The Quechua people of South America. The Quechua People: A Living History of the Incas

Long before the Inca civilization flourished in South America, the people Quechua- the largest Indian tribe in these parts - already had its own special culture. Kechu and entered the Bronze Age when the Aztecs and Mayans continued to be content with copper. Having once developed their own rules, they live on the plateau for centuries Altiplano and in its environs, eventually slowly absorbing the newcomers.

Quechua on high

Living high in the mountains is difficult; the body requires special preparation. But there is another side to this coin - those accustomed to dizzying heights Quechua they don't want to go down. Everyone who does tours to Bolivia, meet Indians Quechua when traveling around Altiplano and visit the main attraction here, salt marsh of Uyuni. Many Quechua live successfully in La Paz. The Indians of this people can be seen as hired workers, miners in silver mines, and guides in mountainous regions Bolivia. Take a closer look at them - these are the same people who carried their culture almost unchanged through millennia! They still play music on instruments made from animal shells and use homespun clothing, which in terms of quality is a hundred points ahead of factory samples.

Everything is as before

The appearance, habits, music and beliefs of the Quechua have not changed since the time of the Inca state - or, in any case, the Spanish Conquest. The missionaries, having translated the Bible into the language of this Indian people, successfully baptized them, but no one can eradicate the pagan culture from the Quechua. They continue to cast spells, bewitch, believe in ghosts and omens, make offerings to Mother Earth and even to the devil himself. Just like centuries ago, Quechua walk around in their round bowler hats and capes made of mountain alpaca wool. They cook the same dishes as their great-grandmothers, using techniques that allow them to get Tasty food in oxygen-poor air conditions.

Special style Quechua

Travelers making tours to Bolivia, have the opportunity to get to know representatives of this amazing people closely and bring back a souvenir: alpaca clothing or even a love drink from a Quechua witch. By the way, Quechua witches and healers have invented and use their own special secret language. It is called "calhahuaya" and is even used today by women who practice Quechua magic.

It's interesting that the name " Quechua» named popular brand tents and ski equipment. And this is fair, because who is better able to cope in difficult “field” conditions? Unless the neighbors Quechua- Bolivian Indians

Bulavin Vladimir Ivanovich::: Bolivia

Bolivia's population is ethnically and racially diverse. About 2/3 of the country's population is made up of the large Quechua and Aymara Indian peoples, who live mainly on the Altiplano plateau. In addition, tribes of “forest Indians” numbering about 100 thousand people live on the Oriente plains. They belong to language families Tupi-Guarani, Arawaks, Mateco-Mataguayos, etc. In the cities and on the plains, Spanish-speaking mestizos (“Cholos”) predominate, constituting over 1/4 of the total population, and white Bolivians - mainly Spanish Creoles (5% of the population). The layer of blacks and sambos (descendants of blacks and Indians) in Bolivia is insignificant. Most Bolivians speak two languages ​​- Spanish and one of the Indian languages ​​(Quechua, Aymara or Guarani). Due to the abundance of Indian words and phrases Spanish The Spanish language in this country is markedly different from other Latin American countries.

Bolivia's population is growing mainly due to natural growth; Immigration into the country is very insignificant, which is explained primarily by the weak development of its economy, the difficult natural conditions of the highlands and tropical plains, as well as the frequently changing internal political situation. Emigration from the country is insignificant. In 1900, 1.7 million people lived in Bolivia (within modern borders), in 1950 - 3 million, in 1973 - 5.3 million. In 1963-1973. The average annual growth rate of the country's population was 2.6%.

Compared to most other Latin American countries, Bolivia's natural population growth has some peculiarities. The country has essentially preserved the colonial type of population reproduction, which was characteristic of Latin American countries in the 19th century. With a high birth rate (42 people per thousand inhabitants), Bolivia maintains a high mortality rate (17 people per thousand inhabitants). Due to difficult living conditions, insufficient nutrition and extremely poor medical care among Bolivians still infant mortality is high (140 per 1000 children born alive). The average life expectancy in Bolivia is only 47 years. Therefore, the population is growing at a slow pace.

The population density in Bolivia is low - on average only 4.9 people per 1 km 2. The population is distributed very unevenly throughout the country. 86% of Bolivians live on the Altiplano plateau and eastern mountain valleys. The average population density in these areas exceeds 7 people per 1 km 2, reaching a maximum in the department of Cochabamba (14.8 people per 1 km 2) and in the area adjacent to Lake Titicaca. The Oriente plains (especially in the north) are very sparsely populated: there is an average of 1 person per 1 km 2 of territory.

The urban population is growing quite rapidly and currently stands at 35%. Large cities with a population of over 100 thousand inhabitants each include La Paz, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz and Oruro. However, in general, Bolivia is still characterized by small towns with a population of less than 10 thousand people, which arose either as centers of agricultural zones in one valley or another (especially on the eastern slopes of the Andes and in the northern Altiplano), or as centers of small mining areas in the east and the south of the plateau.

