Signs & Science: The Shuar & The Achuar (الشُّعَرَاءُ)

A Living Example

Abstract

The indigenous tribes called Shuar and Achuar, still living in South America, bear a striking similarity to the statements in The Quran using a similar term. Though the الشُّعَرَاءُ are mentioned at the end of Surah ash-Shu`ara`, the beliefs, culture and modern challenges of these indigenous tribes present a living example of the narratives mentioned in the surah.

Full Text

هَلْ أُنَبِّئُكُمْ عَلَىٰ مَن تَنَزَّلُ الشَّيَاطِينُ

تَنَزَّلُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ أَفَّاكٍ أَثِيمٍ

يُلْقُونَ السَّمْعَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمْ كَاذِبُونَ

وَالشُّعَرَاءُ يَتَّبِعُهُمُ الْغَاوُونَ

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّهُمْ فِي كُلِّ وَادٍ يَهِيمُونَ

وَأَنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ مَا لَا يَفْعَلُونَ

إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَذَكَرُوا اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا وَانتَصَرُوا مِن بَعْدِ مَا ظُلِمُوا وَسَيَعْلَمُ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا أَيَّ مُنقَلَبٍ يَنقَلِبُونَ

Shall I inform you upon whom the devils descend?

They descend on every sinful, false one.

They listen eagerly, but most of them are liars.

As for ~~poets~~ (الشُّعَرَاءُ), the erring follow them.

Hast thou not seen how they stray in every valley,

And how they say that which they do not?

Save those who believe and do good works, and remember Allah much, and vindicate themselves after they have been wronged. Those who do wrong will come to know by what a (great) reverse they will be overturned!

[Al-Quran 26:221-226, Translation: Pickthal, edited]

Quran Translations & Dictionary

All translations of Q26:224 in this link of 50+ English translations translate the word الشُّعَرَاءُ as poets: https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/26/224/default.htm

This is probably because the word الشُّعَرَاءُ shares its root with the words for poet, poetry and perception, symbols, monuments and the star Sirius: http://corpus.quran.com/qurandictionary.jsp?q=$Er#(26:224:1)

A key term in Q26:222 is أَثِيمٍ which means willfully sinful: http://corpus.quran.com/qurandictionary.jsp?q=Avm#(26:222:5)

It is preceded by another qualifying term أَفَّاكٍ which means liar, and shares its root letters with words meaning deluded, falsehood, turn away and overturned: http://corpus.quran.com/qurandictionary.jsp?q=Afk#(26:222:4)

The Indigenous Tribes in South America

The Shuar and Achuar tribes live in South America. They establish contact with 'devils'. Shamanism, witchcraft, uwishin, initiation, adulthood rituals, visions, arútam, wakaní, kakáram, tsentsak, muisak, soul of the victim, shrunken head, headshrinking, tsantsa, etc. are but some key words which have come to be associated with these people, their beliefs and their way of life.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuar
The Shuar are an indigenous people of Ecuador and Peru. They are members of the Jivaroan peoples, who are Amazonian tribes living at the headwaters of the Marañón River. ...
In the 19th century muraiya Shuar became famous among Europeans and Euro-Americans for their elaborate process of shrinking the heads of slain Achuar. ... The result was an increase in local warfare, including head hunting, ...

The Amazon
The Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest is exceptionally rich in biodiversity. Though the الشُّعَرَاءُ are mentioned at the end of Surah ash-Shu`ara`, the surah mentions the diversity of the flora and fauna on Earth in the beginning of the surah, and questions:

أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا إِلَى الْأَرْضِ كَمْ أَنبَتْنَا فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ زَوْجٍ كَرِيمٍ

إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَةً وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ

Have they not looked at the earth to see how We have caused all kinds of noble pairs to grow in it?
Surely in this there is a sign; yet most of them do not believe.
In fact your Lord is the Mighty as well as the Merciful.

