![Huaorani man and woman](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Huaorani_man_and_woman.jpg)
This list contains members of the
Huaorani
The Huaorani, Waorani, or Waodani, also known as the Waos, are an Indigenous people from the Amazonian Region of Ecuador ( Napo, Orellana, and Pastaza Provinces) who have marked differences from other ethnic groups from Ecuador. The alternate ...
tribe of
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
who are known for their connection with events surrounding
Operation Auca
Operation Auca was an attempt by five Evangelical Christian missionaries from the United States to bring Christianity to the Waodani or Huaorani people of the rain forest of Ecuador. The Huaorani, also known pejoratively as Aucas (a modificatio ...
.
Many names have alternative spellings, because the
Huaorani language
The Waorani (Huaorani) language, commonly known as Sabela (also ''Wao, Huao, Auishiri, Aushiri, Ssabela'' ; autonym: Wao Terero; pejorative: ''Auka, Auca'') is a vulnerable language isolate spoken by the Huaorani people, an indigenous group livi ...
contains
phonemes
In phonology and linguistics, a phoneme () is a unit of sound that can distinguish one word from another in a particular language.
For example, in most dialects of English, with the notable exception of the West Midlands and the north-west o ...
that were unknown to those who first studied the language. The Huaorani did not have a writing system until after outside contact, which led to a lack of spelling standardization.
Surnames
In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community.
Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name, ...
are sometimes used to indicate one's father, but they do not appear to be commonly used in Huaorani culture.
Many dates are unknown because the Huaorani did not mark time for many years. Most dates are estimated by approximate ages during certain events, and a generation gap of about 20 years. Dates that have been verified are linked.
Men
* Awañetae (c. 1915–c. 1955) was Gabo and Ompodae's father. He was killed by Dabo while sleeping in his hammock.
* Caento (Tyaento; c. 1915–c. 1947) was Dayuma's father. He was mortally speared in the knee by Moipa, crippling him at first. His death led to Dayuma's flight from her home.
* Dabo (born ca. 1935) is the killer of Awañetae. He also tried to kill Awañetae's son, Gabo, with a machete. Later in life, Dabo gave up his life of killing, making the observation that the tribe would have killed each other off had they not stopped spearing each other. His wife's name was Weba.
* Dyuwi Tani (Dyuwe, Yowi Tañi; born c. 1935) was one of the six men from the attack at Palm Beach, and is one of the three surviving participants. A few months after the massacre, he and Nimonga also speared Nenkiwi. He had been promised to Gimade to marry, and his animosity was directed against Nenkiwi who had taken Gimade instead. Dyuwi later became a Christian and an elder in the Huaorani church. He and Kimo baptized Kathy and
Steve Saint
''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen
Notable people with the name include:
steve jops
* Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people
* Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people
* Steve ...
in 1970. He has a reputation as a quiet person.
* Enkedi (c. 1915–c. 1950) was the father of
Mincaye
Mincaye Enquedi (also Mincayi, Minkayi, or Mincayani; Huao for "Wasp") (ca. 1935 - 28 April 2020) was a Huao Ecuadorian preacher and church elder. In 1956, he took part in the now infamous attack on five missionaries during Operation Auca. He is b ...
. He participated in an attack on the village of
Arajuno
Arajuno (pronounced ''ar-a-HOO-no'') is a jungle community in the Ecuadorian rainforest. It is also a Canton (political subdivision) in the Pastaza Province. It is located on the Arajuno River, a tributary of the Curaray. The area is inhabited by ...
and killed several Quichua Indians. When the Arajunos fought back, those who attacked with Enkedi fled, but he stayed to fight them and was killed.
[.]
* Itaeca (Itaeka born c. 1925) is Moipa's brother. He speared Kimo's mother and Moipa.
* Gabo (c. 1935–c. 1955) was Ompodae's brother. He was attacked and mortally wounded by Dabo. After receiving a severe cut on his face, he died soon afterwards.
* Gikita Wawae (Giketa, Guikita; c. 1915–February 13, 1997
[.]) was the leader of the attack at Palm Beach. He later became a Christian as well as an elder in the Huaorani church. During Operation Auca when Nate Saint was making gift drops from his airplane, Gikita was the first to offer a gift in return. He stole Paa's parrot and put him in the basket for the missionaries.