Over the past decade, several large cities have become centers of gravity for growing migration flows (mainly peasants). It is becoming increasingly difficult for the rural population to feed themselves in the low-productivity consumer economy of the Altiplano. Peasants move to “belts of poverty” located around the largest cities, into huts made of tin, cardboard, and boxes. Other centers of attraction for migrants in recent years have been the developing plantation areas near the cities of Santa Cruz, Cochabamba and in the Pilcomayo River valley.

Despite the outflow of the rural population to cities, 66% of the country's economically active population is employed in agriculture (its number in 1970 was 1.5 million people, including 1 million people in agriculture). According to the share of peasants in total number Bolivia's economically active population exceeds all its neighbors. In 1970, 166 thousand people were employed in industry (11% of all employed), in the service sector - 181 thousand people (12%), etc. In terms of their position, quite numerous handicraftsmen are related to the factory and mining proletariat - homeworkers. Their number is about 130 thousand people. Bolivia is characterized by significant and persistent unemployment. The number of unemployed makes up almost 1/3 of the total labor force.

The most numerous Indian people in Bolivia (and the largest in South America) are the Quechua (1.8 million people). In addition to Bolivia, Quechuas live in Peru and Ecuador, where they make up about half of the total population, as well as in northern Argentina and Chile. According to anthropological and ethnic characteristics Bolivian Quechuas are almost no different from their fellow tribesmen in the named countries.

The Quechua language is characterized by significant development of suffixation. The modern literary language of this people uses the Latin alphabet. Words such as “lama”, “hina”, “puma”, “vigon”, etc. came from the Quechua language into European languages.

The second largest Indian people in the country are the Aymara (1.2 million people). In addition to Bolivia, the Aymara live in Peru and Chile, but the Bolivian Aymara make up about 70% of the population of this people in South America.

The settlement of the main peoples of Bolivia developed as follows. Most Quechua live in the central and southern parts of the Altiplano plateau - in the departments of Oruro, Potosí, Cochabamba and in the north of the department of Chuquisaca. The main ethnic territory of the Aymara is the areas adjacent to Lake Titicaca, as well as the highland areas in the departments of La Paz, Oruro and Potosi. There are not many peoples on earth who could live at such an altitude above sea level.

The Quechua and especially the Aymara are weakly involved in the settlement of Oriente. Since ancient times, mountain Indians, coming out to the slopes of the Eastern Cordillera and their foothills, looked with fear at the moisture-soaked selva below. Attempts to forcefully resettle Indians into the jungle usually ended in failure.

Most of them could not get used to the humid, hot climate and fell ill. Over a long period of life of many generations, the Aymara and Quechua have adapted well to the living conditions on the high mountain plateau. Medical examinations of the Indians showed that their blood contained more red blood cells than the inhabitants of the lowlands. This promotes better absorption of oxygen from the rarefied atmosphere of the Altiplano.

The majority of Oriente's population are Cholos and Creoles. They predominate in the departments of Santa Cruz, Tarija, Pando, Beni and the southern part of the department of Chuquisaca. The foreign colony in Bolivia is small and numbers about 30 thousand people (1970). The most significant group is the Germans (about 10 thousand people); quite a lot of them appeared in Bolivia after the Second World War. The German community plays a significant economic and political role in the largest department of Bolivia - Santa Cruz, located in Oriente. Of the remaining nationalities, the most numerous are Peruvians, Spaniards, Italians and Argentines. All these national groups They usually live in large cities. Some nationalities live in small colonies. So, before the Second World War, a colony of Jewish immigrants from Europe arose, then immigrants from the island of Okinawa, etc.

Classes separate groups population of Bolivia, their way of life, clothing, food, etc. is characterized by considerable differences,

The Indians are mainly engaged in agriculture and cattle breeding; they also developed some crafts. Some Aymara and Quechua work in the mining industry, usually performing unskilled work.

The Indians mainly grow potatoes, quinoa, corn, barley, legumes and some vegetables that ripen best near Lake Titicaca. The breeding of llamas, alpacas and sheep is of great importance in the life of the Quechua and Aymara. For them, llamas are a beast of burden, food, wool, and leather. In the economy of the inhabitants of the coast and islands of Lake Titicaca, fishing is a significant help.

Potatoes occupy the main place in the Indian diet. Chuño is made from Quechua and Aymara potatoes, a starchy product similar in composition to potato flour, which can be stored for many years.

