The Relationship between birds and humans
On July 4, 2025, we had the opportunity to meet Iñigo Maneiro Labayen and participate in his presentation, an extension of his master's thesis, which has now been published as a book titled "Saber escuchar el canto/ Relaciones entre aves y humanos en el pueblo awajún" (pub. 2025 by Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos). Iñigo tells us that this research began with the question, ‘Why do men in many Amazonian villages, specifically those of the Jíbara family (Awajún, Wampis, Shuar, and Achuar), adorn and decorate themselves more than women, unlike what generally occurs in the societies where I come from?’
The Awajún and Wampis indigenous peoples of the Amazon leave us a vast and fascinating legacy of their close relationship with birds. It is about listening and, through that listening, connecting with the forest on a daily basis.
Iñigo has shared with us his meticulous and detailed research. He arrived in Peru and developed his senses through more than 12 years of living alongside the people of these villages. He paid attention to his experiences, which he then turned into a thesis that has now become a complete book.
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The bird introduces itself with its song, gives its onomatopoeic name, and creates sound territories. Birds communicate, give omens, cure certain conditions, transfer powers, adorn, but humans do not extract all this; it is not free. The Awajun and Wampis generate exchanges in symbolic actions, diets, and, above all, a profound presence in the forest, a conception that nature is not fragmented, that everything works and lives because it is connected.
The discussion allowed us to understand that birds are not just animals, but rather subjects that inhabit a space, are significant, and are beings with whom we interact.
Thank you to everyone who participated in this special event. Thank you Iñigo, for sharing this real-life experience and generously bringing it to the academic world, the Amazonian peoples, and the general public.
Biography | Iñigo Maneiro Labayen
Maneiro studied agronomy and theology and obtained diplomas in International Cooperation, Sociocultural Animation, and Leprology in Spain. He completed a master's degree in Amazonian Studies (UNMSM) and a diploma in Social Responsibility in Peru.
