The Rock of Nyi, Rio Piraparana
October 1943

During his descent and exploration of the Rio Apaporis, Schultes paddled up the Rio Piraparana, a north-bank affluent, as far up as the rock of Nyi, a petroglyph carved into a boulder of granite sitting precisely on the equator. Long sacred to the Makuna, Barasana, Tatuyo, and Taiwano, the image commemorates the visit of Father Sun when he first gave yage to the people. Some thirty years later the petroglyph was irrevocably damaged by a Protestant missionary who claimed it was the work of the devil.