* Kimo Yeti (born c. 1935) was one of the six men from the attack at Palm Beach, and is one of the three surviving participants.
Kimo took Dawa as his wife after participating in a spearing raid which killed most of her immediate family. They were not able to have children, but he never took another wife. In 1956, he was part of the spearing raid at Palm Beach where he is believed to have killed
Pete Fleming
Peter Sillence Fleming (November 23, 1928 – January 8, 1956) was a Christian who was one of five missionaries killed while participating in Operation Auca, an attempt to evangelize the Huaorani people of Ecuador.
Early life
Fleming was born ...
, the last of the missionaries to be killed. Later he became one of the first Huaroni converts to Christianity (after Dayuma and his wife Dawa). He built a home for the missionaries, despite resistance from within the tribe. He later became an elder in the Huaorani church. Kimo, along with Dyuwi, baptized Kathy and
Steve Saint
''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen
Notable people with the name include:
steve jops
* Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people
* Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people
* Steve ...
in the
Curaray River
The Curaray River (also called the Ewenguno River or Rio Curaray) is a river in eastern Ecuador and Peru. It is a tributary of the Napo River, which is a part of the Amazon basin. The land along the river is home to several indigenous people group ...
. Rachel Saint once took him and Komi to
Berlin, Germany
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constituent ...
for a
Billy Graham
William Franklin Graham Jr. (November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well known internationally in the late 1940s. He was a prominent evangelical Christi ...
evangelistic conference where he shared his testimony in front of an international audience.
* Komi (born c. 1935) is Dayuma's husband. Rachel Saint once took him and Kimo to
Berlin, Germany
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constituent ...
for a
Billy Graham
William Franklin Graham Jr. (November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well known internationally in the late 1940s. He was a prominent evangelical Christi ...
evangelistic conference where he shared his testimony in front of an international audience. Their testimonies were reported to be so moving to the audience, that one pastor ran onto the stage to meet them.
*
Mincaye Enquedi (Mincayi, Minkayi, or Minkayani, Huao for "Wasp"; born c. 1935 - 28 April 2020) was one of the six men from the attack at Palm Beach, of which there are three surviving participants. He later became a Christian as well as an elder in the Huaorani church. He has become one of the most outspoken of the Huaorani due to his many appearances in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
alongside
Steve Saint
''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen
Notable people with the name include:
steve jops
* Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people
* Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people
* Steve ...
. The
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
film ''
End of the Spear
''End of the Spear'' is a 2005 American biographical adventure drama film directed by Jim Hanon, written by Bill Ewing, Bart Gavigan and Hanon, and stars Louie Leonardo and Chad Allen. The film recounts the story of Operation Auca, in which five ...
'' focuses mainly on his life.
Mincaye is also the name of Mincaye's grandson, who is sometimes called "Mincaye, Jr." The name was also given to Jaime Saint as a tribal name.
* Moipa (c. 1925–c. 1955) was known as one of the fiercest and strongest Huao warriors. He once attacked
Arajuno
Arajuno (pronounced ''ar-a-HOO-no'') is a jungle community in the Ecuadorian rainforest. It is also a Canton (political subdivision) in the Pastaza Province. It is located on the Arajuno River, a tributary of the Curaray. The area is inhabited by ...
and speared six
Shell Oil Company
Shell USA, Inc. (formerly Shell Oil Company, Inc.) is the United States-based wholly owned subsidiary of Shell plc, a UK-based transnational corporation " oil major" which is amongst the largest oil companies in the world. Approximately 18,000 ...
employees. He also speared Kimo's mother, but she survived. He also terrorized Dayuma's family, severely wounding her father, Caento. Moipa was eventually killed by his brother, Itaeca, in retaliation.
* Nampa (c. 1935–1956 or 1957) was Dayuma's younger brother and was one of the six men from the attack at Palm Beach. His other sister, Gimade, was the love interest of Nenkiwi, and Nampa was so much against the idea of them marrying he was ready to spear Nenkiwi.
