Original subtitles

Producciones Doce Lunas

presents

in co-production with BANDA IMAGEN Bolivia

with the support of the COLOMBIAN FUND FOR CINEMATOGRAPHIC DEVELOPMENT

and the support of IBERMEDIA.

There's a woman named Polowi, who was bathing

in a lagoon near my settlement.

My aunt went to that place once, during the night.

As she went by, she saw someone bathing.

She was dressed in white and was stripping herself naked.

My aunt wondered if who she saw was a Wayuu woman

and thought of leaving, for fear that she was drunk.

When she got home, she dreamed of Polowi

who, in her dream, told her not to take that path again,

because something could happen to her.

That's what Polowi told my aunt in her dream.

So, my aunt obeyed and never went back to that place,

Because something could happen to her.

And so, she changed her route.

These Marua twigs are for protection

from the storm that's coming.

THE ETERNAL NIGHT OF THE TWELVE MOONS.

We, the Wayuus, are children

of the rain, the masculine, and the earth, the feminine.

That's where the plants and animals come from

as so do we, the Wayuus.

WITH THE SPECIAL PARTICIPATION OF THE GIRL FILIA ROSA URIANA

AND THE KAREQUISHIMANA WAYUU SETTLEMENT.

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY DANIELA CAJÍAS.

CAMERA DANIELA CAJÍAS. VMANA GÓMEZ.

SOUND DESIGN VLADIMIR DÍAZ.

ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK DANNY RUBI. SOL OKARINA.

MIXING SUPERVISOR RAMIRO FIERRO.

MONTAGE XIMENA FRANCO.

PRODUCTION JOHANA PEÑUELA.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCTION GUSTAVO PAZMÍN. PRISCILA PADILLA

A, E, I, O, U.

The consonants

ita – cup.

Wayuu - person.

SCRIPT AND DIRECTION PRISCILA PADILLA.

"This is the ring of Mr. Policeman...

whoever moves goes to the kitchen...”

Andreina.

Well, girls. Today, you're going on vacation.

As the Arijunas (non-Wayuu people) say,

we're on vacation.

As you know, there's a classmate of yours

who's about to enter puberty,

about to have her first menstruation.

It's Pili. How old are you? Ten?

No, I'm twelve.

Laidy, your grandmother spoke to you.

Did she give you any advice about this?

No, no.

And you, Adriana?

No.

And Pili?

Yes.

That's how it should be.

Grandmothers should teach.

What do we have to recover?

Our customs.

We have to recover our customs.

Come to the front, Pili!

Let's give her an applause.

Pili will be leaving us for a long time, but she'll be back.

We'll continue to instruct her during her seclusion.

You'll learn many things that will make you mature.

Come, let me give you a kiss.

Now, we want to listen to you before you leave.

I'm happy to go into seclusion and that our customs will continue.

Are you sad?

I'm not sad. Nothing is going to happen to me.

It's not like they're going to kill me or anything, for me to be sad.

We, the Wayuus, count time in moons and suns.

One year is 12 moons,

365 suns, and one rain.

Mamma, tell me

what was your experience like, when you got your first period?

Were you secluded? Did you drink your medicinal herbs infusion?

I drank Jawapia,

they put me in the hammock

and gave me food without salt and sugar.

I only ate a lot of maize soup.

I bathed three times a day:

in the wee hours, in the morning, and at noon.

How long did your seclusion last?

Only nine months.

When a Wayuu woman is secluded,

is she valued for it?

Yes, she's highly valued.

If she doesn't play or laugh with men,

they'll offer a good bride price for her.

But, if the young girl doesn't behave properly

and goes jumping around,

she'll lose her value.

You won't be able to sing to the Arijunas' music,

you'll have to mature.

You won't be able to go jumping around,

you can't be looking at men.

How was a girl's hand asked for in your days?

If the man was a righteous man, he'd offer a car or a horse.

This was given to the Majayut's (young girl) father or mother, it was like a gift.

They'd also give necklaces.

