Mitos y leyendas: Nunkui

Mitos y leyendas shares with you the tale of Nunkui.

A village suffers from a drought that leaves them without food.

A divine being offers a blessing due to a bold woman.

Plants are truly important living beings for us as living creatures so that we can exist.

Breathing is the most basic test and necessity of life; just trying to hold your breath shows that instinct alone makes us breathe.

With that said, it is thanks to plants that we can breathe, but they also offer other gifts to humans.

Plants are healthy foods that help humans maintain their health and life to the highest possible level. Here we tell you a legend about how plants originated thanks to a divine being.

Terrible Drought

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A long time ago, when the Shuaras were just beginning to populate the lands east of Ecuador, there was no jungle, only a plain with some herbs, like «unkuch,» which was their main sustenance.

The «unkuch» allowed them to withstand the dryness of the soil and the intense heat of the sun for a long time.

But one day it disappeared, and with it, the Shuaras began to fade away.

Some blamed evil beings called Iwia and Iwianchi, who seemed to devour the land, while others persisted in searching for food.

Nunkui

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A brave woman named Nuse, along with her children, set out to search for the «unkuch» in dark and secluded places, without success.

After fainting from exhaustion and heat, Nuse had a dream where she saw slices of an unknown food in the river. Upon waking up, she discovered cassava.

While tasting the cassava, Nunkui, the owner of vegetation, appeared before her.

Nunkui praised Nuse’s bravery and promised her not only the «unkuch» but all kinds of food for her people.

Blessing

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Suddenly, lush orchards filled with plants and fruits appeared.

Nunkui also gifted Nuse with a prodigious girl capable of creating foods like the «unkuch,» cassava, and many more.

With Nunkui’s gift, the lives of the Shuaras changed completely: suffering was forgotten, and hope spread with the vegetation that grew abundantly in their territory.

Mitos y leyendas bids you farewell for now and hopes that the legend of Nunkui of the plants has been to your liking. Until next time!