[Al-Quran 26:7-9, Translation: M. Farook Malik]

The surah goes on to mention various civilisations who have been destroyed. The Ancient Egyptians flourished when their region was fertile, and not the desert it is now. When they refused to repent, they were:

فَأَخْرَجْنَاهُم مِّن جَنَّاتٍ وَعُيُونٍ

So We expelled them from gardens and springs,

[Al-Quran 26:57]

Hud is quoted as telling his people, the Aad to:

وَاتَّقُوا الَّذِي أَمَدَّكُم بِمَا تَعْلَمُونَ
أَمَدَّكُم بِأَنْعَامٍ وَبَنِينَ
وَجَنَّاتٍ وَعُيُونٍ
إِنِّي أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ

And fear the One Who has aided you with what you know,
He has aided you with cattle and children,
And gardens and springs.
Indeed, I [I] fear for you (the) punishment (of) a Day Great."

[Al-Quran 26:132 - 135]

Saleh warned his people, the Samood:

أَتُتْرَكُونَ فِي مَا هَاهُنَا آمِنِينَ
فِي جَنَّاتٍ وَعُيُونٍ
وَزُرُوعٍ وَنَخْلٍ طَلْعُهَا هَضِيمٌ
وَتَنْحِتُونَ مِنَ الْجِبَالِ بُيُوتًا فَارِهِينَ
فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ
وَلَا تُطِيعُوا أَمْرَ الْمُسْرِفِينَ
الَّذِينَ يُفْسِدُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا يُصْلِحُونَ

Will you be left in what (is) here secure,
In gardens and springs,
And cornfields and date-palms its spadix soft?
And you carve of the mountains, houses skillfully.
So fear Allah and obey me.
And (do) not obey (the) command (of) the transgressors,
Those who spread corruption in the earth and (do) not reform."

[Al-Quran 26:146-152]

The Shrunken Head
While narrating the story of the people of Shoaib, Q26:183 quotes their messenger as stating:

وَلَا تَبْخَسُوا النَّاسَ أَشْيَاءَهُمْ وَلَا تَعْثَوْا فِي الْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ

And (do) not deprive people (of) their things, and (do) not commit evil in the earth, spreading corruption.

[Al-Quran 26:183]

Almost all parents teach their children not to take people's things. Among all the prophets and messengers mentioned in The Quran, Messenger Shoaib particularly is quoted advising his people against depriving people of their things. I take it to mean they were doing something unusual which other nations had not been doing, perhaps taking body parts? As I understand it, the human is essentially its body: the dust it is made of, as explored in Human: Body or Soul? To deprive the human (alive or dead) of any of its body part is depriving it of its thing! The Quran uses a similar sounding word أَشْيَاعِ but with a different root (ش ي ع) when mentioning the prior species of the genus homo:

وَلَوْ تَرَىٰ إِذْ فَزِعُوا فَلَا فَوْتَ وَأُخِذُوا مِن مَّكَانٍ قَرِيبٍ

وَقَالُوا آمَنَّا بِهِ وَأَنَّىٰ لَهُمُ التَّنَاوُشُ مِن مَّكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ

وَقَدْ كَفَرُوا بِهِ مِن قَبْلُ وَيَقْذِفُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ مِن مَّكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ

وَحِيلَ بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ مَا يَشْتَهُونَ كَمَا فُعِلَ بِأَشْيَاعِهِم مِّن قَبْلُ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا فِي شَكٍّ مُّرِيبٍ

And if you (could) see when they will be terrified but (there will be) no escape, and they will be seized from a place near. And they will say, "We believe in it." But how for them (will be) the receiving from a place far off? And certainly, they disbelieved in it before. And they utter conjectures about the unseen from a place far off.

And a barrier will be placed between them and between what they desire, as was done with their kind before. Indeed, they were in doubt disquieting.

[Al-Quran 34:51-54]

وَمَا أَمْرُنَا إِلَّا وَاحِدَةٌ كَلَمْحٍ بِالْبَصَرِ

وَلَقَدْ أَهْلَكْنَا أَشْيَاعَكُمْ فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ

And not (is) Our Command but one, like the twinkling (of) the eye.

And certainly We destroyed your kinds, so is (there) any who will receive admonition?

