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Shuar

About The Shuar

“I was born to die fighting.”
~Shuar saying


Although there have been many headhunting cultures throughout the world, only one group is known for practice of shrinking human heads (tsantsa). This same tribe is the only tribe of American Natives to have successfully revolted against the Spanish Empire. They withstood armies of gold-seeking Incas, defied the early conquistadors, and thwarted all subsequent attempts by the Spaniards to conquer them. They are the Shuar.

There are four Shuar tribes known to inhabit the tropical forest of the Ecuadorian and Peruvian Amazon. The Achuara, Aguaruna, Huambisa, and the Shuar. In the past, these four tribes were commonly referred to as the Jivaro (pronounced hee’-va-ro).

The Shuar are a proud people, and are known to be an intensely warlike group, tremendously protective of their freedom and unwilling to subordinate themselves to other authorities. They have a reputation for fierceness, and savageness directed toward their enemies.

Early Spanish chronicles relate that in the year 1599, the Shuar banded together and killed 25,000 white people in raids on two settlements. In particular, the massacre of the Logroño stands out as particularly ruthless. The attack was instigated over the natives being taxed in their gold-trade.

After uncovering the unscrupulous practices of the visiting governor, molten gold was later poured down his throat until his bowels burst. Following his execution, the remaining Spaniards were killed along with the older women and children. The younger useful women were taken as prisoners to join the clan. The settlement itself was raided and burned to the ground.

From this point onward, the “Jivaro Indians” remained unconquered in their forest fastness east of the Andes, despite the fact that they inhabited one of the richest regions in South America for gold deposits. Their fierce fighting reputation and head-shrinking practice continued to discourage outsiders from entering their territories.

Tales of their fierceness became part of the folklore of Latin America, and their warlike reputation spread in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries when Jivaro “shrunken head” trophies found their way into the market places of the Western world.

In the first decades of this century, the Shuar also became known not as just a warlike group, but as an individualistic people intensely jealous of their freedom and unwilling to be subservient to authority even among themselves. In later years, the violence has subsided as they work to preserve their culture. their freedom, and to preserve the rainforest.

Sources:

  • National Geographic Magazine, October 1921
  • The Jivaro:People of the Sacred Waterfalls by Michael Harner

Shaman

The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.
Hebrews 13:6


The shaman, or witchdoctor was greatly respected, feared and obeyed. Acting as the main leaders and focus of local conflicts, shamans were believed to both cure and kill through magical means.

It was very dangerous to have a shaman for an enemy, especially in the early days when heads were still being taken, and killing raids were not uncommon. Even as late as 1980, group conflicts between local shamans still erupted into full scale feuds with loss of life.

About this photo:

Shuar (Jivaro) witchdoctor. Transformed from enemy to friend through prayer. Ecuador SA, 1953. Photo by Bill Gibson

Jungle Church

This I know, that God is for me.

-Psalm 56:9
 
 
What I remember most about church was that the split log benches had no backs, and so it was really hard to fall asleep during the sermon.
 
The Shuar who came loved to sing, and they especially loved to learn songs in English. They sang loudly, enthusiastically, and always off key. It was wonderful! My dad played the trumpet, my mom played the accordion, and there was an old pump organ that she also played.
 
Dogs, chickens, children, everyone came to church. One Sunday, someone saw a wild pig, and that was the end of the service. Everyone jumped up and ran out to try to catch it.
 
After church, my mom would open the clinic, and we’d share homemade bread, meat, and whatever else we had with all those who wanted to stay after.
 
There were no roads, no cars, everyone who came to church walked through the jungle. For some the walk could be as long as a couple of hours, maybe longer. So, every effort was made to care not just for the spiritual needs of those who came, but for their physical needs as well.
About This Photo
Church built by believers. Unknown location, possibly the Philippines. 1946. Photograph by Bill Gibson. 

About Bill and Gladis

In 1949, Bill and Gladis Gibson left family and friends behind and began their lives together as missionaries to the Jivaro (Shuar) Indians in Ecuador South America.

This took an incredible amount of courage and faith because at that time, the Shuar were fierce indigenous people living in the Amazon rainforest, actively engaging in feuds, vendettas, witchcraft, and violence. They were called Headhunters because the most common way to deal with enemies was to kill them, cut their heads off, shrink them, and display the shrunken heads as trophies.

There are a couple of movies currently out on DVD that dramatize the murder of several christian missionaries by the Huaroni, a nearby tribe. If you haven’t seen the movies: End of the Spear or Beyond the Gates of Splendor they are both worth watching.

Gladis Gibson, was born and raised in Oklahoma. She picked cotton in the cotton fields as a little girl. When she graduated from high school, she went to nursing school in Canada, and Bible College in Kansas City. She had no plans to get married or raise a family.

Bill Gibson grew up in Michigan. He was a soldier in World War 2, and after the war, he enrolled in Bible College in Kansas City. There, he met Gladis. They fell in love while sharing a waffle at a nearby diner.

Bill is a self taught photographer. The majority of these photos were developed by hand, in a darkroom that he built. The chemicals and photo paper he used had to be flown in, presumably from Quito, the capitol city of Ecuador, and possibly from the US.

They had three children, Shirley, Grace, and Billy. Billy went to be with Jesus soon after he was born. Many personal sacrifices were made as these two brave and loving people dedicated their lives to following God’s will.

Many of the images on this website are from photos taken by Bill Gibson. Bill and his wife, Gladis served as missionaries in Ecuador, SA, Colombia, SA, Alaska, US, and Juarez, Mexico from 1949 thru 2003.
 
Individually, the images and messages are inspiring and interesting. Collectively, they tell a wonderful story of faith, love, and sacrifice.
 
We hope you find our website inspirational and interesting. It is our vision that these images and the message on this website will be shared with family and friends – and then shared again – and again.
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About Bill and Gladis

In 1949, Bill and Gladis Gibson left family and friends behind and began their lives together as missionaries to the Jivaro (Shuar) Indians in Ecuador South America.
.
This took an incredible amount of courage and faith because at that time, the Shuar were fierce indigenous people living in the Amazon rainforest, actively engaging in feuds, vendettas, witchcraft, and violence.

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