"The Amazons": Some facts, some legends

Women indigenous. South-americans female, women warriors, "Amazons" in South America! The historical chronicles about "The Amazons" of the "New World" is often slighted by scholars, because the narratives of travel, many times, seem to be exaggerated or much fanciful.

"Amazons", a tribe, a nation in the tropical jungle, in the equatorial rain florest is an absurd! It known that the myth of "The Amazons" belongs, mainly, to a most ancient mythology: "The Amazons", the tribe of Asia Minor of warriors women was transmited for the Ocident trough by the classical greek mythology. The word "amazon" has greek origin! And returning in timeline even more, a more old origin appears, persian (or "parse") and Shythian (map above) orign: the expression ha-mazan (means warriors women).

Ykanmyabas: Women without husbands

Ludwig Schewennhagen claims that the designation "The Amazons" was used by the "Amerabas" when the historic meeting took place with the fleet of Orellana. He writes: The name "Amazon" refering to the lower basin of the great river, the region between the mouth of the Xingu River and the mouth of the river Parentins is antiga. At the epoch of the arrive of european navigators, the tribe of the Tupinambás already used to call "Amazonas", the region of the lower course of this river... (SCHWENNHAGEN, 1986 - p 37)

Nevertheless, nor the more dazzled or perplex among the cronists that faced the astonishing exuberance of the Amazon rainforest, suggested that the native used the term "Amazonas" to talk about the tribe of women warriors. For the natives of that jungle, these women were "The Ykamyabas" (Icamiabas, that means "women withou husbands"), among other indigenous terms like "coniupuiaras" (konyu-pupyaras, Great Ladies).

Muiraquitã. Theodoro Sampaio, 1920.

Resistance of the Matriarchy

Leaving by side the sphere of the mythology, considering the traditional knowledge of cultural anthropology, is possible to understand the tribes of warriors women, in different parts of the world like the remaining reality of the archaic matriarchal societies.

In the case of brazilian indigenous nations, oral culture of the people confirms that in a remote past, the tribes were under the matriarchal power. Anthropologists, like Claude Levi Strauss for example, have colected numerous legends that preserve the history of how the men, after a long time beeing dominated by the women, conspired and took political and economic power reversing the social roles. Much possibly, many women don't accepted the new conditions. These, can have created a dissidence in the form of closed female societies .

In "Relation abrégée d'un voyage fait dans l'intérieur de l'Amérique méridionale depuis la côte de la mer du Sud jusqu'aux côtes du Brésil et de la Guyane, en descendant la rivière des Amazones" (1745. Something like: Brief account of a journey to the interior of Brazil from the coast south towards the Guyana, sailing down the Amazon river), Charles-Marie de La Condamine (1701-1774), french scientist and explorer, exposes his theorie about the warriors women of South America. He doesn't need of Atlanteans or Phoenicians to explain which he understand like a natural social phenomenon. La Condamine writes:

...if, in some historic time, could has existed Amazons in the world, this was at America, where wandering life of the wives, coerced to accompany their husbands, often engaged in making war, could make awake the ideia of flee, of to rebel, searching the stability and independence. To flee to the slave condition and beast of cargo. A resolution like this nothing has of extraordinary.

More natural would still be an elite matriarchal refuse submit themself under command of his former lieutenants. Let's meditate...

Sources:
ICAMIABAS.
IN [http://lendasemisteriosdomundo.blogspot.com/2010/06/as-amazonas-icamiabas.html]
REIS E SILVA, Iran. As Amazonas. IN Pantanal News, 02/11/2011.>/br> [http://www.pantanalnews.com.br/contents.php?CID=66202]
SCHWENNHAGEN, Ludwig. Fenícios no Brasil. Rio de Janeiro: Cátedra, 1986.
IN [http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/6585607/719953186/name/7389093-Fenicios-No-Brasil-Ludwig-Schwennhagen-PDF.pdf]

Amazons, Phoenicians and Atlantis

As Amazonas, Ulrico Schmidt

The major of historians consider the woman warrior in South America only like a legend, less than a myth or even like mere fantasy of the cronists.

However, some little things in the notes of the explorers make belive that there is a background of strange true behind the legend. The chronicle of Friar Gaspar de Carvajal contains at least two visions of "Amazonas". The witness, source of information of the writer, talks about the clohthes of the women: if in the battle they were naked or almost, in their cities they use tunics of fine wool.

But, what wool is this? The brazilian indigenous, those called "Amerabas", lived naked, or almost, ever. They also did not knowledge the herding. It seems clear that the warrior women of South America don't belonged to same ethnical groups of the others natives of the region. In fact, the witness doesn't could be more clear:

They wear fine clothes made with the wool of the "Peruvian sheep" (alpacas): "Their clothes are like tunics tight down the breasts. On their shoulders and thet they use cloaks that are with cords.

Their long hairs, touch the floor and they have gold crowns on their head, the width of two fingers. Their land is populated by camels (llamas) serving as pack animals. There, exist two saltwater lakes.

Between Bolivia and Peru are notable saltwater lakes as Titicaca, the second largest saltwater lake in the world, located at 3.810 meters of altitude - and the "Poopo" lake.