[Al-Quran 54:50-51]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrunken_head
A shrunken head is a severed and specially prepared human head that is used for trophy, ritual, or trade purposes.
Headhunting has occurred in many regions of the world, but the practice of headshrinking has only been documented in the northwestern region of the Amazon rainforest. The only tribes known to have shrunken human heads are of the Jivaroan tribes. These include the Shuar, Achuar, Huambisa and Aguaruna tribes, found in Ecuador and Peru. The Shuar call a shrunken head a tsantsa, also transliterated tzantza. Many tribe leaders would show off their heads to scare enemies.
....
https://www.dorotheum.com/en/auctions/current-auctions/kataloge/list-lots-detail/auktion/11190-tribal-art/lotID/284/lot/1878160-shuar-or-jivaro-equador-a-tsantsa-shrunken-head-with-long-hair-tied-up-mouth-and-carrying-strap-19th-century.html
The tribal group of the Shuar, formerly also known as ‘Jivaro’, lived on the eastern slopes of the Andes, in the three-country crossroads of Equador, Peru and north west Brazil. The Shuar are the only people in the world who once traditionally produced shrunken heads (up until the 19th century). The reason for this custom lies in the belief system of the Shuar.
...
http://www.ecuador.com/blog/the-indigenous-shuar-of-ecuadorDuring the nineteenth century, the Muraiya Shuar made headlines for their war trophies. The Tsantsa they created became known to the world as shrunken heads. The Shuar’s reasoning behind the shrunken heads was not as war trophies per say, but they believed that the shrunken head held the soul of the victim and would give them the power to control their daughters and wives. As these women cultivated the land, the men believed that their ancestors would bestow good crops on them.
...

... and would give them the power to control their daughters and wives.
When narrating the story of Moses, Q26:22 quotes Moses replying to Pharaoh:

وَتِلْكَ نِعْمَةٌ تَمُنُّهَا عَلَيَّ أَنْ عَبَّدتَّ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ

And this (is the) favor with which you reproach [on] me, that you have enslaved (the) Children of Israel."

[Al-Quran 26:22]

The Quran informs us that the Pharaoh would kill the sons of the Bani Israel and save their women:

وَإِذْ نَجَّيْنَاكُم مِّنْ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ يَسُومُونَكُمْ سُوءَ الْعَذَابِ يُذَبِّحُونَ أَبْنَاءَكُمْ وَيَسْتَحْيُونَ نِسَاءَكُمْ وَفِي ذَٰلِكُم بَلَاءٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ عَظِيمٌ

And when We saved you from (the) people (of) Firaun (who were) afflicting you (with) horrible torment, slaughtering your sons and letting live your women. And in that (was) a trial from your Lord great.

[Al-Quran 2:49]

وَإِذْ أَنجَيْنَاكُم مِّنْ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ يَسُومُونَكُمْ سُوءَ الْعَذَابِ يُقَتِّلُونَ أَبْنَاءَكُمْ وَيَسْتَحْيُونَ نِسَاءَكُمْ وَفِي ذَٰلِكُم بَلَاءٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ عَظِيمٌ

And when We saved you from (the) people (of) Firaun who were afflicting you (with) worst (of) torment, they were killing your sons and letting live your women. And in that (was) a trial from your Lord great.

[Al-Quran 7:141]

إِنَّ فِرْعَوْنَ عَلَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَجَعَلَ أَهْلَهَا شِيَعًا يَسْتَضْعِفُ طَائِفَةً مِّنْهُمْ يُذَبِّحُ أَبْنَاءَهُمْ وَيَسْتَحْيِي نِسَاءَهُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ مِنَ الْمُفْسِدِينَ

Indeed, Firaun exalted himself in the land and made its people (into) sects, oppressing a group among them, slaughtering their sons and letting live their women. Indeed, he was of the corrupters.

[Al-Quran 28:4]

Magic & Healing
Continuing the narration of Moses in Surah ash-Shu`ara`, the Pharaoh is advised by his courtiers to send for the most learned magicians in the land, as they thought Moses' miracles were great magic:

يَأْتُوكَ بِكُلِّ سَحَّارٍ عَلِيمٍ

They (will) bring to you every magician, learned."