One of the main crafts of the Altiplano Indians, especially the Quechua, is the manufacture of clothing and other products from the wool of llamas and sheep. Indian women walking behind a caravan of llamas or to a mine often have a child tied behind their back with a colorful aguayo scarf, and in front of their belt there is almost always a flyer with wool or cotton, from which the thread is twisted. The yarn is dyed before the fabric is made. Fabrics with beautiful and vibrant color combinations are woven by Indians by hand on primitive horizontal looms. They are produced for own consumption and for sale (including for export). Among other crafts, the Quechua and Aymara have developed the production of ceramic dishes without a potter's wheel and the weaving of baskets, mats, nets, etc. from reeds and straw.

Despite the artisanal production of fabrics, Aymara and Quechua clothing is mostly factory-made. Men wear a shirt, vest and trousers, felt hats and leather sandals. Aymara women wear wide skirts and sweaters, over which they throw a shawl, and always wear bowler hats on their heads. Unlike men, they wear shoes less often. Quechua women wear several wide ones over their shirts. long skirts, one is shorter than the other, so that the bright border of the petticoat is visible from under the one worn above. The Altiplano is especially well protected from the cold winds by homespun dense wool ponchos and knitted helmet hats: gorro among the Aymara, chullo among the Quechua.

In the densely populated areas adjacent to Lake Titicaca, Indian settlements are of two types: villages and small hamlets in the middle of cultivated areas. Small Indian houses made of adobe (mud brick), stone, and sometimes turf blocks or reed mats are rectangular or square in shape, less often cylindrical. The roofs are covered with reeds (near Lake Titicaca) or dry grass - ichu. There are no windows, the floor is earthen, the fireplace is heated in black. These houses usually do not have the most primitive furniture; it is replaced mainly by llama and alpaca skins. In the past they were lit with llama fat and llama wool wicks, but now primitive kerosene lamps are used. In cases where the houses are not whitewashed, they are indistinguishable against the gray background of the Altiplano landscape. In the north of the Altiplano, houses, as a rule, are somewhat more fundamental and comfortable than those in the central and southern parts of the plateau.

As already noted, the land here is more fertile and there is more rainfall than in the south, people live more prosperously.

In addition to the Quechua and Aymara, several very small Indian tribes have survived on the Altiplano. The most interesting of them in terms of their way of life is the Urus tribe. Fleeing from the conquerors, it moved to the islands of lakes Titicaca and Poopo. On Lake Titicaca, one of the villages of this tribe is located on an artificial island woven from reeds. Huts and boats are also built from it.

The Altiplano Indians are the most impoverished and disenfranchised part of the Bolivian population. Only the “forest Indians” of Oriente are in a more dire situation. When logging and clearing areas for plantations, they are usually driven off the land, pushing them deeper into the forests.

Most Spanish-speaking mestizos (cholos) strive to get rid of Indian customs, morals and appearance, and to adopt European customs, manners and clothing. Like the Spanish colonists, they preferred to settle mainly in cities. Usually the Cholos live more prosperously than the Indians. They are employed in trade, industry, plantations and services. The mestizo population in Bolivia continues to grow. This is the most dynamic part of the Bolivian people.

The highest position in Bolivian society belongs to white Bolivians (mainly Spanish Creoles), who, as a rule, occupy leadership positions.

As in all Latin American countries following the capitalist path, social contrasts are very great in Bolivia. The exploiting classes, constituting only a few percent of the population, account for more than a third of the country's national income. The overwhelming majority of the population - the working people - live in great poverty. The average annual income of 2/3 of the population is one of the lowest in Latin America. Workers in Bolivia's manufacturing industry work 60-70 hours a week.

Agricultural laborers are especially poorly paid. The scourge of workers is unemployment. According to the UN, the Bolivian diet (1860 calories per day) is only 70% of the physiological norm necessary for the normal existence of the body. Food prices in Bolivia are very high, so many Bolivians consume almost no meat, butter, milk and sugar, limiting themselves to potatoes, corn and vegetables.

The Indian part of the population is especially poorly nourished. To quell hunger and relieve fatigue, Indians consume dried leaves of the coca bush. They are chewed, mixed with ash or lime. Even to calm children screaming from hunger, Indian women give them chewed coca leaves to suck. Coca is the everyday “bread” of the Indians, well known back in the Inca state. In Bolivia, this drug is available to every poor person, and it is rare to meet an Indian whose one cheek does not appear swollen from coca gum. Indians working in the mines consume a lot of coca. Work in deep, poorly equipped and ventilated mines in conditions of considerable height and high rarefaction of the atmosphere is extremely difficult. To endure inhumane conditions labor, Indian miners chew coca leaves. From hard work and constant drug use, they become disabled at the age of 30-35, and few of them live to be 40 years old.