Pili, are you listening to your grandmother?

Only the woman who has been secluded is valued.

If there's a man interested in you

you won't be able to go with him.

You'll have to tell him you have a grandmother.

He can't take you with him just like that.

Did you hear that?

Yes.

I want you to tell me what your heart feels now that you're going to be secluded.

I want to learn how to make the patterns and designs

of the mochilas (shoulder bags)

and the chinchorros (fiber-woven hammock).

I want to learn, and that's why

I want to be secluded.

You know that Wayuu women today think differently, and say seclusion is a bad thing.

That's why some girls are scared of it.

And how do you feel about having your hair cut?

It's going to be cut very short and you'll have to wait till it grows

before you can leave your hut.

Nothing will happen to me because the hair, by nature, will grow again.

Aren't you afraid of seclusion?

I'm not afraid. Why should I?

Are you aware that you'll have to be very brave

for when you enter puberty?

There used to be many tigers around here.

Now, there are just a few, here and there.

A tiger came into our settlement once,

and we were all very scared

because we thought it was going to hurt us.

The tiger just sniffed us, walked around us, and went: "Roarrr”.

But since our clan's totem animals

are represented by the tiger and the rabbit,

it didn't hurt us.

A tiger doesn't hurt its own family.

It doesn't eat its own flesh.

Hello, how are you?

I've been waiting for you a long time.

The road was very muddy.

Let's go and buy what you need.

Your clothes, your traditional medicine, Jawapia.

Good afternoon.

How much does a meter of this cost?

It's thirteen thousand eight hundred.

No, it's too thick. Do you have something lighter?

Of course, come on in.

We have this quality.

There are two kinds. This one, and this other one.

It's for the girl, for her seclusion.

And that green one?

She says she likes the orange one.

How much for a meter?

Nine thousand eight hundred. I'll give you a discount.

I need four meters.

What's it for?

To wrap her up during seclusion.

Because she's going to be secluded. Nobody can see her.

But, why is she being secluded?

When she enters puberty.

Oh! Puberty!

She'll be there for about eight months, a year.

Eight months or a year, secluded?

Of course, without anyone seeing her.

And, can't you see her?

Only her mother.

And her father?

No, she can't see men.

Only women? Oh, well. Everyone has different customs, right?

Of course. It's for her to be respected, and all that.

It's hard now to find someone to tell them about how a Wayuu woman used to be,

because the Wayuu women are becoming Arijunas (non-Wayuu people).

Who are your relatives? Have you seen how they live? Do their women practice seclusion?

No. I don't know.

I used to live with my mother in Maicao

and my grandmother went to fetch me,

for me to study with my younger sister.

And what did your sisters and aunts do when they got their first menstruation?

Were they secluded?

They kept quiet

and stayed still all the time.

That's why they're doing well and suitors offer a good bride price for them.

Pili, if they don't seclude you, you'd be left behind and taken for a jenny or for a bitch.

A bitch, when in heat, has many dogs running after her,

where as a secluded Wayuu woman is always valued.

Because many things are forbidden to her.

Nobody can see her,

only her mother.

Very few people can see her.

A Wayuu woman who's had several husbands can't see her.

No Wayuu woman who's changed husbands can see you,

because she'd pass all her bad habits on to you.

Only your mother will see you, and only if she's had good luck.

If not, she'll have to find someone to take care of you.

Once you're lying in your hammock, you must not move your arms and feet.

You must keep very still, as if you were dead.

Pili, you're going to be fine. You'll do very well in your seclusion.

Your luck will be very prosperous

and your old age will be good.

Do you understand what I'm saying?

Are you going to follow my advice?

Yes, I will.

The Arijunas must realize

that you've had your period and are following our customs.

That's how it must be.

Pili, we're in the Jepirra.

Jepirra is for us a sacred place.

Here reside the souls of our grandparents and those of all our relatives.

It's the place where the spirits of the dead come after the second burial of the Wayuu people.

We're here so that the spirits that rest here

may give you strength for your wellbeing.