Amazons of Andes

Researchers from different times have sought to explain the origins of this strange nation of women in South America In 1555, the Franciscan priest and cosmographer, André Thevet (1502-1580, french), published a compilation of texts of various explorers.

About the tribe of "Amazonas", Thevet concluded that possibly were descendants of Amazons Greek that after the Trojan War, had been dispersed around the world. Arriving to South America via North America and Central America, settled themselves in insular territories, in small islands, where they built their cities and underground chambers.

Atlanteans and Phoenicians

Some researchers have supported a history even more old for the great nation of the "Amazons". More ancient that Troy war. Some scholars belive that these women warriors are survivors of a community of the Atlantean civilization that was in a colapse process, and after, much later more, in association with the phoenicians, the women crossed the ocean even reaching the America continent.

Among these scholars figured the austrian professor Ludwig Schewennhagen, whose book "Phoenicians in Brazil: Ancient History of Brazil" is much quoted. Schewennhagen says the arrival of the "Amazonas" at Brazil coincides with the epoch of the Phoenicians arrival, between 1000 and 1200 BC. He also advocates that the name of the great Amazonas river has its origin in this remote time (contradicting the version of spanishes).

The warriors women of Dahomey, between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries

The oldest ancestors of women warriors were a nation, member of the immense empire of Humanity and civilization of the Atlanteans. Possibly, the Amazons could had been the last matriarchal society in the context of an advanced culture. Their tribes were scattered across almost the entire known world. Asia Minor, yes, but also in Africa where were known as the warriors women of Dahomey. They were Amazons, because they dominated the riding, they were knights women, and warriors because they had the knowledge the art of war and weapons.

SOURCES:
SCHWENNHAGEN, Ludwig. Fenícios no Brasil. Rio de Janeiro: Cátedra, 1986.
IN [http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/6585607/719953186/name/7389093-Fenicios-No-Brasil-Ludwig-Schwennhagen-PDF.pdf]
ICAMIABAS
IN [http://lendasemisteriosdomundo.blogspot.com/2010/06/as-amazonas-icamiabas.html]

Amazons: Stories of the women warriors

The legend of the women warriors roamed all the heavenly realms.It belongs to those uniform circle ofdreams and ideas around which the poeticand religious imagination of all human races andall ages gravitate almost instinctively.

Alexander von Humboldt

One of the most fascinating legends of the mythical culture of the Amazon region is the saga of the female warriors called Amazons. A story so extraordinary that the memory of this great tribe ended up giving name to the whole extense region of tropical-equatorial jungle. 

Since the first incursions of the europeans crossing the Atlantic to conquer territories, chroniclers Spanishes and Portugueses, among others, talk about these brave women of South America.

Although they have received that name as a reference to the mythical tribe of women called Amazons, at ancient Greece, that also dominated perfectly fabulous steeds, the Amazons of South America they did not know horses. But in terms of the arts of war those indigenous women were as courageous like the greek female warriors.

At the time of the great maritims discoveries, time of the great navigations appears the first and unique (of a eyewitness) relate about amazons of the South-America. The notes were written by Gaspar de Carvajal, catholic religious that was present in the expedition (1541) of Francisco Orellana (1490-1550, explorer and adventurer of Spain) along the great river of the tropical forest, the Amazon river.

In his text, Relación del nuevo descubrimiento del famoso río Grande que descubrió por muy gran ventura el capitán Francisco de Orellana (Account of the recent discovery of the famous Grand river which was discovered by great good fortune by Captain Francisco de Orellana), the dominican Friar Gaspar de Carvajal tells:

...[the indigenous, the men]... They are the subjects and tributaries of the Amazon. Realizing our arrival, they ran to ask help to the women-warriors. They came in a small group. It was ten or twelve of them. We saw them. (They confronted us). In front of everyone them (the men) as captains ... fought bravely. (Indigenous, men who fled of us) ... They all were killed by beating with with big wood sticks (the sticks are called 'bordunas').

These women have very light skin. Are of tall stature, long hair arranged in braids around the head. They have a strong physique, well trained. They don't use clothes, living naked and cover only the genitals (in terms of the Friar, 'the shames'). They are skilled with their bows and arrows and one of this women worth ten men.

However, Carvajal says that in the end, the spanishes obtained the win against the women warriors killing about eight of them. One of the natives asked about the women said that they lived inside (at hinterlands, not on the coast), around seven days far from the coast ... their villages were made with stones, their homes had doors and their roads had vigilants in all the strategic points for require the payment of a tax to let pass the travelers.

Legend or fact, Carvajal's account coincides with many others left by others historic travelers. Everyone agrees that these women not cohabit with men. It is an all-female society. That does not mean, however, that they have no contact with men while males. After all, for the women-warriors were needed too procreate to preserve their bloodline.

With them – they interbreed. When they become pregnant, they release the captives. If the child that born of the relationship is a girl, will be educated to be a warrior. If borns a boy, he will be delivered to the tribe of the father or, according to other information, will be killed immediately.