Mass consumption of coca is an important public health problem. Colds and infectious diseases also claim many lives: malaria (in Yungas and Orient), dysentery and tuberculosis. Again, the Indian population, which lives in unsanitary conditions and is constantly malnourished, especially suffers from them. Medical care in the country is very poorly developed. In 1970, there was one doctor for every 2,400 residents, with 90% of doctors living in the country's seven largest cities. Until now, residents of many rural areas have to use the services of healers. The cost of treatment from doctors is so high that even in cities, a significant proportion of residents turn to folk medicine which has in Bolivia long traditions. Thus, one of the small tribes of the Kolya group (Kolya-huaya), living northeast of Lake Titicaca (in the province of Bautista Saavedra), has gained fame as healers since ancient times. Passing on knowledge of the medicinal properties of herbs from generation to generation, they still serve as healers serving the Indians of Bolivia. In La Paz, behind the old Cathedral of St. Francisco, there is still a whole quarter where they treat coli-huaya,

Ancient Indian civilizations formed not only the basis of the culture of modern Quechua and Aymara, but also had a great influence on the entire Bolivian culture. Although the monuments of the pre-Incan period are poorly preserved, you can still admire the art of the ancient sculptors who created the wonderful sculptures of Tiwanaku. Influence ancient art noticeable in the products of today's Bolivian artisans - fabric ornaments, wood carvings, etc.

The influence of Spanish culture in Bolivia is somewhat less than in most Latin American countries. Two large Indian peoples - the Quechua and the Aymara - were largely able to preserve their identity. Spanish culture most noticeable in cities - their architecture, language and religion of the population, the nature of holidays and entertainment. As in some other Latin American countries, Bolivia has a very low level of such an important indicator of culture as literacy - more than half the population is illiterate, especially among the Indians. Less than 60% of children aged 6 to 14 attend school.

The official religion of Bolivia is Catholicism. However, the Indians retain remnants of pre-Christian beliefs. The Catholic ritual among the main peoples of the country - the Aymara and Quechua - is combined with an agricultural-pastoral cult and a number of other features. Other religious groups are small in number: Protestants, Seventh-day Adventists, Baptists, Quakers, Mennonites, Methodists, Pentecostals, etc.

Particularly characteristic of the national culture are carnivals, which are held mainly in the largest cities in the first half of the year and partly go back to ancient Indian rituals. Thus, the eight-day Indian carnival in the “capital of tin” - Oruro, which has been held since the 17th century, is famous. Carnival is a national celebration. Bolivians wear their brightest clothes when participating. The highlight of the carnival in Oruro are the “diabladas” - vocal and choreographic performances depicting the struggle between the forces of good and evil. This is a direct continuation of the ancient ritual dances of the Indians dedicated to the patron saint of miners, Supak. The scary masks of the performance participants testify to the rich imagination of their creators. In an effort to keep the Indians under his influence, Catholic Church Bolivia turns a blind eye to amazing combinations of Christian and pagan rituals.

In the Inca state (see chapter “Culture of the Ancient Peoples of the Andean Region”), the Quechuas formed a group of tribes settled in a compact area around the Cusco Valley. They occupied a privileged position and were exempt from the most severe duties. Quechua was the official language. Thus, the Quechuas and their language, as perceived by the subject tribes, were inseparable from the Inca system of centralized government, which opposed the ancient clan organization of the conquered tribal groups.

During the colonial period, significant changes occurred in the life of the Indian population and in the relationships between tribal groups. If during the time of the Incas the tribes under their control looked at the Quechuas as oppressors, now, when under the iron boot of the Spanish conqueror all the Indians were equal in their lack of rights, the Inca state, especially the so-called New Inca state, which fought the Spanish conquerors for about 40 years, became symbol of independence. If in the Inca state the Quechua language was the language of the oppressors, then after the Spanish conquest it became a symbol independent development original Indian culture.

The Quechua language is agglutinative in structure: grammatical changes are formed by adding affixes. Dialectological differences in the Quechua language are so small that they do not interfere with the mutual understanding of individual local groups. This is a single language common to the entire Quechua people, which, however, has undergone certain historical changes. The language of the text of the folk drama “Ollantay”, 18th century, is already little understood by modern Quechuas.

Missionaries used the Quechua language to teach the catechism when converting Indians to Christianity, as well as to record traditions and legends. From the first period of colonization, collections of texts in the Quechua language, written in a Latinized alphabet, remain. The earliest texts are mostly folklore materials, legends, songs and hymns. Folklore, like other types folk art, played a large role in the spiritual life of Quechua, in the formation of a unified national identity and common culture.

During the period of feudal colonization, the Indian population of the Andean Highlands underwent significant changes in its development. Most of the small tribes began to speak the Quechua language, the idea of ​​restoring freedom and independence that united them arose, and common literature emerged.