[Al-Quran 26:37]

https://ratical.org/LifeWeb/Articles/shuar.html
Tshuin and the Uwishin Tradition
Marcello: Anank, my uncle, and I are both Shuar medicine men, called curanderos by the Spanish settlers. In Shuar, the word is uwishin (pronouned oo-wee-sheen')-- a healer who works with medicinal plants and with spirit powers. It also means "someone who knows all the secrets."
...
To have become an uwishin is, for me, the best possible legacy I could have received from my forefathers, because it enabled me to learn everything that they were and that they knew. It is a long and difficult process, one in which you receive an entire book of all the knowledge and secrets of nature. It means receiving a new life, discovering a new world you have never seen before. It transforms you completely, enabling you to see behind you as well as before you every obstacle that can possibly present itself to you.
...

The shamans claim to be in touch with spirit powers who guide them. They revere these beings. Generally these beings appear in their trance. Quite often, they report them as snakes.

While Abrahamic religions believe in the existence of other realms, hidden from normal human view, yet they are quite clear in their knowledge that there exists no God but the One and Only God.

In Surah ash-Shu`ara`, the story of Moses is followed by the story of Abraham and quotes his conversation with his father and his people. Regarding their idols and what they worshipped, he states:

فَإِنَّهُمْ عَدُوٌّ لِّي إِلَّا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ

Indeed, they (are) enemies to me, except (the) Lord (of) the worlds,

[Al-Quran 26:77]

Giving a comprehensive introduction about the Lord of the Worlds, one of the points Abraham makes is:

وَإِذَا مَرِضْتُ فَهُوَ يَشْفِينِ

And when I am ill, then He cures me,

[Al-Quran 26:80]

Abraham's speech concludes with the following scenario about the Hereafter:

وَبُرِّزَتِ الْجَحِيمُ لِلْغَاوِينَ

وَقِيلَ لَهُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْبُدُونَ

مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ هَلْ يَنصُرُونَكُمْ أَوْ يَنتَصِرُونَ

فَكُبْكِبُوا فِيهَا هُمْ وَالْغَاوُونَ

وَجُنُودُ إِبْلِيسَ أَجْمَعُونَ

قَالُوا وَهُمْ فِيهَا يَخْتَصِمُونَ

تَاللَّهِ إِن كُنَّا لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُّبِينٍ

إِذْ نُسَوِّيكُم بِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

وَمَا أَضَلَّنَا إِلَّا الْمُجْرِمُونَ

And hell will appear plainly to the erring.

And it will be said unto them: Where is (all) that ye used to worship

Instead of Allah? Can they help you or help themselves?

Then will they be hurled therein, they and the seducers

And the hosts of Iblis, together.

And they will say, when they are quarrelling therein:

By Allah, of a truth we were in error manifest

When we made you equal with the Lord of the Worlds.

It was but the guilty who misled us.

[Al-Quran 26:91-99, Translation: Pickthal]

Poetry
In Surah Yasin, on the Day of Judgement, Allah will say to the criminals:

أَلَمْ أَعْهَدْ إِلَيْكُمْ يَا بَنِي آدَمَ أَن لَّا تَعْبُدُوا الشَّيْطَانَ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ

وَأَنِ اعْبُدُونِي هَٰذَا صِرَاطٌ مُّسْتَقِيمٌ

وَلَقَدْ أَضَلَّ مِنكُمْ جِبِلًّا كَثِيرًا أَفَلَمْ تَكُونُوا تَعْقِلُونَ

هَٰذِهِ جَهَنَّمُ الَّتِي كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ

اصْلَوْهَا الْيَوْمَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ

الْيَوْمَ نَخْتِمُ عَلَىٰ أَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَتُكَلِّمُنَا أَيْدِيهِمْ وَتَشْهَدُ أَرْجُلُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ

وَلَوْ نَشَاءُ لَطَمَسْنَا عَلَىٰ أَعْيُنِهِمْ فَاسْتَبَقُوا الصِّرَاطَ فَأَنَّىٰ يُبْصِرُونَ

