The horn sananáx of the Chiquitano

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The Chiquitano are a society indigenous to the lowlands of eastern Bolivia, with a population of between 40,000 and 60,000 individuals (the third largest in the country) distributed among the provinces of Ñuflo de Chaves, Velasco, Sandoval, Germán Busch, Ichilo and Chiquitos (department of Santa Cruz) and Iténez (department of Beni), as well as in three municipalities in the state of Mato Grosso (Brazil). Speakers of the Bésiro language (the fourth most used in Bolivia), they dedicate themselves to agriculture and work on local farms, and keep alive an important part of their identity as a community.

This society arose from the amalgamation of several indigenous ethnic groups, gathered in the Jesuit reductions that were established in the area starting in the 17th century. The Guaraní who accompanied the conquerors used the derogatory diminutive tapiï-mirí, "small slaves", to refer to these peoples. The Europeans simplified the term by calling them "chiquitos" — "little ones". The area they inhabited was since then baptized "Llanos de Chiquitos" or "Chiquitanía".

The Chiquitano have a wide and rich organological heritage, which includes the buxikia busúkïro: wind instruments. Among them is the sananáx, sanana or sïbïbix: a short horn made from a segment of tacuara cane 30 cm long and with a variable diameter (between 0.5 and 3 cm), open at the proximal end and closed at the distal. In the front part and towards the middle of the tube, a hole is opened in which a dry armadillo tail is inserted, adhered, and secured to the pipe with plenty of black wax (beeswax mixed with pulverized charcoal).The tail functions as a resonating pavilion.

   [Video. From YouTube user Antonio Guasace]

The sananáx produces a single sound, with a timbre similar to that of some natural trumpets from the Bolivian lowlands (e.g. the caña from Tarija department) or certain horns from the Andean highlands (e.g. the pututu).

It accompanies the duct flute natïraixh and is used only during Carnival. It appears to be part of the cultural heritage of a particular Chiquitano subgroup, the Paunax, but is unknown among other subgroups, e.g. the Monkox.

More information about this sound artifact can be found in the free-access digital book Musical instruments of the Chiquitano people (Wayrachaki Editora, 2017), accessible through the "In English > Publications > Digital books on music" section at Instrumentarium.

About the post

Text: Edgardo Civallero.

Publication date: 16.10.2023.

Picture: Horn sananáx. In Musical instruments of the Chiquitano people.