Achuar women and men have different tasks for the survival of the family and community. Female roles usually pertain to domestic duties, including gathering and carrying game, preparing meals, preparing and serving masato (manioc beer) and tending to the chacras (gardens). The chacras a variety of plant species and are also sanctuaries for women, where they express their grief and suffering, and give birth to their children. Some sing anents, birdlike spiritual songs that allow them to...
more »Achuar women and men have different tasks for the survival of the family and community. Female roles usually pertain to domestic duties, including gathering and carrying game, preparing meals, preparing and serving masato (manioc beer) and tending to the chacras (gardens). The chacras a variety of plant species and are also sanctuaries for women, where they express their grief and suffering, and give birth to their children. Some sing anents, birdlike spiritual songs that allow them to communicate with their plants. The songs are deeply personal and often sung in secret.
The typical Achuar garden contains many kinds of plants, but the centerpiece of the garden and the staple of their diet is the manioc plant. There is a dynamic and complex relationship between the manioc, its female cultivator and Achuar social interactions, and much of a woman's day is spent preparing and serving masato- a beer made from fermented manioc. Every woman makes her own supply of masato for her husband and visitors, each with its own distinct flavor arising from the individual woman's saliva and the length of time it had been left to ferment. The manioc is husked with a machete, then washed in the river and boiled until it is soft enough to mash. The pieces are then chewed, mixed with saliva and spat out until the concoction is liquefied. The masato is then left for several days (depending on the strength desired) to ferment in the saliva enzymes.
Achuar culture is still largely polygamous and it is not unusual for a man to take several wives. Each wife lives in his house, has her own cooking utensils and provides for her own children.
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