You're becoming an adult woman

and you need our dead to grant you the bravery

and the willpower you need when you're secluded.

They'll help you become a righteous woman after your seclusion.

A tale our elders used to tell us

says that all that surrounds us, such as the sun

the rain, the earth, the darkness, the wind,

created our ancestral culture.

The Rain was the man, and the Earth was the woman.

They fell in love and they had children,

who we now call trees.

They felt lonely and decided to bring more Wayuu people into the world.

The Rain seduced Pulowi, mother of all things living in the sea,

of all that which lives in the water

and they bore a daughter.

She was the first Wayuu woman, among all

and is known in our tradition as Worunka.

She was a woman just like you, but she was born with a toothed vagina.

The Earth found out that her husband, the Rain,

had a daughter with Pulowi.

So, the Earth said to the Rain:

"I'm going to have a son

who will seduce your daughter, Worunka.”

One day, the young man went looking for Worunka

and found out that her vagina had teeth

and that she bathed naked in a lagoon.

He approached her without her knowing

and, when Worunka opened her legs,

he aimed his arrow and destroyed the teeth in her vagina.

The water in the lagoon turned red

thus creating the Wayuu woman's menstruation.

That's how the first Wayuu woman came to be.

Pili, this is your hut. I hand it over to you.

I'll seclude you here, day and night,

whenever you get your first period.

Here, you'll have to mature.

Here, in your house, you'll learn to be a woman.

Here, in seclusion, you'll become a grown-up.

You'll have to clean it up.

You'll have to take care of it.

That's what you'll have to do.

You won't be able to go around laughing.

Tell me you'll keep your hair tidy and pulled back,

because you're not like a witch,

that wears her hair all over the face.

You'll comb and tie up your hair

and tidy your clothes.

Do you like your house?

Yes, I like it. The mud and zinc roof are good.

I like that it's high and spacious.

I'm in charge of filming the first phase

of Pili's seclusion.

Because the girl can only be seen..

By women who are very closely tied to the family.

The arrival of the first period

means that the body opens up and breaks.

And with that blood, the girl parts,

giving way to the adult woman.

Hand over the Calabash cup to give Pili her medicinal infusion.

Pili, we're going to lift you up.

Get into the hammock.

You must always lie straight

and keep quiet.

The Jawapia infusion is almost ready.

While you're hanging in your hammock, don't move your arms and legs.

You must keep very still, as if you were dead.

Seclusion is like our second birth.

It teaches us to be good mothers

and it teaches us to be good wives.

For our bodies to be strengthened,

and to avoid any trouble at childbirth,

we need to take moon baths.

Happy new year, Pili!

Pili, happy new year!

Happy new year!

May the next year be good to you, Pili!

How are you, Pili?

This bath is to change your luck.

It's also for you to stop behaving like a child.

Everything I'm doing, is for you own good.

Your mother should be doing all this

but, since she's not here to do it,

I have to do it.

Pili, do you know the name of the plant we're using for your bath?

Yes, it's Judter.

It's the Parice leaf.

This bath is given to the girls who are secluded.

When you have your own daughters,

you'll also have to do this to them.

This is how you make sure that

your youth, and your daughters', will last forever.

The cold water will make men respect you.

If a man approaches you, he'll do it respectfully,

and you'll have to do likewise.

You need to know it was your daughter

who had her first period.

Didn't your aunt tell you?

It's not that we're scolding you, you're our sister.

But you should have come as soon as you received notice,

and you should have told your husband

that you had to see your daughter,

because she'd had her first menstruation.

You should have come,

even without his permission.

We'd have sent you money for the tickets.

Don't you feel sorry for your daughter?

Why didn't you come?

Your ex-husband called last night.

He asked if you had come to see Pili, and we said you hadn't,

because you had another husband who didn't let you come.

Your daughter, Pili, misses you. You should have been here

with her, during this important moment of her life.

We weren't asking anything from you.

All we wanted was for you to be with your daughter,

for you to give her some love.

