Book SummaryWe Will Be Jaguars, by Nemonte Nenquimo and Mitch Anderson

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of We Will Be Jaguars

In We Will Be Jaguars (2024), Nemonte Nenquimo and Mitch Anderson share the story of the Waorani people, an Indigenous group living in the Amazon rainforest. Nenquimo, a Waorani leader and activist, and Anderson, an environmentalist and co-founder of the Ceibo Alliance, provide a firsthand account of the Waorani's culture, history, and ongoing struggle to protect their land from external threats such as oil companies and government encroachment. The book offers insights into the...

We Will Be Jaguars Summary Waorani Worldview and Cosmology

In this section, we will discuss the Wao people's core cultural elements, including daily life, social structures, spiritual practices, and concepts of outsiders and change.

Core Cultural Elements

Daily Life & Social Structures

To begin with, Nenquimo and Anderson describe how the Waorani community lives in longhouses called okos, with families having their own spaces.

(Shortform note: In About the House, anthropologists Janet Carsten and Stephen Hugh-Jones explore how communal houses in various societies, including Amazonian groups, serve as central social and cosmological institutions. They argue that these houses are not just physical structures but key sites where social relations, kinship, and cosmology are constructed and maintained.)

Spiritual Practices & Knowledge

Next, Nenquimo and Anderson describe the Waorani’s spiritual beliefs, which include the idea that when they pass away, they become jaguar spirits.

(Shortform note: The Waorani’s belief that they become jaguar spirits after death can be understood through the lens of [Amazonian...

We Will Be Jaguars Summary Challenges for the Waorani People and the Fight for Survival

To face these challenges, Nenquimo and Anderson explain that the Waorani are forming alliances with other Indigenous groups, including the Cofán, Secoya, and Zápara. These alliances allow them to learn from and support each other, using cowori methods to defend their lands and culture.

(Shortform note: Relying on cowori methods to face these challenges may pose risks for the Waorani and their allies. In Red Skin, White Masks, Glen Sean Coulthard argues that Indigenous peoples’ reliance on cowori institutions and frameworks can entrench them in asymmetrical relationships, where their survival depends on cowori approval.)

To understand these challenges, we will discuss the external threats to Waorani land and wellbeing, and their strategies for self-determination.

External Threats to Waorani Lands and Wellbeing

To begin with, Nenquimo and Anderson highlight that petroleum firms and timber harvesters are intruding on Waorani territory. These companies are contaminating the water supply and giving weapons to the Waorani so they fight their uncontacted relatives. The state is selling Waorani land to...

Shortform Exercise: Understanding the Concept of "Cowori"

Explore the Waorani perspective on outsiders and the impacts of their influence, as described in "We Will Be Jaguars."

How does the term "cowori" reflect the Waorani perspective towards outsiders? What does it imply about their cultural stance?