وَلَوْ نَشَاءُ لَمَسَخْنَاهُمْ عَلَىٰ مَكَانَتِهِمْ فَمَا اسْتَطَاعُوا مُضِيًّا وَلَا يَرْجِعُونَ

وَمَن نُّعَمِّرْهُ نُنَكِّسْهُ فِي الْخَلْقِ أَفَلَا يَعْقِلُونَ

وَمَا عَلَّمْنَاهُ الشِّعْرَ وَمَا يَنبَغِي لَهُ إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ وَقُرْآنٌ مُّبِينٌ

لِّيُنذِرَ مَن كَانَ حَيًّا وَيَحِقَّ الْقَوْلُ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ

Did I not charge you, O ye sons of Adam, that ye worship not the devil - Lo! he is your open foe! -

But that ye worship Me? That was the right path.

Yet he hath led astray of you a great multitude. Had ye then no sense?

This is hell which ye were promised (if ye followed him).

Burn therein this day for that ye disbelieved.

This day We seal up their mouths, and their hands speak out to Us and their feet bear witness as to what they used to earn.

And had We willed, We verily could have quenched their eyesight so that they should struggle for the way. Then how could they have seen?

And had We willed, We verily could have fixed them in their place, making them powerless to go forward or turn back.

He whom we bring unto old age, We reverse him in creation (making him go back to weakness after strength). Have ye then no sense?

And We have not taught him (Muhammad) poetry, nor is it meet for him. This is naught else than a Reminder and a Lecture making plain,

To warn whosoever liveth, and that the word may be fulfilled against the disbelievers.

[Al-Quran 36:60-70, Translation: Pickthal]

http://www.poetrytranslation.org/poets/maria-clara-sharupi-jua
María Clara Sharupi Jua writes poetry in Spanish and Shuar, a language spoken by the indigenous community of the same name. Born and raised in the Amazon rainforest, María Clara's poetry mixes imagery from nature and the traditions of her indigenous culture, which pre-dates that of the Incas.'
... 'I want to convey the wisdom of my ancestors and the orality of my culture that inhabits every syllable I put into writing.
...

Sirius

Though Sirius (الشِّعْرَىٰ) and The Shuar (الشُّعَرَاءُ) share the same root word, I do not know if the Shuar used to worship Sirius.

About Pre-Columbian Ecuador, Wikipedia mentions:

By far the most common object was a stone star with a hole through the middle. They were found everywhere between Ibarra and Riobamba.

In a website, which lists Ecuador's six most important archaeological wonders, is mentioned that Rumicucho was one of the most important temples for worshipping the Star-King. However, from the context, it seems to be referring to Sun-worship.

The 'Star Woman' is mentioned in the title of the female initiation rite of the Shuar in the book Spirit of the Shuar: Wisdom from the Last Unconquered People of the Amazon

The Quran & The Shuar

Allah is perfect in His Justice. He does not destroy a community unless it has received its warnings and the opportunity to repent. The Shuar are an ancient extant community who contact the devils. Curiously, one of the objections of some disbelievers was, and is, that The Quran has been revealed by the devil(s). In Surah ash-Shu`ara', we read about various nations who were duly warned and then destroyed when they refused to believe and repent. After that, we read:

وَمَا أَهْلَكْنَا مِن قَرْيَةٍ إِلَّا لَهَا مُنذِرُونَ

ذِكْرَىٰ وَمَا كُنَّا ظَالِمِينَ

وَمَا تَنَزَّلَتْ بِهِ الشَّيَاطِينُ

وَمَا يَنبَغِي لَهُمْ وَمَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ

إِنَّهُمْ عَنِ السَّمْعِ لَمَعْزُولُونَ

فَلَا تَدْعُ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَٰهًا آخَرَ فَتَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُعَذَّبِينَ

And We destroyed no township but it had its warners

For reminder, for We never were oppressors.

The devils did not bring it down.

It is not meet for them, nor is it in their power,

Lo! verily they are banished from the hearing.

Therefor invoke not with Allah another god, lest thou be one of the doomed.