The War of Independence and the formation of independent states of the Andean highlands - Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia - did not stop the process of unifying the language and culture of Indian tribes. By the period of development of capitalist relations, i.e. by the 60s of the 19th century, the overwhelming mass of Indian tribes had already begun to merge into a single nation. This was expressed primarily in the fact that the Quechua language pushed aside and even in many areas supplanted other Indian languages. Of the four main language families widespread in the Inca state, no traces of the Mochica language remain at present*. In the language of the Pukina family in the 30s of the XX century. spoke only a few hundred people of the Uru and Chipaya tribes on the coast of the lake. Titicaca (Peru - Bolivia). But in general, the Aymara language continues to dominate in the region of this lake. In Ecuador since the 18th century. local dialects began to die out, giving way to the Quechua language. Currently most of Indians of Ecuador - about one and a half million, who in the past belonged to dozens of small tribes, speak the Quechua language and in culture are almost no different from the Quechua of Peru and Bolivia, although these Indians, like the Otavalo, for example, sometimes retain local names. Already at the beginning of the 20th century. The Quechua were the predominant Indian people of the Andean region.

Number and settlement

Information about the number of Quechua Indians does not coincide with each other. Various numbers are given - from 3.5 to 1 million. From a comparison of various data, we can conclude that the truth lies somewhere in the middle, but closer to the last figure / Comparison of these figures with data regarding ethnic groups in other parts of the American continent shows that the Quechua is the largest and most significant of the modern Indian peoples.

Quechuas are settled in five countries - Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina and Chile. The political border between these states passes without regard to the settlement of the Quechua, as well as other ethnic groups, cutting into parts a people of a single language and a single culture.

Data on Quechua demographics are fragmentary and imprecise. The Quechua living within Peru have been better studied. Regarding Bolivia we have to be content with only general information: their number there, according to the 40s of the 20th century, reached 1,400 thousand people. They make up more than a third of Bolivia's population 1 .

There is only vague information about Quechua in Chile and Argentina.

In Peru, according to the 1940 census data already cited, the number of Indians speaking the Quechua language was slightly larger than the number of Spanish-speaking Peruvians (the former - 46.8, the latter - 46.7%) 2 . If we consider that a significant part of the Quechua, especially in northern Peru, as well as in coastal cities, speak Spanish, then the predominance of the Quechua population over the Creoles becomes quite obvious.

In Peru, Quechuas make up the majority of the population in the central and southern departments. In Cusco, 98% speak Quechua, and in Ayacucho, 99%. In Bolivia, Quechuas live mainly in the departments of Oruro, Potosi, Cochabamba, and also partly in Chuquisaca. In Ecuador, the bulk of Quechua occupies the mountainous region and partly the coast. In Chile and Argentina they are found in some northern high desert regions.

In general, the Quechuas make up the main population of the highlands, the so-called sierra, and the adjacent valleys.

Classes. Agriculture

The main occupations of the Quechua remain agriculture and cattle breeding, in to a lesser extent- crafts, handicrafts and labor in industry, mainly in mining.

In the highland areas, Quechua peasants still cultivate plants that have been cultivated here since ancient times: potatoes, other tuber crops (oca, ulluca), then grains such as millet - quinoa and cañahua. In temperate valleys, corn, barley and wheat are grown. The best lands captured by Creole landowners, who own the vast majority of cultivable land. The Quechua peasants are left with small plots of infertile and, moreover, depleted land due to lack of fertilizer. Backward technology and primitive crop rotation, patchwork and striping with scarce land reduce yields to the lowest limits.

Technique Agriculture among Quechua peasants remained much the same primitive as it was in the 16th century. True, in the valleys plowing is practiced with oxen, but the plow is wooden and very primitive. In high mountain areas, draft power is not used. The modern Quechua peasant, as in the times of the Incas, cultivates the land with the so-called chaquitaclya. This is a narrow spade with a transverse protrusion for the foot at the bottom of the handle. For its time, the invention of the chakitaklya, with its device for resting the foot to facilitate digging, was a significant achievement. But at present, its preservation as the main weapon indicates extreme backwardness. They also use several more primitive tools - a taklya (hoe) with an iron blade, a club for breaking clods of earth with a stone or iron tip, a sickle and a stick for threshing.

Quechuas usually work in arable land in family groups three people each, two of whom (men) lift the soil with chakitaklya, and the third (woman or boy) follows and breaks the thrown clods of earth. After drawing several longitudinal rows, they dig across. Crossing furrows helps retain rainfall on mountain slopes.

There is enough moisture in the valleys and along the banks of rivers, but on the mountain slopes and plateaus artificial irrigation is required. The Quechuas use an irrigation system inherited from ancient times, combined with a terraced arrangement of fields. Each community digs a narrow ditch from the river, from the mountain stream. During the dry season, the ditch dries out and becomes comparable with the surrounding soil, so that work has to be resumed. Landowners, whose lands are mostly located close to rivers and streams, also use more advanced technology. In some cases, they even divert river beds in the direction they need, leaving the peasants without moisture. In all Andean countries there is a continuous struggle for water, most often between communities and landowners, and the latter, with the assistance of the authorities, always emerge victorious.