Everyone needs to count on her mother.

Even the oldest people need their mother.

A Wayuu woman who's changed husbands can't see you

because she'd pass her bad habits on to you.

My aunt called me and told me to come see my daughter.

You knew you had to come.

I didn't come sooner because I didn't have money.

Ask your daughter how she feels now.

Nurture her. Give her your support.

Are you happy in your seclusion?

Everyone here supports you.

Let her cry, let her cry.

Pili, how are you feeling?

Are you dizzy?

We have to throw your hair into a pen full of goats

for you to be well-paid and have good luck,

for you to get a degree and have a profession.

I don't know what to do, because my grand-daughter needs me.

And, her mother?

She's leaving now.

Pili, I'm cutting your hair

because your childhood hair is lost.

Your new hair will grow during this new stage of your life

because you're no longer a child.

Your child hair is lost,

and so is your childhood

and your games.

Here's your hair. Now, you'll grow new hair,

which will represent the adult woman.

And so, you'll mature.

Are you listening to me, Pili?

Your childhood has been left behind.

Now, you'll only have to take your grandmother's advice.

Now, you'll have to behave like an adult woman.

Your new hair represents adulthood,

your girl being is gone.

A cousin also had her period.

Aaah!

And what happened to her?

She was secluded.

She was?

Yes, but she hung only for one day.

She should have lasted longer.

She wasn't secluded for long because she only wanted to play.

I'm throwing Pili's hair into the goats' pen

because she's now in seclusion.

I'm throwing the hair over these animals for the girl to have good luck

and for a wealthy man to offer a good bride price for her.

It's during seclusion that we, the women,

strengthen our soul and spirit

and learn to become tough, which is a feature of our culture.

In seclusion we learn

to walk slowly, with a short stride, and to build our character.

Pili, I brought this cotton for you.

It needs to be spun.

It has to be wrapped around the spindle

twisting it while

you wrap it around.

You do this little by little.

Try with your leg. Put it on your leg do it slowly, pulling it

twist it.

Look, like that, on your leg.

Like that you can't wrap it around the spindle,

only when you work it on your leg.

Look, do it like this.

Watch, and then do it.

Your weaving must be a part of you.

You must do your best to do it right,

and for your work to be admired by those who see it.

You are now a Majayut (young woman)

Through your fingers' movement

you sing to your weaving.

Hello, Pili. We're here with your classmates.

We came to visit you.

Here they are: Liliana, Chiquita, Luz Sandra,

Andreina, Maria Eugenia, Paola, Liliana, and Dalis.

They'd like to see you, but they can't right now.

Pili, you've been secluded for several moons.

Hello, Pili.

Pili, are you alright? Have you been sick?

No.

Are you happy to be secluded?

What has your grand-mother told you about my being here?

Nothing.

Is she happy with my work?

Yes.

Pili, today we're going to talk about the Wayuu clans.

Do you know what caste you belong to?

Uriana.

Mine is the Epiayu caste.

According to what some authors say in their books,

we didn't use to have castes.

As our Wayuu nation began to grow and we became many,

we couldn't identify each other.

Then, someone dressed in white began to assign

castes to the different Wayuu families,

along with a symbol,

which is, for us, our totemic animal.

That's how our family identification began,

such as the Jarariyus, the Epiayus, the Urianas.

That's how we got our caste.

If this hadn't happened, we wouldn't know who is who.

It's like the surname for the Arijunas,

like Suárez, Fernández, González, Iguarán, for example.

If we didn't have a caste,

we wouldn't know where we came from.

The caste can be identified by a totemic animal

and that's why the totem has the features of an animal.

For example, which is the Uriana clan's totem?

The rabbit.

Yes, with the tiger.

Now, write down your caste and your totem.

The totem is given to each person

according to each one's behavior.

If he has been a good human being,

he'll be represented by a good animal.

From whom do we, the Wayuus, receive our lineage?

From the father or the mother?

From the mother.

For example, my mother belongs to the Epiayu clan

and my father is Jarariyu.