[Al-Quran 26:208-213, Translation: Pickthal]

Distance & Location

If we look at the commonly available world maps, generally Saudi Arabia is depicted almost in the centre, while Ecuador in the extreme left corner of the map. A especially-prepared Mecca-centred map also depicts Ecuador as far-removed from Saudi Arabia. So, whether we look at the rectangular or circular flat maps, or at the globe, this region of South America is far-removed from Mecca and Medina. Curiously, it is at the border of the Ring of Fire:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_of_Fire
The Ring of Fire is a major area in the basin of the Pacific Ocean where many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur. In a 40,000 km (25,000 mi) horseshoe shape, it is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts and plate movements. It has 452 volcanoes (more than 75% of the world's active and dormant volcanoes). The Ring of Fire is sometimes called the circum-Pacific belt.
About 90% of the world's earthquakes and 81% of the world's largest earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire. All but three of the world's 25 largest volcanic eruptions of the last 11,700 years occurred at volcanoes in the Ring of Fire. ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_of_Fire#Ecuador
... Cotopaxi is a stratovolcano in the Andes, located about 50 km (31 mi) south of Quito, Ecuador, South America. It is the second-highest summit in the country, reaching a height of 5,897 m (19,347 ft). Some consider it the world's highest active volcano, and it is one of Ecuador's most active volcanoes. Since 1738, Cotopaxi has erupted more than 50 times, resulting in the creation of numerous valleys formed by mudflows around the volcano. ...

Islam in Ecuador

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Ecuador
The Pew Research Center estimates that Ecuador has a Muslim population of about 2000, representing 0.011 % out of total population of 16,965,000 inhabitants. The first Muslim settlers in Ecuador were primarily Arabs who emigrated from the Middle East during World War I and thereafter ...

Surah alMu`minun guides thus:

قُل رَّبِّ إِمَّا تُرِيَنِّي مَا يُوعَدُونَ
رَبِّ فَلَا تَجْعَلْنِي فِي الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ
وَإِنَّا عَلَىٰ أَن نُّرِيَكَ مَا نَعِدُهُمْ لَقَادِرُونَ
ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ السَّيِّئَةَ نَحْنُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يَصِفُونَ
وَقُل رَّبِّ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ هَمَزَاتِ الشَّيَاطِينِ
وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ رَبِّ أَن يَحْضُرُونِ

Say: My Lord! If Thou shouldst show me that which they are promised.
My Lord! then set me not among the wrongdoing folk.
And verily We are Able to show thee that which We have promised them.
Repel evil with that which is better. We are Best Aware of that which they allege.
And say: My Lord! I seek refuge in Thee from suggestions of the evil ones,
And I seek refuge in Thee, my Lord, lest they be present with me,
[Al-Quran 23:93-98, Translation: Pickthal]

The surah concludes with the following prayer:

أَفَحَسِبْتُمْ أَنَّمَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ عَبَثًا وَأَنَّكُمْ إِلَيْنَا لَا تُرْجَعُونَ
فَتَعَالَى اللَّهُ الْمَلِكُ الْحَقُّ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْكَرِيمِ
وَمَن يَدْعُ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَٰهًا آخَرَ لَا بُرْهَانَ لَهُ بِهِ فَإِنَّمَا حِسَابُهُ عِندَ رَبِّهِ إِنَّهُ لَا يُفْلِحُ الْكَافِرُونَ
وَقُل رَّبِّ اغْفِرْ وَارْحَمْ وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ الرَّاحِمِينَ

Deemed ye then that We had created you for naught, and that ye would not be returned unto Us?
Now Allah be Exalted, the True King! There is no Allah save Him, the Lord of the Throne of Grace.
He who crieth unto any other god along with Allah hath no proof thereof. His reckoning is only with his Lord. Lo! disbelievers will not be successful.
And (O Muhammad) say: My Lord! Forgive and have mercy, for Thou art Best of all who show mercy.

[Al-Quran 23:115-118, Translation: Pickthal]

Modernisation & Genetic Engineering
In spite of all their beliefs and practices, these native people have lived in their flourishing land, respecting and conserving its biodiversity. With the modern era and its globalisation, they are faced with demands to embrace genetic research and engineering. Although Ecuador's 2008 constitution prohibited genetically engineered crops and seeds, yet 2017 witnessed the passing of a law permitting GMO crop research. CIBB 2018 scheduled for later this year looks forward to exploring this controversial issue. As more and more countries are embracing biotechnology and its application, it remains to be seen how long the Ecuadorians will be able to resist it.