Livestock, also having an ancient history in the Andean countries, it still plays an important role in mountainous regions. Lama serves as a beast of burden, produces wool and meat. Alpaca and cowpea, which produced excellent wool, are now becoming extinct. Currently, sheep brought here during the colonial period are bred for wool. But on peasant farms, sheep are small and poorly nourished, and their wool is usually of low quality.

Religion

The Spanish conquerors converted the Quechua Indians to Catholicism, but could not break their militant spirit. Today, many Quechuas are ardent Catholics, but this does not prevent them from retaining a piece of their own in the depths of their souls.
stories.

To this day, along with Christianity, pagan beliefs and shamanism are found in tribes. During parades in major cities, pagan banners can be seen next to Catholic images.

Among traditional rituals, the most important is celebration of cleaning irrigation canals. The veneration of mountain peaks, Pachamama (Mother Earth), sacrifices during field work and house construction, etc. are preserved.

TRADITIONAL CLASSES

Unfortunately, today some of the ancient farming technologies have been lost, however, the Indians continue to do what they have always done.

Traditional activities Quechua are: agriculture, cattle breeding, folk crafts.

The most important place in their economy is occupied by terraced irrigated agriculture, carried out with the help of “chakitakli” (Spanish: Chakitakli; a spade with a transverse protrusion for the foot); in the valleys a primitive plow is still used.

In settlements located in the mountains, the Indians grow beans, potatoes and other tuber crops, as well as grain crops (millet, quinoa, cañihua). Corn, barley, and wheat are grown in the valleys.

Cattle breeding is of great importance in the mountains; the favorite animals of Quechua are llamas and alpacas, well adapted to the harsh highland climate.

Among the traditional crafts of Quechua, hand-made textile production is developed: in the mountains - from wool, in the valleys - from cotton. Spinning wool is done by men, women and children, but it is usually done by men on primitive looms.

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Handmade fabric production

The following crafts are very developed: making felt hats; weaving Panama hats and all kinds of cane products; production of molded ceramics and jewelry from natural materials; production of calabash, gold and silver jewelry; bone and wood carving.

CLOTH

Quechua Indians can be found in all major cities of Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador.

They always stand out among the local population with their colorful traditional outfits, handmade using ancient technologies.

Men wear pants that fall just below the knees and short jackets made of rawhide or suede. A colorful homespun poncho with a traditional pattern is often draped over the top.

Women dress up in several brightly colored skirts and a woolen shawl, usually pinned at the chest with a large brooch. Traditional jewelry is made of silver, stone, bone, and shells.

Perhaps the main element that distinguishes K. from other Indian tribes is the felt hats that everyone wears - both women and men. Men prefer wide-brimmed hats with a shallow crown, under which in cold windy weather they wear a woolen knitted helmet - chullo (Kech. Chullo).

Women decorate their hats with decorations made of bone, stone, shells, wood and even fresh flowers.

In their settlements, Indians most often walk barefoot, and in cities they wear light leather sandals.

