingle.....
Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca's Island of the Sun
is the biggest lake in South America
Dr. DoDididdily and the Dee Dot's
THE NORTHERN ANDES
Bolivia - Colombia - Ecuador - Peru
Here is a wonderful story from Bolivia about how the Armadillo learn't to sing!
There once lived an armadillo who loved music more than anything else
in the world. After every rainfall, the armadillo would drag his shell
over to the large pond filled with frogs and he would listen to the big
green frogs singing back and forth, back and forth to each other in the
most amazing voices.
"Oh," thought the armadillo, "Oh how I wish I could sing."
The armadillo would creep to the edge of the water and watch the frogs
leaping and swimming in a frantic green ballet, and they would call
back and forth, back and forth in beautiful, musical tones. He loved to
listen to the music they made as they spoke, though he didn't
understand their words; which was just as well - for the frogs were
laughing at this funny animal that wanted so badly to sing like a frog.
"Don't be ridiculous," sang the frogs as they played. "Armadillos can't sing."
Then one day a family of crickets moved into a new house near
the armadillo, and he was amazed to hear them chirp and sing as merrily
as the frogs. He would creep next to their house and listen and listen
all day, all night for their musical sounds.
"Oh," sighed the armadillo, "Oh how I wish I could sing." "Don't be ridiculous," sang the crickets in their dulcet tones. "Armadillos can't sing."
But the armadillo could not understand their language, and so he just
sighed with longing and listened to their beautiful voices laughing at
him.
Then one day a man came down the road carrying a cage full of
canaries. They were chirping and flittering and singing songs that were
more beautiful even than those of the crickets and the frogs. The
armadillo was entranced. He followed the man with the cage down the
road as fast as his little legs would carry him, listening to the
canaries singing.
"Oh," gasped the armadillo, "Oh how I wish I could sing." Inside the cage, the canaries twittered and giggled.
"Don't be ridiculous," sang the canaries as they flapped about. "Armadillos can't sing."
The poor tired armadillo couldn't keep up with the man and the cage,
and finally he fell exhausted at the door of the great wizard who lived
in the area. Realizing where he was, the armadillo decided to beg a
boon of the man. Timidly, the armadillo approached the wizard, who was sitting
in front of his house and said: "Great wizard, it is my deepest desire
to learn to sing like the frogs and the crickets and the canaries."
The wizard's lips twitched a little in amusement, for who had ever
heard of an armadillo that could sing. But he realized that the little
animal was serious. He bent low to the ground and looked the creature
in the eye.
"I can make you sing, little armadillo," he said. "But you do not want to pay the price, for it will mean your death." "You mean if I die I will be able to sing?" asked the armadillo in amazement.
"Yes, this is so," said the wizard.
"Then I want to die right now!" said the armadillo. "I would do anything to be able to sing!"
The wizard and the armadillo discussed the matter for many hours, for
the wizard was reluctant to take the life of such a fine armadillo. But
the creature insisted, and so the wizard finally killed the armadillo,
made a wonderful musical instrument from his shell, and gave it to the
finest musician in the town to play.
Sometimes the musician would play his instrument by the pond where the
frogs lived, and they would stare at him with big eyes and say: "Ai!
Ai! The armadillo has learned to sing."
Sometimes the musician would play his instrument by the house where the
crickets lived, and they would creep outside to stare at him with And often the musician would visit the home of his friend who owned the
cage full of canaries - who was also a musician - and the two men would
play their instruments together while the little birds watched with
fluttering wings and twittered in amazement: "Ai! Ai! The armadillo has
learned to sing." big
eyes and say: "Ai! Ai! The armadillo has learned to sing."
And so it was. The armadillo had learned to sing at last, and his voice
was the finest in the land. But like the very best musicians in the
world, the armadillo sacrificed his Life for his Art.
DR DO-DIDDILY AND THE DEE- DOT'S
Bolivia - Colombia - Ecuador - Peru !
The Northern Andes have some wonderful stories Here are a few to just look at briefly.
The
Tunda (La Tunda) is a myth of the Pacific Region of Colombia, and
particularly popular in the Afro-Colombian-like doppelganger monster
woman community, about a vampire.
The Patasola or "one foot" is one of many myths in Latin American folklore about woman monsters from the jungle.
The Moan is a forest and river creature that protects the forests, steals women and disturbs fish
ing and hunting activities. The Llorona or the Weeping Woman is the ghost of a woman crying for her dead children that she drowned
. Her appearances are sometimes held to presage death. The Madremonte
(Mother of the forest) or Marimonda is usually regarded as protective
of nature and the forestMother Nature and Mistress of the Animals
animals and unforgiving when humans enter their domains to alter or
destroy them. She can be identified with The Hombre Caiman, or
Alligatorman, is a legendary creature that possesses both Alligator and
human features. This South American folk tale is particularly popular in
Plato, Magdalena, especially in rural and less populated areas. He is
said to have been a fisherman converted by the spirit of the Magdalena
river into an alligator, that returns every year on St. Sebastian´s day
to hunt human victims, much like the werewolf. The Mohana (La Mojana)
Mother of water or Mami Wata is a shapeshifting water spirit who usually
appear in human form to seduce and take away the humans. In the Amazon
basin this features are applied to the Pink Dolphins representing the
spirit of Amazon river. The discography of Colombian folkloric singer
Totó la Momposina includes works about the Mohana.
The evil chicken ("pollo maligno") is an evil spirit of the forest in
the form of a bird that haunts the hunters, attracting them to the
deepest forest in order to devour them.
The Candileja is said to be the spirit of a vicious old woman, who
was in charge of her grandchildren but neglected to teach then any
moral principles, so they grew up as murderers and thieves. In the
afterlife she was damned to travel around the world surrounded by
flames. It is related to the Will-o'-the-wisp phenomenon.
The dark mule or Mula Retinta is an evil spirit that appears before
arrieros as a pack animal, causing violent winds and storms that make
people fall off the precipices at the side of the pathways.
The Viruñas or Mandingas (the Evil One), is considered a representation of Satan
a wonderful story from Bolivia about how the Armadillo learn't to sing!
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The poor tired armadillo couldn't keep up with the man and the cage,
and finally he fell exhausted at the door of the great wizard who lived
in the area. Realizing where he was, the armadillo decided to beg a
boon of the man. 
