How the Si’a Bird Stole the Jewels

The Wayuu or Guajiro people are an ethnic group from the Guajira Peninsula in the northern parts of Venezuela and Colombia. The troupial, which figures prominently in this story, happens to be the national bird of Venezuela.

Juya was the god of rain and also the hunter god. He was married to Pulowi, the fierce goddess of the sea. But later, he left her to marry Mma, the earth goddess, whose children were the plants.

Mma was no gentle earth mother and was jealous of the incredible wealth of her husband’s first wife. ‘I’m so poor. My cattle are just deer, roe deer, foxes and other small, insignificant animals. But that Pulowi of the sea, she’s so rich! I’ve heard that the bottom of the sea houses many treasures. Her cattle are turtles, fishes big and small, and all the marine creatures. And I hear that she has jewels—one more precious that the other!’

Mma decided that she would steal the Tu’uma, the jewels made of coral, the most prized of them all. It is not fair that she has so much jewellery, she thought to herself. And who should offer to steal them for her but the Si’a bird.

The Si’a is a troupial, a black-and-orange little bird that doesn’t exactly look like the adventure-seeking kind. Pulowi of the sea was someone whose wrath none would dare invite upon themselves, for who did not know the fury of the waters?

‘I shall go, Mother Goddess,’ said the Si’a bird.

‘You, little one? Why, do you possess magical powers that you feel brave enough to undertake this mission?’ asked Mma.

‘As a matter of fact, yes! I’m a pulashi, or one powered by magic,’ replied the Si’a bird proudly.

‘Well then, prove it! I shall believe you’re indeed a pulashi when you return with a bag of the finest jewels that belong to Pulowi of the sea,’ said Mma.

And so the Si’a bird flew far, far, far towards the sea. There, he turned himself into a guajiro, a farmer, and entered the waters. Boldly he went to the big house in the sea, where Pulowi of the sea lived with her daughters, the children of Juya.

Pulowi was suspicious. ‘Who are you, Guajiro, who has travelled all the way down here? Isn’t this really far away from your home?’

‘Oh, I’m just a traveller. I want to explore the lands and the sea, and see for myself the wonders of this beautiful world. And I wished to see you too, revered Mother Goddess!’ Si’a spoke as humbly as he could. And Pulowi of the sea actually believed his story.

‘You can stay with us for a while then,’ she invited graciously and summoned her daughters. ‘Hang a hammock for this guajiro here. He’s going to be our guest.’ Juya’s children came and fixed a hammock for the stranger; a very colourful, embroidered, azure-and-sea-green one.

The guajiro stayed with them for three days and three nights. He noted that Pulowi of the sea had a very big house with a high ceiling. And she owned many cattle—turtles, dolphins, whales, octopuses and other colorful sea creatures! Even the sea birds that flew above belonged to her.

On the third day of his stay, he woke up at dawn and, turning back into his feathered self, flew up to the ceiling of the house, which was very, very high. There, suspended from a beam, were colourful mochilas or woven bags that contained all of Pulowi’s jewels. He got up there and had a look at them. I have to take the best jewels from these bags. That means I have to open them all. Are they all tied together? I really have to open them carefully, he thought to himself and flew down to his hammock and pretended to be fast asleep.

That night, everybody stayed up very late but the guajiro made his excuses and went to bed early. The others sat talking through the night and finally slept well past midnight. Poluwi also retired for the night. Now the Si’a bird slowly opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling. He could see the mochilas hanging above. Soon he was up there, bringing down the mochilas and carefully, noiselessly, loosening the strings that were secured at the two corners. It was the smallest bag that contained the best jewels. Tying it to his back, the Si’a bird quickly made his way up above the waters and back to land.

When Pulowi awoke, she found all her mochilas containing her jewellery lying strewn on the ground. All of them had their strings loosened, and worse—the littlest of them all was missing! She went to check the guajiro’s hammock and found him missing too. ‘That man was a thief! Look! He has taken the best of my jewels and gone! Did you see him leave?’ she asked her daughters. ‘No, we didn’t. All of us were fast asleep. How far could he have gone now?’ wondered the girls as an angry Pulowi whipped up a storm and raced to the surface of the sea to catch him. But by then he was far, far away and at Mma’s house.

‘Here it is—what you asked for, the bag of Pulowi’s most precious jewels!’ The Si’a bird handed the mochila over to Mma .

‘Are you sure these are her best?’ asked Mma as she loosened the strings. She found the tu’uma, the most coveted of all, kakuuna (necklaces), ajapūna (bracelets) and che’esaa (earrings). Delighted, she placed everything in her jewellery box. She gave the empty mochila to the Si’a bird. ‘Here, you can have this . . . make yourself a hammock with this in some faraway land where Pulowi of the sea won’t find you!’

And from then on, the Si’a bird lived in a hammock of woven straw. Its home is like a woven bag that hangs with an opening below—all thanks to Mma!