Written by Brenn Romero. Illustrations by Camilo Conde. Te reo Māori translations & narration by Hana Mereraiha. English translations written by Mariana Suarez and edited by Ana Bonifacino. English narration by Lizzie Dunn
This story was brought to you by our amazing partners at Latin America CAPE. Find the full 'Legendary Links' project and other language combos for this story here.
Māori | English |
I tīmata mai te ao i te pō roa—katoa he wai, he mātaotao, he pōuriuri—me he roto nui rawa atu, kāore ōna paretai. | In the beginning, the world was in permanent night—all water, all coldness, all darkness—like a massive lagoon without a shore. |
Ka rere te wā, kāore e mōhiotia ana he pēwhea nei te roa, engari ka whānau mai ko ngā Chunsuaguia i te wai (he Atua), nā, e rua ngā whakatau, nā rātou ka puta ko te hahana ki te ao tūroa, ka tahi, nā te hahana kē rānei ka puta ko ngā Chunsuaguia. | We don’t know how long it took, but the tunjos (deities) emerged from this lagoon. Then, either they brought the heat with them, or because of the heat, the tunjos were able to continue to exist. |
Nā konei, ka maroke haere te ao, ka kitea he one. | Thus, the world began to dry, and the soil of the earth appeared. |
Kei reira ētehi e kī ana ko te roto taketake, paretai-kore, te whāea o Bague. Ko ia hoki rā te whāea o ngā Chunsuaguia katoa, ka mutu tokowhā ngā tamariki whaimana i whakawhānautia e ia: | Some say that this ancient lagoon is Bague, the mother of all tunjos. Bague gave birth to the most powerful deities: |
Ko Chiminigagua (te rama tuatahi), ko Cuhuza Fiba (te kahukura i te rangi) ko Bozica (te rangatira o ngā cacique me ngā manukura) rātou ko Chichybachune (te ariki o ngā whenua e taiāwhio ana i te awa o Funza). | Chiminigagua (the very first light), Cuhuza Fiba (the rainbow in the sky), Bozica (the master of chiefs and captains), and Chichybachune (Lord of the lands around Funza River). |
Arā kē noa atu ngā Chunsuaguia, kāore e mōhiotia ana te katoa, heoi anō ko tēnei te tokowhā whaimana. | There are many other tunjos, too many for us to even know, but these four are the greatest. |
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Ka aua atu te wā, kua maroke katoa te ao. Maiea ake ana te whenua i te wai ka huri hei one maroke ki runga ki ngā rākau Guayacán e whā*. | As time went by, the world started to dry up. Land emerged from the water, forming the dry world of the earth, supported by four Guayacán trees*. |
I nōhia te taiororua o Funza e ō mātou kuia koroua, ka hangaia mai e rātou he whare**. | That is when our grandmothers and grandfathers of the oldest times were born from the lagoons** and began to inhabit the valley of the Funza River in the houses they built. |
* E ai ki te kōrero kei raro iho ēnei rākau i te whenua e tokotoko ana i te ao e noho nei tātou. / It is thought today that these trees were literally under the earth, like pillars supporting the world above.
** He uri te iwi Muysca i te hunga i ahu mai i ngā roto, ka mutu he nui ngā pūrākau e kōrero ana mō te mākūkū o te hora o te whenua me te iwi i ahu mai rā i ōna taketakenga / Muysca descend from people of the lagoons. Many of their stories talk about this transition from a wet/humid landscape to a dry landscape and how their people transformed and adapted with it.
Ko te ariki Bozica (ko Chimizapquagua, ki ētehi) ko ia tērā i hoatu i te kānga me ngā mahi toi-toka hei whakaaweawe i ō rātou peita weruweru. | Lord Bozica (also known as Chimizapquagua) then gave them maize and taught them to paint textiles. |
Nāwai rā, ahua mai ana ko ngā whenua pāmu. | People began to farm. |
Ko Chichybachune te ariki o ngā whenua o te awa nui. Ahakoa he nui ngā tāngata whai rawa, he koura he kākahu pai o rātou, he kaha tonu tā rātou harihari kōrero whakatakē, whakaparahako i a ia. | The Lord of the great land where the Funza River flows was Chichybachune. Thanks to him, people enjoyed good clothes and gold. However, many gossiped about him, dishonouring and disrespecting him. |
Kāore i pai ki a Chichybachune ā rātou mahi me ā rātou kōrero. He kino katoa, nā reira ia ka pukuriri. | Chichybachune didn’t like what the people were saying and doing. He thought they were wrong, and because of that, he became angry. |
I tana pukuriritanga, ka tīkina e te ariki e Chichybachune ngā awa o Tivitó me Sopó ka panonihia te ara o te rere o te wai, ka autakina atu ki te kōawaawa o Funza.
In his anger, Lord Chichybachune changed the course of rivers Tivitó and Sopó, diverting them to the Valley of the Funza.
