The History of Little Reed Horses

Caballitos de totora - a living tradition on the Northern coast of Peru

By Regina Roeder

The other day I was taken on a journey by a local fisherman called Meme Huamanchumo in a small town on the Northern part of the Peruvian coast called Huanchaco. He was creating a “Caballito de Totora“, "a little reed horse" that some consider the first form of surfing.

A beautiful living tradition that has been practised for more than 2,500 years from now. The whole process starts with cutting and drying the reed that naturally grows along the coast to actually create a vehicle that takes you out into the ocean. It takes around one year to grow them up to 5 meters and about two weeks to let them dry.

Fast hands and strong muscles can create a caballito within one hour ready to head out instantly. Still it has to be said each boat has to be renewed after at least two weeks as the reed breaks from the use in the salt water. A challenge for the fishermen, who have to be careful to not sink with all their goods when the sea is rough.

There are only about 40 fishermen left in this small town called Huanchaco, some say less.

Learning about these traditions and connecting to the people that's what journeys can be about.

Meme Huamanchumo, 75 years old born and raised in Huanchaco, Fisherman.

When I asked Meme about whether he sometimes is scared to head out into the rough sea, he told me of course that is the reason why you rarely will see a fisherman heading out on his own and when a swell is coming they will stay in town waiting for the ocean to calm down.

If not working on their boats, the fishermen spend their time repairing their nets and getting everything ready for the next day that usually to usually head out for the first time of the day around 5:30am.

The observation of the process reminded myself how nature has provided us with everything we need and we only need to take our hands to make use of it.

A beautiful craft that most of the fishermen have been practising to perfection in the past decades and proudly passed down to generations.

This artisanal fishing community has been using the waves for both: pleasure and working for the past 2,500 years and we can hope this tradition will continue.

Unfortunately there are certain threats for this tradition Meme tells me, both natural and man made and so the rise of the sea level that is coming closer and threatening the reed with its saltwater and also the fact that there is more development by more houses being built and agricultural projects which provides less space to grow the Totora. Also the younger generation is not following their parents footsteps.

One thing still sticks in my mind what the men told me when I asked him whether he at some point thought about giving up : “It is with everything in life you really have to love what you do.“

And as I could see that pride in the face of Meme once he finished his little boat

This expression was priceless.

Meme Huamachuco with his latest caballito the smaller one is to fish, it has a little tank to carry the fish and the bigger one in the floor was created solely to surf the traditional way.

Finding balance while kneeing on the boat is definitely not as easy as it seems and even really good surfers know that rising a Caballito is a different challenge. In order to head out into the sea they make use of a bamboo stick which is cut in half to put pressure on the water.

There is no such place as Huanchaco where surfers share waves with Pre-Columbian fishing boats, the birth place of “caballitos de totora” of the early Moche culture.

Before the Incan empire the little reed boats were part of the Moche culture which was present from 100 until 700AD and them taken over by the Chimú until 1400AD. This culture happened to be present around 100-700AD and the capital was located in Trujillo which is only a 10 min bus ride from Huanchaco. When visiting the area you should have a look at the ancient ruins and their vibrant murals and ceramics to get a better feel for this ancient culture.

Chicho in Moche outfit carrying his Caballito de Totora

A friend of mine Chicho known as Henry Huamanchumo a well-known surfer and shaper owns a surf school together with his brother Omar in Huanchaco. Their last name as you might have guessed descends from the ancient Moche culture and Meme is their uncle. In order to check whether the caballito can actually be surfed he headed out one day in not so perfect conditions but in traditional clothes.

We are caretakers not owners of this planet

On my journey I have seen a lot of places where nations claim the ocean as theirs and fish everything there is while invading with big tankers to exploit resources along the coastline. This stands in contrast to the idea of our elders that only take what they need to feed their families and make a living. I have met a lot of travellers on my journey and often they are used to shop in the supermarkets, looking for products they know from back home in order to avoid getting sick. I totally understand this behaviour, but if you think about it if you have the chance to support the local communities while traveling, do it wherever you can, this will teach you and make your journey truly special. Be polite, but never be shy to ask questions about history or culture, trust me something you won't regret along the road.

At the end of the day the sea remains to be one of my favourite elements and I truly hope we continue to spread awareness to protect it and our planet's beaches, that rules will be set up to prohibit exploitation for both land and ocean, to consume consciously while taking only what one needs.

I truly thank everyone in Huanchaco for making my time there so special. I hope Meme and his fellow friends are not the last generation of artisanal fishing on the coast of Peru and they will continue to share the sea with the local community.