Destroying the Ego (Psyche)
The Quran informs us that Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change what is within their NAFS:

لَهُ مُعَقِّبَاتٌ مِّن بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِ يَحْفَظُونَهُ مِنْ أَمْرِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ وَإِذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ سُوءًا فَلَا مَرَدَّ لَهُ وَمَا لَهُم مِّن دُونِهِ مِن وَالٍ

For him (are) successive (Angels) before him and behind him, who guard him by (the) Command of Allah. Indeed, Allah (does) not change the condition of a people, until they change what (is) in ~~themselves~~ their NAFS. And when Allah wills for a people misfortune, then (there is) no turning away of it, and not for them besides Him any protector.

[Al-Quran 13:11, translation edited]

Growing popular openly, at an alarming rate, is the use of psychedelics: mind-altering medicinal plant derivatives, all over the world and particularly in the Amazon Jungle. The shamans administer and oversee the rituals. The consumers mainly report (i) destruction of the ego, (ii) healing, (iii) contact with strange creatures, (iv) the snake mother, (v) hybrid monsters, among other experiences.

The polytheistic pantheon contains many strange creatures, and the snake is an essential part of their mythology. The snake || serpent || dragon, also known as the devil or Satan, is an essential part of the story of The Bible, Genesis 3, the Fall of Adam. It begins with the statement:

1Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.

[The Bible, Genesis 3:1]

The Quran also mentions the snakes and the reptiles. There is an entire Surah al-Jinn that delves in the details. More on this at: جَانٌّ (Snake || Jinn) || The Creation & Emergence of Species || Q15 23-50 || Q12

To quote Ruku #18 from Surah an-Nisa` which explicitly mentions that the worship of the female deity is actually the worship of the devil:

اِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَا يَغۡفِرُ اَنۡ يُّشۡرَكَ بِهٖ وَيَغۡفِرُ مَا دُوۡنَ ذٰ لِكَ لِمَنۡ يَّشَآءُ ؕ وَمَنۡ يُّشۡرِكۡ بِاللّٰهِ فَقَدۡ ضَلَّ ضَلٰلًاۢ بَعِيۡدًا‏ ١١٦ اِنۡ يَّدۡعُوۡنَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِهٖۤ اِلَّاۤ اِنٰـثًـا ۚ وَاِنۡ يَّدۡعُوۡنَ اِلَّا شَيۡـطٰنًا مَّرِيۡدًا ۙ‏ ١١٧ لَّـعَنَهُ اللّٰهُ ۘ وَقَالَ لَاَ تَّخِذَنَّ مِنۡ عِبَادِكَ نَصِيۡبًا مَّفۡرُوۡضًا ۙ‏ ١١٨ وَّلَاُضِلَّـنَّهُمۡ وَلَاُمَنِّيَنَّهُمۡ وَلَاٰمُرَنَّهُمۡ فَلَيُبَـتِّكُنَّ اٰذَانَ الۡاَنۡعَامِ وَلَاٰمُرَنَّهُمۡ فَلَيُغَيِّرُنَّ خَلۡقَ اللّٰهِؕ وَمَنۡ يَّتَّخِذِ الشَّيۡطٰنَ وَلِيًّا مِّنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰهِ فَقَدۡ خَسِرَ خُسۡرَانًا مُّبِيۡنًا ؕ‏ ١١٩ يَعِدُهُمۡ وَيُمَنِّيۡهِمۡ ؕ وَمَا يَعِدُهُمُ الشَّيۡـطٰنُ اِلَّا غُرُوۡرًا‏ ١٢٠