Ki konei ka nui kē atu te awa o Funza, inā hoki te nui o te wai, ka waipuketia atu ana ngā whenua pāmu o te iwi, ka noho whenua kore rātou. | This made the Funza River enormous. The amount of water was such that people were left without crops or soil. |
Nā te korenga o te whenua kāore te iwi i āhei ki te whakatupu i ā rātou kānga me ā rātou rīwai. Ka pāngia rātou e te matekai, ka mate ki te haere ki ngā maunga. | The people could not grow maize or potatoes. They became hungry and were forced to flee to the mountains. |
Ka whakakotahi ngā rangatira Usaque me ētehi atu tino tāngata Usaque nō Bogota me Suba ki te tono āwhina i ō rātou kaumātua, i ngā kaihautū me ngā tāngata Usaque puta noa i te whenua. | The chiefs from Muyquyta, Suba and Chía assembled and spoke with every chief in the land. They asked their elders and captains for advice. |
Mai i Fusagasugá ki Tabio, atu i Facatatyba ki Guasca, ka tae atu ngā rangatira ki te whare o Bozica (te tungāne o te Ariki Chichybachune) ki te tuku i ngā oha. He roa tonu te wā e haere matekai ana rātou, ka tangi ka auē atu ki te Ariki Bozica; | From Fusagasugá to Tabio, and Facatatyba to Guasca, all of the leaders fled to the Bozica’s temple to make offerings. They fasted intensely and pleaded to Lord Bozica: |
'E te matua nui, whakaorangia mai anō mātou i te mate, mā mātou koe e īnoi, e whakamānawa haere ake nei.'
'Oh, Lord of highest honour, if you save us from death, we will pray to you and thank you forever.'
Ka taka i tētehi rā, i te ahiahi, ki te puhitaioreore o ngā maunga o Bogota, haruru ana te rangi, ka kitea a Cuhuza Fiba he kahukura tana āhua, ki runga ake i te kahukura ka kitea hoki a Bozica. | One afternoon, high above the mountains of Muyquyta there was a load roar in the sky and Cuhuza Fiba appeared in the form of a rainbow. Standing on top of this rainbow, there was Bozica. |
Ki tana ringa he tokotoko kōura, ka karangatia ake e Bozica ngā Usaque whaimana katoa, ka kī ake rā: | With a golden stick in his hand, Bozica summoned the high chiefs and said to them: |
'Kia hiwa rā, kia hiwa rā! whakarongo ki aku kōrero. | 'Pay attention and listen to what I say to you. |
I rongo au i ā koutou nawe me ā koutou īnoi e pā ana ki a Chichybachune. Nā runga i taku ngākau aroha e pīrangi ana ahau ki te whakaora anō i a koutou, inā hoki nā koutou taku ingoa i whakarangatira, ka mutu i tika tā koutou tuku oha mai ki ahau, e koa ana. | I heard your moans and complaints about Chichybachune and I have taken pity on you. I want to save you, for it pleases my heart to see you honour my name and to receive your tributes. |
Kua kore ngā awa e rua, nā Chichybachune i hari mai, e tangohia mō āke tonu atu, engari ka autakina atu i ō koutou whare, i ō koutou pāmu—i te mea ki te kore he wai ka mate ō koutou pāmu ka mate ana hoki ko koutou.' | I will not take away the two rivers that Chichybachune diverted. However, I will remove them from your farms and houses because without water your farms will die and you as well.' |
Kātahi ia ka whiu i tana tokotoko kōura ki tētehi toka nui, ka pakaru mai ngā wāhanga e rua, ā ka taka te awa ki te takere o te whenua. | Then he threw the gold stick he was holding at a big rock and split it in half, causing the river to fall down to the bottom of the earth between both rocks. |
Ināianei ko te ingoa o tērā takanga wai, ko Tequendama. | Today, this water that falls down from above is called Tequendama. |
Nā konā, tonoa atu ana a Chichybachune e te ariki Bozica, kia pīkautia e ia te ao ki tana tuarā. He rite tonu tana panoni i taua pīkautanga nui rā mai i tētehi pokowhiwhi ki tētehi, koirā te take ka rū ēnei whenua. | Next, Lord Bozica forced Chichybachune to carry the world on his back, and so when he changes the heavy load between each shoulder, earthquakes occur. |
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I ēnei rā, mēnā ka nui rawa te heke o te ua ki te taiororua o Bogota, ka taka tonu te wai i Tequendama. | Even if it rains a lot out here in Muyquyta, the water still falls from Tequendama. |
I hangā e ō mātou tīpuna ngā awakeri o Suna me Sinca hei kaupare i te waipuketanga o ō mātou whare, o ō mātou pāmu. | To avoid our houses and farms from being flooded, our ancestors built the channels that we know as Suna and Sinca. |
Heoi anō, nō te tonoa o Chichybachune kia pīkautia e ia te ao ki ōna pokowhiwhi, ka kī taurangi ia ka mākutungia te iwi mēnā ka kite i a Cuhuza Fiba e āhua mai ana i te rangi hei kahukura. | Moreover, when Chichybachune was forced to carry the world on his shoulders and saw Cuhuza Fiba manifesting as the rainbow, he cursed the Muysca people so that plagues or evils would come upon us. |
Nō reira, i ngā wā ka kitea te kahukura kua tuku oha mātou ki a ia hei kaupare i ngā mākutu. | That’s why we make offerings whenever we see the rainbow, so that it won’t hurt us. |
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