Tshui Cuji
D.O.B. – June,1994.
PLACE OF BIRTH – Village, Zamora Chinchipe in Ecuador. Born of the Achuar people of the lower wetland near the foothills of the Andes.
COMMUNITY/CULTURE – Tshui’s Shuar people also known as the Jivaros, living in the upper Amazon region. They belong to the Jivaroan ethno-lingustic group. Mainly their lands are on the east slopes or the Ecuadorian and Peruvian Andes where the join the Amazon lowlands. People from the villages in the foothills are Muraiya, and Shuar of wetter lowlands and Amazon jungle are referred to as Achu, swamp-palm or Achuar. Shuar have a reputation of fierce warriors and are known for their former practice of shrinking human heads called Tsantsa. They do not use the western concept of time. Water plays a significant role in their culture. Shuar have organized and are fighting to retain their ancestral lands against the government, mining companies, and oil companies. They live in autonomous family groups.
HEIGHT – Currently 3’5”.
BUILD – Sturdy, not quite plump. Round face.
HAIR COLOR – Sleek black, straight and past her golden tan-brown skin shoulders.
EYE COLOR – Nearly black.
DISTINGUISHING MARKS – Face drawings in red from Chiote plant. Small gap between her two front teeth.
FAMILY –
Mother – Karla Ankuash.
Second Mother – Karla Cajamanca.
Father – Isidro Cuji.
Grandmother – Ruth Tendetza.
Grandfather – Dario Wachapa.
PERSONALITY – Big smile. Happy, shy at first with strangers. Traditional upbringing. Inquisitive.
HOBBIES – Expected traditions, which she excels in doing, making decorative headdresses from feathers and seeds, and beetle wing earrings from the Ceiba Borer beetle and Toucan feathers. Fascinated by colors and texture.
PETS – She lives in nature with the animals, birds, and insects with no thought of keeping any from their natural environment. Particularly fond of Coati Mundi’s as it is what her last name is synonymous with.
MODUS OPERANDI – Being and living in her world.