FUN FACTS

• From the language of the Quechua Indians Machu Picchu (Machu Picchu) translates as "Old Mountain". Nearby is Huayna Picchu (Huayna Picchu) - “Young Mountain”, it is she who is depicted in all panoramic photographs ancient city Inc.
• The melody, structure and rich vocabulary of the Spanish language have been admired since colonial times, and modern Spanish has drawn a huge number of words from it.target="_blank">https://hasta-pronto.ru/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Quechua-2-500x375.jpg 500w" style="margin: 5px 0px 25px 35px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 100%; height: auto; float: right;" width="433" />
• According to some data, about 13 million people speak K. languages. Central or South Bolivian Quechua is the largest native American language in terms of the number of speakers.
• K. has been documented since the 16th century, when their writing was created on a Latin basis. K. is a well-learned language, even taught in school.
• Many languages ​​received a large number of borrowings from Cyprus, especially the names of plants and animals.
• Closest to Quechua language Aymara , they are even called two trunks of a tree that grew from one root. More than ¹⁄3 of the vocabulary of these languages ​​is the same.
• When the Incas came to the Cuzco valley, they quickly appreciated the rare combination of richness and simplicity of structure of the K language, making it the official language of their Empire.
• Spanish missionaries admired the beauty, harmony and logic of K's language.
• Catholic missionaries appreciated the potential of this language: the Bible was translated into Catholicism, and sermons were read in this language.
• In the 60s of the XX century. Many political parties in Andean countries included in their programs items on increasing the status of Quechua. As a result, in May 1975, K. became the official language of Peru (along with Spanish), in August 1977 - in Bolivia (along with Spanish and Aymara), and since 2008 - in Ecuador (along with Shuar).
• When the Aztecs and Mayans were content with copper, K. were already mastering bronze with might and main.
• In the Andes Indians-K. live at an average altitude of 3650 m above sea level. It is interesting to note that the size of the heart and lungs of the people of this tribe is larger than that of the “earthly” people. The fact is that these enlarged organs allow the human body to increase blood circulation, thus receiving more oxygen.
• It is interesting that the Indians-K. It is customary to walk barefoot. With such walking, the soles of the feet become so hardened that they can easily walk even on icy rocks without feeling the cold.
• With the establishment of the rule of the Spanish crown, many K. were converted to Catholicism, however, some of them remained faithful to their traditions. Therefore, even today among Indians you can find adherents of paganism and shamanism. And if you happen to visit South America, where you are lucky enough to meet K., then you can become the owner of a specially made magical talisman or love potion. The shamans of K. have kept the method of making witchcraft items in the strictest confidence for many centuries.
• Indians are somewhat wary of obese people. If you are a lover of food with a figure that does not even remotely resemble a cypress, do not be offended if K. treats you with caution. The fact is that the Indians believe in the existence of an otherworldly creature “likichiri”. The word Likichiri means "fat stealer" in the tribal language. According to ancient legend passed down from generation to generation, the monster attacks sleeping fat people and sucks out the subcutaneous fat from them, causing the person to lose weight and soon die. The more obese a person is, the more likely he is to be attacked by a vampire. Therefore, when meeting an overweight person, the Indians fear that the guest will attract a bloodthirsty monster to their village. K. believe that the Likichiri werewolf can take the form of a human, a monkey or a possum. Because of the panic fear of the vampire, Andean residents try not to overeat so as not to gain weight. Indians do not like fat people, and when an overweight traveler appears in their village, they try to avoid him.
• During sleep, the Indians carefully close the doors and windows of their houses and try not to stay alone in the mountains at night. You can often find an Indian with a clove of garlic in his mouth - it is believed that the smell of garlic repels the Likichiri.
• K. say: “We were born in the Andes, but we are children of God.”

Series of messages "

Jose Maria Ardegas::: Customs and rituals of the Indians

The ending "ilyu" in Quechua is onomatopoeic. In one of its forms, “ilyu” is the sound made by the wings of a bird during flight, or it is any sound produced by the flight of light objects. But "Ilya" is the name of monsters born on moonlit nights: a child with two heads, or a calf without a head, or a huge black rock, on the surface of which there is a wide white stripe emitting a flickering light, an ear of corn in which the seeds are arranged in a terrible confusion; “Ilya” are bulls that live in the depths of lakes, lagoons, surrounded by reeds, where black ducks live. All “Ilyas” bring either happiness or great misfortune. You can die or be resurrected only by touching “Ilya”. The sound combination “ilya” coincides both in sound and meaning with the ending “ilyu”.

Tancaillou is a defenseless bumblebee that flies in the fields and pollinates flowers. Tancaillou appears in April, but can be seen in irrigated fields at other times of the year. His wings flutter at a furious speed, since he himself is very heavy, with a huge belly, with luminous stripes. The children chase him and catch him. The long dark green body of the tankaillu ends in something similar to a sting, which is completely harmless and also sweet. Children hunt for a bumblebee to lick the honey from its “sting.” But the tankailla is not easy to catch: it flies high, looking for honey-bearing flowers. Due to the fact that its fluttering wings make a noise during this flight that is completely out of proportion to the size of its body, the Indians attach some kind of supernatural meaning to this discrepancy. They find a lot of mysterious things in it: why does it have honey on the tip of its sting? why are his small and weak wings capable of raising real wind? Why does a gust of wind hit your face if a tankaille is flying nearby? Is his small body capable of creating such a whirlwind? Flying in the air, it buzzes like something big, its fluffy body disappears under the rays of the sun, rising perpendicularly upward. No, he is not a villain: the children who managed to enjoy his honey happily remember him. But the tankaillu is not like all insects, he is not God’s creation, he is a sinner.

Missionaries were sometimes forced to preach sermons against him and others mysterious creatures. In the department of Ayacucho lived a magician who became legendary. His costume was plumage decorated with pieces of mirror. He appeared in village squares during major holidays and did his devilish tricks: swallowed pieces of iron, pierced his body with needles and thorns, walked near the porch with three metal rods in his teeth. This magician was also called “tankaillu”.

