WARIME: The Sacred Piaroa Ceremony That Women Cannot Witness

WARIME, THE MASKS OF THE GODS
(35 mm. Amazonas - Venezuela 2000)

In this ducufiction film, Yopo the use of hallucinogenic plants rituals of the Amazon.

The Warime is the oldest and most significant ritual ceremony for the Wojtüja people, a peaceful indigenous people of the Venezuelan Amazon. The Wojtüja are also known as "Piaroa", although many of them reject this name as they consider it derogatory.

Piaroa comes from “piara”, a name that in Spain was given to herds of wild pigs or wild boars and how the Wojtüja consider the báquiro or collared peccary (Dicotyles tajacu) - very similar to these, like one of their ancestors, the missionaries They started calling them that.

For many people, the main attraction of the Warime is the making and use of a set of masks and sacred musical instruments, some of them taboo for women, but in this filming the ritual preparation of the yopo, by the shaman who leads the ceremony, became a focal point of the film.

The fascinating ritual of Warime practiced by the indigenous Wojtüja people from the Venezuelan Amazon. Warime is a traditional ceremony that serves as a way for the community to connect with the spiritual world and seek guidance from their ancestors. During the ritual, participants gather around a sacred fire and perform dances, songs, and chants to invoke the spirits. Offerings such as food, drinks, and tobacco are presented to the spirits as a sign of respect and gratitude. Through Warime, the Wojtüja people believe they can communicate with their ancestors and receive blessings and protection for the community. It is a deeply spiritual and meaningful ceremony that highlights the strong connection between the Wojtüja people and the natural world. Join us as we witness the beauty and significance of Warime and gain a deeper understanding of the rich cultural traditions of the indigenous peoples of the Venezuelan Amazon.

When I decided to film this ritual in the mid-90s, I didn't know much about those taboos and their mysteries. Today everything has changed and the ritual has become a mere tourist attraction for many. Given this, I feel privileged to have had the opportunity and privilege to have the support of the Caballero family, my friend the late teacher Jesús Caballero, and his father Carlos Caballero who was a recognized and respected shaman of the region.

However, the filming was about to be canceled due to the shaman's refusal to allow me as a woman directing this Film to record some of those taboo aspects for women, but when I told him about the possibility of representing a dream where only what I could see was shown, he accepted immediately.

Hence, instead of a documentary about the mask dance, I filmed what he proposed. It was his idea to film the yopo ritual, as well as the marking of the places where we should film.

I don't know what Carlos Caballero's name is in his language, this is also taboo to know, but I did know after filming that not by chance, he appears in several of the most emblematic films and publications that have been made about his people between the decade of the 50s and 90s of the 20th century.

Script and general production: Beatriz Bermúdez Rothe
Photography and camera: Martín Álvarez
Edition: Freddy Véliz
Soundtrack: Stefano Gramitto
Field recording: Roberto Lizarralde and Luis Lara
Voiceover in Wojtüja: Carlos Caballero shaman
Voiceover in Spanish: Willian Bracamonte

Produced by Caribana Producciones and Cinesa with the support of the Wojtüja Indigenus community "Churuata Don Ramón", tanks to a subsidy from the CNAC National Cinematography Center and the Council of Municipio Libertador (Caracas, Venezuela).
Translation and subtitles in English courtesy of María Stella Paredes.

Note: Yopo - (Anadenanthera peregrina) also know as sacona.
Website: beatrizbermudezrothe.com
Instagram: @beatrizbermudez