[meteorite-list] INTERVIEW WITH CARANCAS LOCALS

From: Sterling K. Webb <sterling_k_webb_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 18 Oct 2007 22:35:17 -0500
Message-ID: <0cbd01c81201$120f9ee0$b92ee146_at_ATARIENGINE>

Hi, All,

    I've found a Spanish document of an interview with
an inhabitant of Carancas, in particular their local leader.
He was interviewed in his native language, Aymara, by
a native Aymara speaker who has translated the interview
into Spanish.

    I have run the Spanish part through an online translator
to come up with an English version. Most of it is fairly clear
and understandable, but there are a few rough spots! Like
all machine translations it is overly literal. Really horrible
mistakes are probably mine.

    I'm going to give the full text of the interview here and
save the comments for afterwards.

Translated from Aymara into Spanish by
LORENZO FRITZ-FRANCISCO
Hummingbird "Luly" "Q'inty"
President, AGUILA-CONDOR
EAGLE AND CONDOR NON-PROFIT ASSOCIATION
E-mail: acbolivia at yahoo.com
Address: Casilla 4088 La Paz, Bolivia
Telephone: 591-225-2670

[Machine translated online into English by S. Webb]

On September 28 in Peru, the Puno District, Carancas.

Interviewer: Kunas sutimax jilata.
(All the questions are in Aymara without translation)

Informant: I am Ernesto (Last name withheld), the
Authority for The Community of Carancas. I am
51 years of age.

The impact, it has fallen down on a Saturday 11:45 in
the morning. At that time, I was taking my cattle, the
bulls, towards the pasture [pastesal] and then my elder
son has said to me, Dad, what thing is that that is
fumigating [smoking, vaporizing]? He says this to me,
When he said it, I looked, at this moment it had been
fumigating [smoking]. Little by little, the smoke changed
to blue color and it was increasing, a more bigger smoke.
It began at a distance of 1 Km from my house. Then I
listened to the noise. It was sounding like artificial fire,
sounds like sh-x-x-x-x-x-x-x [perhaps a crackling sound?].
Later it sounds like "q'ux, q'ux," [sonic booms?] like that,
not this way.

It keeps on increasing, the smoke, and in a moment it
exploded! It had been at a distance of 1 km. I, at this
moment, imagined from that, I did not think that a planet
piece has fallen down, or anything like that, but at that
moment, I thought that we have been attacked by an
enemy, from the air. Then, I thought that there was one
[plane] alone. I have looked at the air, to see where is
the plane that has bombed us this way, more or less
imagining it. [But] it had not been like that. Then I said
that it goes to finish off one more place, no more for us.

Then I, as the authority, had to go to place the facts then.
I had to inform the national police. I did so exactly. And
they said to me, that which has fallen down is a meteorite
or piece of a planet. You cannot approach it. Meanwhile,
I will investigate.

[The following section seems to refer to Mike Farmer's
collecting efforts in Carancas, or so I read it. "El mayor
Canalla," The Big Scoundrel...]

Then a sample has been taken, approximately
ten kilos, more or less. Then it has taken the
sample that had to go and had to confirmed to us
that up to now the Big Scoundrel is not known,
he does not confirm to us that the analysis of
this, does not know anything. We do not know anything.
It does not seem that this Big Scoundrel is doing
a business of this material that has gone this way.
Seems for me these are the cases that it has spent
in this place what is a place center of the sector
huano collo wanu qullu, and adjoined to this place.

[Now we encounter another kind of problem. The answers
to specific questions are translated from Aymara, BUT
most of the questions are not, so we have to hypothesize
the question that they are answering.]

Interviewer: Did the animals die? Are there any dead
animals?

Informant: Almost none, but at skylight, two animals
were sick from the impact. From the nose, they were issuing
the blood and they was already not eating then even now,
the cattle are.

Q? What about the people?

Then, in all these surroundings were the people who
were scared, with headaches. In the nights, the children
were not sleeping, were crying, were restless, were
crying, were shouting, this way. Since then, we have had
support, the medicines of Chuchito Juli of Carancas,
the doctors' medical free treatment [clinic]. Also we have
received hence a bit the people are "pasiguando" [the
translator does not know the verb pasiguar], are not calming
down, and up to now it continues that they are slightly
desperate. Can another such thing suddenly fall down?
Another? We are a little timid [frightened].

[medical complaints are among the hardest things to translate.]

This smell momas, all this smell was voting for the repair momas,
since then the meal, the lunch, was not entering for anything exactly,
I go away to treatment, begin to inject with injectable begin
to extract blood test pills of all kinds newly, I have reflect at
least . also since greatly on treatment they have done it has
recovered now continues that it is the same seems that the [unknown]
had a bit attacked some worse pertinent one has been complicated,
says that it has a worse asthma, says that it can complicate

Likely Question: What was it like when it hit?

We have been scared! I have walked like a drunk.
[I was staggered.] I was walking there, spinning wool.
Suddenly, it made me lie down two times! It was there,
behind this house.

Q? What about the animals?

The sheep was scared; he has died. My pregnant sheep
has died, the other also seems that it is sick.

Q? Were there flames?

The flames have fallen down, they are thrown far
from where they were moored [literally, tied down,
the point of origin]. I was recovering, but like
a drunk person.

Q? What did your wife see?

Perhaps she has not seen, [when she came out]
all the flames have fallen down.

Q? Did you see the impact on the ground?
(apparently asked of another informant, not clear)

I have not seen that, only I have seen those who are
next [in front of] to me, but the smoke has grown so
big it almost reached up to the [top of the] sky.

Q? What did you think?

I said that the Chileans have thrown the bomb, this
moment I said that either I will not meet my son he
since it was in the house now either we are not the
people handyman I same realize this way it had been

Q? Very long question. I can't sort out the answer.

Idiot like that is walking, says that his foot hurts him,
his head it was also, where the doctor has not made to
meet also to the school it is necessary to go. It makes
me hurt to the ugly well eye [the crater?]; that's why I
do not want to approach.

            ------------ End of Interview ------------

    First, it sounds like PTSD to me. This was a very
traumatic event to a group of very quiet pastoralists.
They were Bombed! Anybody still doubt it was an
explosive event? With a forceful shock wave?

> We have been scared! I have walked like a drunk.
> [I was staggered.] I was walking there, spinning wool.
> Suddenly, it made me lie down two times!
> The flames have fallen down, they are thrown far...

    They are obviously distraught and in high anxiety,
"In the nights, the children were not sleeping, were
crying, were restless..."

    I read their immense concern over their health not
as an ignorant hysteria, but as an indicator of how
stressful the event was to experience. We "big-rocks-
from-space" nuts think it would Neat! But, of course,
it would be terrifying. It suggests to me that those who
think this event was just a "big rock plop" are mistaken.

    Some of the descriptions could be consistent with a
very, very low airburst, very close to the ground (500,
600 feet). The fact that he was knocked down twice is
interesting. It could be that he was first flattened by the
air wave, then by the impact shock wave. It could also
be a reflected impact wave.

    The "drunk walk" is often found in earthquake descriptions
of ground movement. Of course, the estimated distances
(always one kilometer) are data you can throw away.

    The "flames have fallen down" suggests ablative flight
all the way to the ground (or very low airburst; there's
hardly any difference).

    If anyone wants a copy of the Aymara-Spanish
document, contact me and I can email it to you.


Sterling K. Webb
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Received on Thu 18 Oct 2007 11:35:17 PM PDT