The hista, a festival that blends indigenous and Catholic traditions, is an important component of the culture of the Kichwa people of the Ecuadorian Amazon, and hunting is a key part of festival preparations. In the community of Sarayaku the biomass hunted during festival hunting, calculated based on hunters reporting their catch, constitutes less than 4% of the total long-term harvest rate. However, certain species are particularly targeted during festival hunting, some of which are threatened. Particularly for woolly monkeys (Lagothrix spp.) and Salvin's Curassow (Mitu salvini), festival hunting constitutes a large proportion of total offtake. The tradition of celebrating the hista can survive into the future only if wildlife populations are conserved. This is a challenge and an interest shared by local indigenous communities and conservationists alike.