GOLD, SILVER AND RELIGION

At the epoch of Carvajal and Orellana the Amazons were headed by an honorable warrior. Hers was recorded until the name or perhaps the title. It was called 'Conhori'. 

The Amazons were rich. They had large amounts of gold and silver that was used to the manufacture of a variety of objects, from tools to clothes and jewelry. But the great luxuries were intended for an elite of nobles. The common women used objects made ​​of wood or seeds. These powerfull society of women mastered the art of pottery, too.

In account collected by Carvajal, these women did not lived in simple villages, like the other Indians of the region. Apparently, they had a culture more advanced than the South American tribes that inhabited below of the equator line.

Those women lived in cities. They had a capital city, where the Great Lady had her residence. There, existed five major buildings dedicated to worship of the sun. 

These large houses were called "caranaí". There were big salons, with covered floors, ceilings decorated with paintings very coloridas and many idols and others objects made ​​of gold and silver. They wear clothes of fine wool, because the lands of the Amazons warriors, there are many sheep, as in Peru.

The brazilian indigenous that portugueses navigators found, men and women, still remained limited in a Neolithic culture. The Amazons women that lived further north and west, were much more evolved. This is a mistery.

[http://www.pantanalnews.com.br/contents.php?CID=66202]

Giant Tortoise in Piauí

PIAUÍ (state), Brazil – Friday, may, day 13, in the first hours of dawn, a giant turtle was spotted in "Pedra do Sal", a beach located on Parnaíba city, Piauí state's shore.

According the biologists of the "Projeto Tartarugas do Delta" (Delta's Turtles Project), the turtle, measuring 1.6 meters long and 2.4 meters wide, belongs to the specie Leatherback sea-turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). Not were found markings or rings of identification in the body of the animal. It means that this turtle is not monitored by none work related to its specie.

A Leatherback sea-turtle can reach thus 2 meters of lenght and weigh arou 500 to 900 kilograms. The byologist Mr. Mario Neto explain that the Delta Project is monitoring the reproductive period on the region since 2007, between the months from December to July.

Among all species of sea turtle, the leatherback sea-turtle has a large geographic distribution, but their spawning is restricted to tropical and subtropical areas. In Brazil, was belived that the state of the Espírito Santo (state) was the only place where regular annual spawning could occur. Eventualy, was possible that the spawns, in aleatory way, could happen in other parts of the Brazilian coast.

However, throughout the study, conducted by "Projeto Tartarugas do Delta", belongs to the NGO - "Comissão Ilha Ativa" from 2007, the presence of the leatherback turtle was confirmed in the Piauí shore in all breeding seasons. This species of turtle is one the most threatened with extinction in Brazil.

SOURCE: Tartaruga gigante é encontrada na praia da Pedra do Sal, litoral do PI.
IN 180º Piauí, published in 05/14/2011
[http://180graus.com/geral/tartaruga-gigante-e-encontrada-na-praia-da-pedra-do-sal-litoral-do-pi-426324.html]

🐟 🌊 STRANGE WATER WORLD

MEXICO – In El Desemboque, a little port town of the Mexican state of Sonora, northwestern of the country, fishermen caught a strange animal. Apparently it is a fish, however, seems to be a creature extremely antiga. 

The strange fish is monstrous and has a pre-historic appearance. The news says the animal measures 3 meters of lenght but, judging by the photo there is exaggeration in this dimension (or the fisherman holding the animal is endowed with low height). Your weight (of the fish): 70 kilograms. 

The fishermen published the photo of the creature on newspapers in the hope of someone, a biologist - perhaps can clarify: what animal is this?

SOURCE 

Atrapan pescadores a una ‘rara criatura’.

IN Expresso/Mexico, published in 05/10/2011

[http://www.expreso.com.mx/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16454:atrapan-pescadores-a-una-rara-criatura&catid=17:vistazo&Itemid=71]

To sell: river island in the Amazon

AMAZONAS – At Amazonas state, in Carei Castanho city, located 125 km from Manaus (state capital), a little river island is for sale. The ground measures 8 hectares in area, has a house with 72 m², a floating dock and some fruit trees. In the past, on-site, existed a livestock.

The owner, Mr. Nuno - (who preferred not to reveal the full name), 71, ensures that the documentation is in order. He says: My father bought the land in 1907 for 40 "contos". I lived there for some time but I need to stay in Manaus. So I'm selling.

According to the Environmental Protection Institute of Amazon (Ipaam), the team sent to the place found that, indeed, there is a title deed dated 1911. The Institute has no environmental constraints to make the sale. Moreover, the Land Institute of the Amazon, although it considers the business uncommon believes that, considering the size of land, the sale is considered conform the law.

Mr. Nuno does not hide the soil is not ideal for agriculture but believes that the place has a good potential for tourism or even can be an excellent place to live. The price of the island: 60 000 Reais (slightly more than $ 37,000 or almost 26 000 euros)

SOURCE: AFFONSO, Victor. Ilha é colocada à venda em Careiro do Castanho.
IN A Crítica, published in 05/08/2011
[http://acritica.uol.com.br/manaus/Ilha-colocada-venda-Careiro-Castanho_0_476952398.html]