A day in the life of a Peruvian shaman - Gabriel Prieto

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

At the temple of the fisherman, Quexo, the village shaman,

在漁民的寺廟， 村中的薩滿巫師凱克索

looks out over the ocean and frowns.

遠望向海洋的另一端並皺起眉頭。

It’s a still morning– unusually still,

此時還是早晨—— 無風到十分不尋常，

and the lack of wind is the latest in a series of troubling signs.

已經出現了一系列不祥徵兆， 沒有風是最近的一個徵兆。

The year is 1400 BCE.

這一年是西元前 1400 年。

Quexo’s village sits in the dusty, treeless desert

凱克索的村落座落在 滿是塵土又沒有樹木的沙漠裡，

between the towering Andes and Pacific Ocean.

夾在高聳的安地斯山脈 和太平洋之間。

The villagers live off the sea, harvesting reeds,

村民住在海邊，收割蘆葦，

drying them in the sun, and using them to build fishing boats.

在太陽底下曬乾，用來建造漁船。

Every day in the summer,

夏天的每一天，

the men set out on these boats to hunt shark and other fish

男性都要乘這些船隻出海， 去獵捕鯊魚和其他魚類，

while the women harvest shellfish and sea urchins.

女性則要採集貝殼和海膽。

In winter, storms bring powerful waves, which cross the vast ocean unobstructed

冬天，暴風雨會帶來威猛的海浪，

通行無阻橫越浩瀚的海洋，

to detonate on these shores.

炸在這些海岸上。

Most years, Quexo’s village catches more than enough fish.

幾乎每一年，凱克索的村落 都能捕捉到足量的魚類。

But this year, the winds have died and the fish have dwindled.

但今年，沒有風，魚類也減少了。

Quexo has seen this pattern before:

凱克索以前見過這種模式：

the fish disappear, then the violent rains arrive,

魚類消失，接著暴雨襲來，

causing flash floods that dissolve mud bricks and wash away settlements.

造成突來的水災，導致泥磚溶解，

居住地被沖刷走。

He needs to stop the bad weather before the storms come—

他必須要在暴風雨來臨之前 阻止惡劣的天氣——

his only hope is a special ritual he’s been planning.

唯一的希望

是他一直在盤算的一種特殊儀式。

Quexo spends much less time in the ocean than the other villagers.

相對於其他村民， 凱克索在海上的時間並不多。

He became a shaman after seeing a sign in the sea one morning—

有天早晨他看見海洋上的徵兆之後 便成了薩滿巫師——

like his father and grandfather before him.

與他的父親和祖父先前的狀況一樣。

This morning,

這天早晨的日出時， 他走到附近的聖山。

he walks to the nearby sacred mountain as the sun rises.

There, he gathers ceremonial cactus and herbs like “horse tail,”

在那裡，他收集了儀式用的 仙人掌和藥草，比如「馬尾草」、

“stonebreaker," and valerian, along with the mineral hematite.

「珠子草」 、纈草，及赤鐵礦。

Back in the village, everyone is preparing to leave

回到村落時，大家都在準備離開，

for a religious festival at a large temple inland.

前往內陸的一間大型寺廟 參與宗教節慶。

The festival marks the beginning of what is usually the season of abundance,

這個節慶通常代表豐收季的開始，

but with the signs pointing to storms, Quexo isn’t feeling too celebratory.

但因為那些暴風雨將至的徵兆，

凱克索不是很有心情慶祝。

Whole families travel to the festival, where they camp for a few days.

全家人會一起到節慶所在， 在那裡紮營住幾天。

They’ve packed seaweed, carved bones, gourd bowls, reed mats,

他們打包了海草、 骨頭雕刻、葫蘆碗、

蘆葦墊以及其他商品，

and other goods to trade in the market around the temple.

去寺廟旁的市場交易。

Quexo inspects the goods to make sure everything is of the finest quality.

凱克索檢查確保商品的最佳品質。

He brings the herbs he gathered to trade for cinnabar,

他帶著他收集到的藥草， 要去交換辰砂，

a mineral that comes from the highlands in the Andes.

辰砂是來自安地斯山脈 高地的一種礦物。

He needs cinnabar for his ritual to ward off the storms.

他需要辰砂，才能進行 阻擋暴風雨的儀式。

Around lunchtime, the sprawling temple rises out of the desert ahead.

午餐時分，已經可以看見 寺廟就在前方的沙漠中。

People have come from all along the coast and the foothills.

住在海岸和山角下 各地的人都來到這裡。

The women handle trade transactions— they’re looking for cotton and ceramics.

女性負責處理交易——

她們尋找棉花和陶器。

Men aren’t usually allowed to do the trading,

通常不允許男性進交易，

but shamans are an exception.

但薩滿巫師例外。

Though Quexo is a man, during rituals he becomes half man, half woman,

雖然凱克索是男性，

在儀式時他會變成半男半女，

and this ambiguity makes his role more flexible outside ceremonies too.

這種模糊性讓他的角色 在儀式外也較有彈性。

Quexo can’t find any cinnabar in the market,

凱克索在市場裡找不到任何辰砂，

so he heads to the main temple,

所以他前往主要的寺廟，

dodging children playing in the plaza.

躲開在廣場上玩的孩子。

He puts on his ceremonial garb: red face paint, earrings,

他換上儀式的裝扮： 臉上塗上紅色顏料，戴上耳環，

and a necklace of shark’s teeth and vertebrae.

以及鯊魚牙齒與脊椎串成的項鍊。

Inside, the ceremonies are already underway,

在寺廟中，儀式已經展開，

and the shamans have drunk the sacred cactus drink.

薩滿巫師們已經喝下了 神聖的仙人掌飲料。

Many of them are Quexo’s friends from festivals over the years,

當中有許多是凱克索這些年來 在節慶認識的朋友，

but he doesn’t see the mountain shamans who would have cinnabar.

但他並沒有看到擁有 辰砂的山薩滿巫師。

He begins to panic.

他開始慌了。

If the highland shamans don’t show up,

如果高地薩滿巫師沒有出現，

his only option will be to make the long walk into the mountains.

他只剩下長途跋涉 進入山中一個選項。

It’s a dangerous journey that takes five days,

這是個需要五天的危險旅程，

precious time he doesn’t have to waste.

他沒有時間可以浪費了。

But perhaps he has no choice.

但也許他沒有選擇。

He refuses the sacred cactus and sets off toward the mountains.

他謝絕了神聖的仙人掌， 啟程前往山中。

As he leaves the settlement behind, he sees a group approaching.

在他離開聚居地之後， 看見有一群人接近。

He recognizes them as highlanders by their llamas.

從他們的駱駝可以看出 他們是高地人。

He dashes toward their shaman.

他衝向他們的薩滿巫師。

Barely pausing to say hello, he offers him hematite, dried seaweed,

他幾乎沒停下來打招呼， 就向他兜售赤鐵礦、乾燥海草，

and empty shells to grind up for lime and chew with coca leaves.

及空貝殼可以磨碎做石灰， 也可以和古柯葉一起咀嚼。

In return, the other shaman gives him the precious cinnabar.

對方的薩滿巫師則給他 珍貴的辰砂來交換。

With the key to his ritual in hand,

有了儀式的關鍵物品，

Quexo heads home to the temple of the fisherman

凱克索便啟程返家， 回到漁民的寺廟，

in hopes of turning the tide.

希望能反轉局勢。