Nampa died after the attack at Palm Beach, and the time of death as well as the cause of death have been the subject of a small controversy. During the attack, he was injured in the head by a bullet fired from one of the missionaries' pistols. Some claimed that Nampa died shortly afterwards from complications related to the injury, while others have reported that he lived on for well over a year and died during a hunting expedition.
* Nenkiwi (Kemi, Naenkiwi, Nankiwi, Nengkewi, or Nenquihui, nicknamed "George"; c. 1935–56) was one of the three visitors to Palm Beach two days before the massacre. He was following Gimade whom he wanted to marry. His first wife had been speared and he himself had drowned his second wife. At the time he already had two wives, as well as a reputation as a trouble maker. This led the tribe to be much against the idea of him marrying Gimade as well.
During the visit at Palm Beach, Nenkiwi ate hamburgers and spoke with the missionaries.
Nate Saint
Nathanael Saint (30 August 19238 January 1956) was an evangelical Christian missionary pilot who, along with four others, was killed in Ecuador while attempting to evangelize the Huaorani people through efforts known as Operation Auca.
Early lif ...
took him for two rides in the airplane. During the second ride, Saint buzzed Nenkiwi's village as he called to his friends below, almost falling out of the plane at one point. Later Nenkiwi lied to the other Huaorani and told them that the missionaries were hostile and had threatened him. This was the excuse that led to the massacre at Palm Beach, even though
Mincaye
Mincaye Enquedi (also Mincayi, Minkayi, or Mincayani; Huao for "Wasp") (ca. 1935 - 28 April 2020) was a Huao Ecuadorian preacher and church elder. In 1956, he took part in the now infamous attack on five missionaries during Operation Auca. He is b ...
said later that they knew Nenkiwi was lying.
Later that same year, Nenkiwi was speared by Dyuwi and Nimonga. As was Huao custom, his children were to be buried with him. His daughter was strangled to death and placed in the grave next to him, but his son, Tementa, who was a baby at the time, was saved by his mother, Epa.
* Nimonga (Nimungka; c. 1935–1990) was one of the six men from the attack at Palm Beach. He is believed to have speared both
Jim Elliot
Philip James Elliot (October 8, 1927 – January 8, 1956) was an American Christian missionary and one of five people killed during Operation Auca, an attempt to evangelize the Huaorani people of Ecuador.
Early life
Elliot was born in Portlan ...
and
Roger Youderian
Roger Youderian (January 21, 1924 – January 8, 1956) was an American Christian missionary to Ecuador who, along with four others, was killed while attempting to evangelize the Huaorani people through efforts known as Operation Auca.
Early ...
during the attack. Later, he and Dyuwi speared Nenkiwi.
* Paa (born ca. 1950) is an elder in the Huao church. When he was a child, he was the owner of the tame parrot that was given to the missionaries during the gift drops. Paa was upset about giving up the bird, but he had no choice in the matter.
* Tementa Nenquihui (Tamaenta, Teminta, Temente, Tementa Nenquiwi Huamoni; born c. 1956) is the son of Nenkiwi and Epa. He became a Christian and a tribal leader. He and Mincaye together
baptized
Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...
Anna McCully, the granddaughter of
Ed McCully
Theophilus McCully (June 1, 1927 – January 8, 1956) was a Christian missionary to Ecuador who, along with four other missionaries, was killed while attempting to evangelize the Huaorani people, through efforts known as Operation Auca.
Ea ...
, in the
Curaray River
The Curaray River (also called the Ewenguno River or Rio Curaray) is a river in eastern Ecuador and Peru. It is a tributary of the Napo River, which is a part of the Amazon basin. The land along the river is home to several indigenous people group ...
. He was trained to fly a
powered parachute
A powered parachute, often abbreviated PPC, and also called a motorized parachute or paraplane, is a type of aircraft that consists of a parafoil with a motor and wheels.
The FAA defines a powered parachute as ''a powered aircraft a flexible o ...
as part of
Steve Saint
''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen
Notable people with the name include:
steve jops
* Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people
* Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people
* Steve ...
's efforts to help the Huaorani become more self-dependent. His wife's name is Nemontae.
