HAKANI – INFANTICIDE
Imagine you are from a world far different from the one you live in now. A world where survival is the order of the day and law is simply a legend passed from generation to generation. Imagine you are a man or a woman with a very long memory, with the memory of your father, and his father, and the father before him, the memory of your mother, and her mother, and the mother before her. A memory that is your inheritance, a memory that becomes legend, a memory that is the law, a memory that does not always reason. Imagine you are the mother or father of a crippled child. Imagine your people believe your child is cursed, with every fiber of their beings they believe that to be truth. Imagine the only way to save your people, to break the curse, is to burry your child alive. Imagine you don’t see another option, for decades, upon decades, upon decades there has been no other option. Imagine you are these people.
The indigenous tribes of the Amazon are such a people as this. I recently learned of a little girl named Hakani, and I would like to tell you all her story. As hard as Infanticide is to talk about or hear about, this is an issue that needs light shed on it, this is a story worth telling, a story worth listening to. Hakani was born in an indigenous tribe in the Amazon about twelve years ago. When Hakani was two years old, she still could not walk, her village considered her crippled as well as one of her brothers. Hakani’s village considered her and her brother cursed. When troubles came to the village, storms and troubles of life, Hakani and her brother were blamed. Their handicap had cursed the entire village. A vote was taken; Hakani and her brother were to be buried alive to break the curse. Hakani’s parents had no other choice but to burry their children alive, the village had spoken. Unable to kill their children, Hakani’s parents committed suicide. Responsibility fell to Hakani’s oldest brother; he had to do what he must to break the curse set on his tribe. Hakani’s crippled brother was knocked out and thrown in a hole in the ground; dirt was thrown on top of him. Hakani’s other brother begged the eldest not to do this; he wished to raise the babies. Hakani was ripped from his arms and put in the ground. Dirt was thrown on her. Hakani’s brother grabbed her before she could be buried and ran from the people of the village. She was allowed to live, but the people said that she could not eat their food or live under the protection of their people, to them she was dead. Hakani’s brother who had managed to spare her life did his best to take care of her. He himself was little more than a boy. Hakani lay in the dirt, was mocked by her people, drank mud, ate bugs from the ground. Her brother did his best to take care of Hakani, for three years he did his best. Hakani’s brother finally managed to get her to some missionaries. The missionaries took in Hakani, then five years old but the size of an infant. She weighed 15 pounds and was 27 inches long. Hakani was a survivor; she survived infanticide where most have not, where most have vanished beneath the ground.
Today Hakani is twelve-years-old.
(this picture is from the hakani website)
“Our responsibility is never to oppose the truth, but to stand for the truth at all times.” 2Corinthians 13:8
The indigenous tribes of the Amazon are such a people as this. I recently learned of a little girl named Hakani, and I would like to tell you all her story. As hard as Infanticide is to talk about or hear about, this is an issue that needs light shed on it, this is a story worth telling, a story worth listening to. Hakani was born in an indigenous tribe in the Amazon about twelve years ago. When Hakani was two years old, she still could not walk, her village considered her crippled as well as one of her brothers. Hakani’s village considered her and her brother cursed. When troubles came to the village, storms and troubles of life, Hakani and her brother were blamed. Their handicap had cursed the entire village. A vote was taken; Hakani and her brother were to be buried alive to break the curse. Hakani’s parents had no other choice but to burry their children alive, the village had spoken. Unable to kill their children, Hakani’s parents committed suicide. Responsibility fell to Hakani’s oldest brother; he had to do what he must to break the curse set on his tribe. Hakani’s crippled brother was knocked out and thrown in a hole in the ground; dirt was thrown on top of him. Hakani’s other brother begged the eldest not to do this; he wished to raise the babies. Hakani was ripped from his arms and put in the ground. Dirt was thrown on her. Hakani’s brother grabbed her before she could be buried and ran from the people of the village. She was allowed to live, but the people said that she could not eat their food or live under the protection of their people, to them she was dead. Hakani’s brother who had managed to spare her life did his best to take care of her. He himself was little more than a boy. Hakani lay in the dirt, was mocked by her people, drank mud, ate bugs from the ground. Her brother did his best to take care of Hakani, for three years he did his best. Hakani’s brother finally managed to get her to some missionaries. The missionaries took in Hakani, then five years old but the size of an infant. She weighed 15 pounds and was 27 inches long. Hakani was a survivor; she survived infanticide where most have not, where most have vanished beneath the ground.
Today Hakani is twelve-years-old.(this picture is from the hakani website)
She is one of the happiest children you could ever meet, in twelve-year-old fashion she runs and dances through life. Hakani means smile and no name could suit this girl better. There are laws in Brazil about human rights, laws to prevent murder, laws to prevent harm to children. Yet these laws do not prevent infanticide. Why? Because the indigenous tribes are considered separate, are considered below human rights laws. There are laws being passed and being brought to the government to stop these crimes, but laws need a voice, the indigenous tribes need a voice. There are many who say that infanticide does not happen, Hakani is proof that it does. Hakani is proof that it can be stopped. There are others with stories similar to Hakani’s, and they are proof that the tribes want another option beside the one given by the generations before. To learn more about the fight against infanticide please visit hakani.org. A docudrama was created reenacting Hakani’s story, clips are available on youtube but they are graphic. The fight for human rights is an everlasting one, your prayers are appreciated.
“Our responsibility is never to oppose the truth, but to stand for the truth at all times.” 2Corinthians 13:8
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wow! Thank you for sharing that!!
ReplyDeleteThat is a crazy story! Is this still happening today? I think I would commit suicide too if I had to do that!
ReplyDelete