So, I carry my mother's lineage, the Epiayu.

When you have children,

if your husband belongs to a different caste,

for example, if he belongs to the Ipuana caste,

you must be aware that your sons and daughters must carry your lineage.

A young Wayuu woman must know

to which caste she belongs, where her relatives come from.

Where are you from?

I'm from Nazareth.

From Nazareth. You have to say that

that's your territory.

All the Wayuu castes must know where their burial site is,

because that's where all our ancestors are.

Have you done your Math homework?

And Spanish?

Natural Sciences?

I'll be back on Sunday to check the homework I left for you.

Like this, you won't fall back in your studies

and you'll be able to pass the year.

The sand will give your legs strength so that you can start walking soon.

This was also done to all of us.

We never use the stroller, like the Arijunas.

Play!, play!

Look, take this! Take it!

Take the sand!

Stand up now! Get on your feet!

Your strength is in the sand.

You can't be like the Arijunas.

A day like today, Negrita was born in Maicao.

We're happy to celebrate

my grand-daughter's

birthday!

I recently heard my family say

that a very old man had bought a girl

and she hadn't even had her period.

The girl had to go with him

because a Wayuu's word must be kept.

If that happened to me, I'd die!

Pili, let's set up the loom for you to keep on weaving.

Pili, this is done fast.

We, the Wayuu women, must teach our daughters

the gift of weaving

because the Wayuu women who don't know how to weave

have no value for our culture, nor for our men.

1,2,3,4,5

6,7,8,9,10

Knowing how to weave gives us the gift

of being wise women.

Pili, is your back hurting?

No.

The loom is almost set.

I'm tired. My hips hurt.

We haven't eaten anything all day.

Learning to weave was a little hard at the beginning

because my fingertips would hurt.

Later, weaving became my best company

I'd weave day and night.

Learning how to weave during seclusion is most important.

I like weaving in bright and lively colors.

They brighten up my life.

They don't let me feel lonely.

Everything I've learned about weaving,

I have to practice every day

and I can't forget it.

Mamma, tell me. Were you bought?

Yes, I was.

What did they give for you? Animals?

They gave lots of goats, necklaces

and also cash.

I was very well paid for.

I remember they also gave

5 mules, 10 cows

What did they do with your bride payment?

They gave it to my maternal family

and they did very well.

As if they'd won the lottery.

My mother was also paid for.

How much did they give for her?

200 head of cattle,

15 tuma necklaces.

My father was very rich.

I remember crying when my father

gave me away to a man, because men scared me.

Pili, breakfast!

The hardest part of seclusion is that I can't laugh anymore.

To become a woman here means one can't laugh,

but I love to laugh.

How are you?

How've you been?

I'm fine.

Where's grand-mother?

She's in the kitchen.

I'm here because I want to speak with her,

so, I need you to call her.

Grand-mother!

Uhuh! How are you?

Fine. How are you?

I'm doing well.

Has it rained much?

No. It needs to rain because the land is very dry

and the animals are dying of thirst.

The same is happening to us, in this settlement.

I want to talk to you.

I'm from the Jarariyu clan. I know which clan you belong to.

The girl that's secluded, your grand-daughter,

is very valuable to me.

You might ask why I'm talking about this.

Yes, I'm interested in her.

Even though I might not become the girl's husband,

I think she could be wife to one of my nephews.

I repeat, I'm interested in her.

No, she's still too young,

I don't want her to be sold just yet.

I want her to study. I'm not giving her to you.

I'll give her away whenever I decide it suitable.

What we want is for her to fight for a better future.

The bride price you're offering would run out very quickly

and she'd be left with no prosperous future.

So, I don't want to give her away.

It's true that a Majayut is highly valued

but, I insist, she's still too young

and she needs to become a bit more mature.

What I have here, to show for the bride price, is a valuable necklace.

I'll show it to you.

It's good of you to have brought it, but I won't take it.

However, I still want to show it to you.

Yes. I see it. It's beautiful.