* Toñae (Tona c. 1947–1970) was the first Huaorani
martyr
A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...
. He was living with the upriver Huaorani tribe where the missionaries first came, although he was originally from the downriver tribe. The downriver and upriver tribes were historical enemies, and Toñae had been captured as a child during an upriver raid on the downriver tribe. After becoming a Christian, he wanted to return to his family to evangelize them as well. At first they were happy that he had returned home, but when they realized that he had given up spearing, they turned on him and killed him. The village of Tonampade is named after him.
Women
* Aepi (born c. 1940) fled the village with Dayuma.
* Akawo (c. 1915–1975) was Dayuma and Nampa's mother. She was one of the four women from the attack at Palm Beach.
*
Alicia Cawiya (given name Hueiya) is the Vice-President of the National Waorani Federation (NAWE) and one of the founders of the ''Asociación de Mujeres Waorani del Ecuador'' (Ecuador Waorani Women Association).
* Bibanca (born c. 1940) was Mincaye's younger sister. She was killed by an
anaconda
Anacondas or water boas are a group of large snakes of the genus ''Eunectes''. They are found in tropical South America. Four species are currently recognized.
Description
Although the name applies to a group of snakes, it is often used to re ...
while sitting in a canoe.
* Dawa (born c. 1935) is Kimo's wife. She was present at Palm Beach during the massacre, but she did not participate in the attack. Instead she hid in the jungle on the far side of the river. She said that the whole time she wanted the others to stop the killing, but was unable to stop them. During the skirmish, her wrist was injured from a stray bullet from one of the missionaries' weapons. Dawa believed the shot was meant as a warning and not intended for her, since it appeared none of the missionaries had seen where she was hiding. After the attack, she went up into the missionaries' tree house. Later, Dawa became the second member of the tribe to become a Christian (after Dayuma). She also became close with
Steve Saint
''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen
Notable people with the name include:
steve jops
* Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people
* Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people
* Steve ...
, who calls her "Grandmother Dawa".
*
Dayuma
Dayuma (also Dayumae) (born ca. 1930, - March 1, 2014) was a member of the Huaorani tribe and a citizen of Ecuador. She is a central figure in the Operation Auca saga, in that she was the first Huao to convert to Christianity, as well as the missio ...
(Dayumae; born c. 1930-2014) fled her tribe as a young girl with Aepi and Omi. She lived with
Quechua
Quechua may refer to:
*Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru
*Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language
**So ...
Indians and American missionaries. Dayuma was helpful in teaching the Huaorani language to the missionaries. Dayuma was the first known Huaorani to convert to Christianity. She eventually moved back to live with her people along with Rachel Saint and Elisabeth Elliot.
* Epa (born ca. 1935) was Nenkiwi's oldest living wife. According to custom, she killed her daughter Gamae to be buried with Nenkiwi. Her son Tementa, a baby at the time, would have had the same fate, but Epa took him and ran away, saving his life.
* Gamae (c. 1950–1956) was Nenkiwi and Epa's daughter. According to custom, she was killed and buried with her father when he died.
* Gimade (Gimari, nicknamed "Delilah"; born c. 1938) was Nampa and Dayuma's sister. She visited Palm Beach along with Nenkiwi and Gimare two days before the massacre. She had come to the beach because she wanted to see Dayuma, whom she assumed would be with the missionaries. She was being pursued romantically by Nenkiwi. She later died in childbirth.
* Mankamo (Mankuma, Huao for "
Blackbird"
) is Gikita's widow. She and Mintaka were the ones who initiated contact with the outside world, after they left their tribe in search of Dayuma.
* Mintaka (Huao for "Blue
Macaw
Macaws are a group of New World parrots that are long-tailed and often colorful. They are popular in aviculture or as companion parrots, although there are conservation concerns about several species in the wild.
Biology
Of the many differe ...