اُولٰٓٮِٕكَ مَاۡوٰٮهُمۡ جَهَـنَّمُ وَلَا يَجِدُوۡنَ عَنۡهَا مَحِيۡصًا‏ ١٢١

وَالَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَعَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ سَنُدۡخِلُهُمۡ جَنّٰتٍ تَجۡرِىۡ مِنۡ تَحۡتِهَا الۡاَنۡهٰرُ خٰلِدِيۡنَ فِيۡهَاۤ اَبَدًا ؕ وَعۡدَ اللّٰهِ حَقًّا ؕ وَمَنۡ اَصۡدَقُ مِنَ اللّٰهِ قِيۡلًا‏ ١٢٢ لَـيۡسَ بِاَمَانِيِّكُمۡ وَلَاۤ اَمَانِىِّ اَهۡلِ الۡـكِتٰبِؕ مَنۡ يَّعۡمَلۡ سُوۡٓءًا يُّجۡزَ بِهٖۙ وَ لَا يَجِدۡ لَهٗ مِنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰهِ وَلِيًّا وَّلَا نَصِيۡرًا‏ ١٢٣ وَمَنۡ يَّعۡمَلۡ مِنَ الصّٰلِحٰتِ مِنۡ ذَكَرٍ اَوۡ اُنۡثٰى وَهُوَ مُؤۡمِنٌ فَاُولٰٓٮِٕكَ يَدۡخُلُوۡنَ الۡجَـنَّةَ وَلَا يُظۡلَمُوۡنَ نَقِيۡرًا‏ ١٢٤ وَمَنۡ اَحۡسَنُ دِيۡنًا مِّمَّنۡ اَسۡلَمَ وَجۡهَهٗ لِلّٰهِ وَهُوَ مُحۡسِنٌ وَّاتَّبَعَ مِلَّةَ اِبۡرٰهِيۡمَ حَنِيۡفًا ؕ وَاتَّخَذَ اللّٰهُ اِبۡرٰهِيۡمَ خَلِيۡلًا‏ ١٢٥ وَلِلّٰهِ مَا فِى السَّمٰوٰتِ وَمَا فِى الۡاَرۡضِؕ وَكَانَ اللّٰهُ بِكُلِّ شَىۡءٍ مُّحِيۡـطًا١٢٦

Indeed, Allāh does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills. And he who associates others with Allāh has certainly gone far astray. They call upon instead of Him none but female [deities], and they [actually] call upon none but a rebellious Satan, Whom Allāh has cursed. For he had said, "I will surely take from among Your servants a specific portion. And I will mislead them, and I will arouse in them [sinful] desires, and I will command them so they will slit the ears of cattle, and I will command them so they will change the creation of Allāh." And whoever takes Satan as an ally instead of Allāh has certainly sustained a clear loss. He [i.e., Satan] promises them and arouses desire in them. But Satan does not promise them except delusion.

The refuge of those will be Hell, and they will not find from it an escape.

But the ones who believe and do righteous deeds - We will admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever. [It is] the promise of Allāh, [which is] truth, and who is more truthful than Allāh in statement. It [i.e., Paradise] is not [obtained] by your wishful thinking nor by that of the People of the Scripture. Whoever does a wrong will be recompensed for it, and he will not find besides Allāh a protector or a helper. And whoever does righteous deeds, whether male or female, while being a believer - those will enter Paradise and will not be wronged, [even as much as] the speck on a date seed. And who is better in religion than one who submits himself to Allāh while being a doer of good and follows the religion of Abraham, inclining toward truth? And Allāh took Abraham as an intimate friend. And to Allāh belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And ever is Allāh, of all things, encompassing.

[Al-Quran 4:116-126, Translation: Saheeh International]

Polytheistic beliefs and traditions stand in sharp contrast to the monotheistic Abrahamic faith in the One and Only Deity. The polytheistic mighty ancient civilisations progressed, and their relics testify to their technological prowess. It seems like they all share a similar love for this world and its immediate benefits, but at the cost of the Hereafter.

The Quran is indeed absolutely factually accurate in all its details. It has informed us of the approaching Great Event, and that The Promised Hour is approaching. Some of the signs of its approach are already manifesting. All praise and thanks to Allah for revealing and preserving The Quran in its pristine form, and for the guidance in it!

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds;

[Al-Quran 1:2, Translation: Yusuf Ali]