I can't deny I'd like to have it,

I'd like it for myself

however, I'm not keeping it.

This necklace is made of a very fine stone called Tuma.

Yes, I know. It seems to be very valuable.

You might want to keep it for later,

since you're so interested.

Yes, I'll keep it.

The fact that you came here to offer a bride price

for my grand-daughter gives our settlement great prestige.

Yes, you can take great pride.

Yes, it makes me very proud.

A man who offered a beautiful necklace for you just left.

What do you think about that?

Would you agree to have that man pay a bride price for you?

and to have to go with him?

What do you think about that?

Tell me. It's your life at stake.

I want to tell you something you already know.

Our men are always in a hammock drinking.

They only want to order you about:

"Hang the hammock! Make dinner!”.

That's what I think. Do you want that for yourself?

Pili, there's something you need to know

and that's the importance of dreams in your life.

They tell us what might happen to us

and show us how to avoid mishappenings.

So, let's now prepare for baptism and ask the Holy Spirit

to be with us during this celebration,

and especially with Jairito,

who's going to be baptized and will become a new creature.

Holy Mary, Mother of God. Pray for us.

Saint John the Baptist. Pray for us.

Jairo Antonio, I baptize you, in the name of the Father,

and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The god-parents repeat after me:

He was given to me a Moor, I now return him a Christian.

Give each other a hug. You're now compadres.

You must now respect and honor each other, by this sacrament.

May the Lord, who called you to him,

keep you in this special grace.

And now let us bless this house

where Pili has dwelt this whole year,

so that the Lord may strengthen her,

and that those projects and good wishes,

that lie deep in the heart, may all come true.

Pili, I bless you: In the name of the Father,

and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Now that I'm about to come out of seclusion

many people are going to see me again, after a long time.

It's going to be very embarrassing for me,

to meet with all those people,

because I've been secluded for a long time

without seeing anyone.

I'm scared of people now.

I'm going to be embarrassed when I go back to school,

because my classmates will ask me

where I've been.

I'm scared of that.

That's why I don't want to go out.

You don't have to cry. Say hello.

You can see the day light now, after a long time.

Come, sit here.

I'm bringing you out of this long seclusion today

so that you may continue to behave like an adult woman

When you see someone

you must not laugh with them.

If someone comes to visit me,

you must not listen to our conversation.

Your duty is to make coffee and offer it to them.

That will be your behavior from now on.

You know I don't want you to laugh with any man.

You must follow my example.

You're going out of seclusion in a few moments

and you'll now be in charge of helping

solve your family's problems.

If there should be any conflicts in your settlement,

you'll be in charge of solving them the best way possible.

The experience of seclusion

grants you a legacy you'll always have to practice.

Your time of seclusion has come to an end.

I'm dressing you up for your exit.

Many people are waiting for you outside.

If they ask, you'll tell them

you were secluded for many moons.

Here's my grand-daughter

who I secluded for many moons.

Anyone who wants to see her, can do so now.

Here, I offer you my work.

It's very nice.

To have been secluded reaffirms your role as a woman within your culture.

You're now a new Majayut.

Now, you won't forget our customs.

You shall go about the world raising your Wayuu being up high.

Look. Her skin is beautiful.

You should have seen it when she first got her period.

Rose, come and see her.

Pili, you're an example to follow

and, through you, other girls will know the importance of seclusion.

I challenge you to dance with me.

I'm going to dance with all the girls!

How are you, Pili?

How are you feeling?

Do you know how to behave now?

It's been a long time, hasn't it?

Do you remember the trip we took to the sea?

Now, you'll have to own up to everything

you learned throughout this year of seclusion

so that you can better understand

your Wayuu essence.

To be offered a bride price is a matter of great pride for a Wayuu woman.

I renounced to my bride price

because I didn't want to be bought.

I went into seclusion because it was my grandmother's wish.

She strongly defends our culture.

I also wanted to follow our tradition,

but what I want now is to finish high school

and to be a career woman.