Oman #atozchallenge

Yanomami Child

O - According to Yanomami belief, Oman (or Omam or Omao) is the creator of their people. The Yanomami live in small tribes in the Amazon. Each tribe has its own beliefs and stories, most of which are passed on orally. As a result, the creation story differs greatly from tribe to tribe.

In the Sanema tribe, Oman was one of two tadpoles saved by Curare when the Original Jaguar ate Waipili, their mother. Oman grew very fast, and was soon able to kill Jaguar by convincing him to climb a tree. Jaguar fell to his death. With him out of the way, Oman set about convincing Lalagi-gi to help him grow food so he did not starve. Lalagi-gi agreed to teach him, and Oman learned to plant and care for the food he needed to survive.

With that done, Oman decided to make people. He planned to do so with hardwood trees so they would live forever. But his brother brought him softwood trees instead, and the people he made from them died easily. Angry, Oman found his own hardwood trees and made anacondas from them. With the Yanomami thus created, Oman left the Earth to live in the sky.

You can read a more complete version of this creation story here.

In another story of the Yanomami creation, Oman was attempting to repair holes in the world when a big chunk fell to the ground. Angered that his work seemed to be getting him nowhere, he said to heck with it, and decided to go fishing instead. In the river, he found the first Yanomami woman. But the woman wasn't quite right, so Oman used piranha teeth to shape her into something more suitable. Once completed, he made her a mate, and thus created the Yanomami people.

According to that particular story, everyone else was made from river foam.

I think flying to Venezuela, tracking down the Yanomami, learning their language, and then asking about Oman would be easier than finding anything more significant on him has proven to be. It's truly amazing how little we know about indigenous Amazonian tribes and their beliefs!

xoxo,

FALL– The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two is now available at Amazon | Barnes and Noble | KOBO. FADE - The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two is available at: Amazon US | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Books-a-Million.