";
[.] born c. 1915) was Gikita's sister. She was the older woman who visited Palm Beach along with Nenkiwi and Gimade two days before the massacre. She had come acting as a chaperone for Nenkiwi and Gimade. However, when they left, Mintaka stayed behind with the missionaries well into the night. Two days later she returned to Palm Beach and was one of the four women from the attack. In November 1958, Mintaka and Mankamo left their tribe and met Elisabeth Elliot in Arajuno. She stayed there for almost a year, then returned to the tribe. When she came back, she invited Elisabeth and Rachel to come and live with them.
* Miñimo (Minyimo; died 1956) was one of the four women from the attack at Palm Beach.
* Nemo (Nimo, Nimu, Huao for "Star"; c. 1935–c. 1945) was one of Dayuma's sisters and was killed by hostile Huao warriors with a machete. Earlier in her life, she was very sick with a fever, and after drinking from a certain creek, the water seemed to heal her. Later, when
Steve Saint
''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen
Notable people with the name include:
steve jops
* Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people
* Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people
* Steve ...
returned to help the Huaorani build a community center in the jungle, they happened to build it at the same place where Nemo's creek was. They called the new community Nemompode, "Star Creek", after Nemo. Both Rachel and Stephenie Saint were also given the name Nemo as a tribal name.
* Omi (Umi; born c. 1940) was Dayuma's cousin. She fled the village with her.
* Ompodae (born c. 1935) was Mincaye's wife. She was originally a member of the downriver clan who were the historical enemies of Mincaye's clan. Most of her family was killed during a spearing raid led by Dyuwi, Mincaye, Dabo, and Nenkiwi. Although she was taken to be Mincaye's wife by force, they developed a strong relationship. Like Mincaye, she has also traveled to the United States.
Other Names
* Waengongi (Wangongi) – Name of the creator god. The ancient Huaorani taught that Waengongi had created the world, and while he still provided for them, he no longer communicated with them. The missionaries used the name to refer to
God the Father
God the Father is a title given to God in Christianity. In mainstream trinitarian Christianity, God the Father is regarded as the first person of the Trinity, followed by the second person, God the Son Jesus Christ, and the third person, God t ...
.
* Itota (Huao for "God") – This name was used by the missionaries for
Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
, the Son of Waengongi.
Tribal Names
Names given by the tribe to outsiders who have lived with them.
* Nemo ("Star") –
Rachel Saint
Rachel Saint (January 2, 1914 – November 11, 1994) was an American evangelical Christian missionary who worked in Ecuador.
Rachel Saint was born in Wyncote, Pennsylvania. She attended the Philadelphia School of the Bible (now Cairn University ...
* Gikari (Gikadi, Huao name for a ''
Campephilus
''Campephilus'' is a genus of large American woodpeckers in the family Picidae.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Campephilus'' was introduced by English zoologist George Robert Gray in 1840, with the ivory-billed woodpecker (''Campephilus principalis'') as ...
'' woodpecker) –
Elisabeth Elliot
__NOTOC__
Elisabeth Elliot (née Howard; December 21, 1926 – June 15, 2015) was a Christian author and speaker. Her first husband, Jim Elliot, was killed in 1956 while attempting to make missionary contact with the Auca people (now known as Hu ...
* Babae (Sounds like the Huao word for "wild") –
Steve Saint
''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen
Notable people with the name include:
steve jops
* Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people
* Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people
* Steve ...
* Ongingcamo – Ginny Saint
* Toñae – Shaun Saint
* Mincaye ("Wasp") – Jaime Saint
* Yeti – Jesse Saint
* Nemo ("Star") – Stephenie Saint
References
Notes
Books
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Articles
* .
* .
* .
* .
* .
* .
Documentary Films
* ''
Through Gates of Splendor'' (1967)
* ''
Beyond the Gates of Splendor
''Beyond the Gates of Splendor'' (also ''Beyond the Gates'') is a documentary film that was released in 2004. It chronicles the events leading up to and following Operation Auca, an attempt to contact the Huaorani tribe of Ecuador in which five Ame ...
'' (2004)
* .
* .
{{Operation Auca
Operation Auca
*
Huaorani
The Huaorani, Waorani, or Waodani, also known as the Waos, are an Indigenous people from the Amazonian Region of Ecuador ( Napo, Orellana, and Pastaza Provinces) who have marked differences from other ethnic groups from Ecuador. The alternate ...