Pinquille is the name of the giant quena, which the Indians play only during major holidays. You'll never see it at house parties, it's an epic instrument. It is not made from ordinary reeds or sedges, or even mamakk (wild reeds of unusual thickness and length). The mamakk hole is dark and deep. In areas where the soft-core elderberry does not grow, the Indians make smaller pinquilla, but do not dare call it “pinquilla”, they call it simply “ma" makk" to distinguish it from the ordinary kena. "Ma" makk means the mother who gives life is a magical name. There is no reed in nature to make pincuilla. For these purposes, the Indian selects the soft core from the elderberry branches, then bends them and braids them with ox tendons. After this, it becomes impossible to see the light due to the bend at the other end of the empty tube, but only its reflection, as if the rays of the setting sun fell on the horizon. The manufacturer of the pincuilla drills holes in it at a considerable distance from one another. The first two holes should be covered with a large and index fingers left hand; the remaining three - index, ring and little fingers right hand, i.e. the most mobile fingers. Indians with short arms (this happens!) cannot play the pinkuylyo. The instrument is so large that a person of average height must crane his neck and raise his head as if he wanted to look beyond the horizon. This instrument is played in an ensemble, to the accompaniment of drums and women singing, certainly in an open field or in the courtyard of a house, but in no case indoors.

Only the sound of the uaq"rapukus is more powerful and lower than the voice of the pinkuil. However, in those areas where the uaq"rapukus appeared, the pinkuil is no longer known. Both tools serve the same purposes. Uak "rapuku are bull horns, the most powerful and curved. A silver or bronze mouthpiece is placed on their sharp ends. The moist and winding channel inside it is even more impenetrable and mysterious than the pincuillus channel.

Only music, songs and epic dances are performed on the Pinquilla. I did not hear its sounds during religious holidays. Perhaps the missionaries forbade the Indians to use this instrument with a surprisingly low and mysterious tonality in churches, on porches, and in Catholic processions? The pincuilla is played in the elections of the Head of the community, during fights between guys at the carnival, at bloody bullfights, and during agricultural work.

Pinquilla seems to send a temporary darkness to everyone, depriving them of clarity of mind. An extraordinary relaxedness and boundless contempt for death arises when its voice is heard. Indians, intoxicated by the sounds of pinkoille, can go after wild bulls, singing and swearing, play with a smoldering bomb filled with dynamite, build roads and tunnels in inaccessible rocks, dance without rest, not noticing how day follows night. Only the enchanting sounds of pinkuilla can penetrate the very depths of the human heart.

Like the music called “ilya,” “ilya” means light, which causes various kinds of disorders in humans. Both words have a variety of meanings that is only possible in languages ​​like Quechua. It's practically endless. “Pinquilla” is not only the name of the instrument, it is also a designation of the effect produced by its music. “Tancaillou” is not only the name of a small insect, but also a designation for incomprehensible natural phenomena. And the word “Kilya” is not just the name of the moon, it contains universal knowledge about the world of stars, their relationship with man and the Universe, the beauty of the moon and the frequency of its appearance in the sky.

“Ilyariy” means dawn, that is, the light that barely dawned after the night died. The sun has not yet risen, it is late, wanders somewhere in the abyss of the Universe... And now it rises after a short rest. "Ilya" does not serve to denote bright sunlight. This is that twilight light in which a person thinks and dreams better; it means radiance, lightning, ray. This is a special light, not quite divine, but not earthly either.

"El like"a. The word "el like" means a sorcerer. Indian children play with the black fruits of a tree growing in the mountains. But sometimes, among thousands of black ones, you come across a fruit with red and yellow veins. This is a like. They give it magical properties: He is invincible and costs hundreds of ordinary ones. The contrast between black and red fruits seems mysterious, especially when this contrast is a product of nature itself. Always a black fruit, but now I met a red one yellow spots. The Indians believe in its miraculous powers. It is kept and protected with superstitious fear, taken out only in exceptional cases when there is no other way out of some difficult situation. This is el laik - a sorcerer, the incarnation of the devil.

In the distant mountain valleys lives a shaggy spider (kampu). When meeting a person, it immediately assumes a threatening pose. Sometimes after rain it can be seen walking heavily along the road. When teased, it rises on its powerful shaggy legs and begins to swell, seems like a giant, and in the eyes of the Indians an angry and terrible bull.

The children run away in horror and remember their meeting with him for a long time. Campo is poisonous, but in Abancaya, the capital of the department of Apurimac, I saw a girl who played with one of these spiders. She stroked it, threw it and caught it in her small palms. It seemed incredible. After all, it is believed that only like "a San Jorge can cope with a "ampu and even eat it. San Jorge is a two-winged insect with a dark blue body, red wings and antennae. Its size usually reaches 2-4 centimeters. His entire dark blue body shines, his red wings tremble with impatience , - red like fire, on a mysterious blue body like rock. He also likes! San Jorge wins the fiercest battles with the "ampo". This is an impressive sight. The huge "ampo" raises his head, as if preparing to jump, his rage and anger strike fear into the Indians. San Jorge swoops down on top of him and stabs him, then flies up again, dives again, and stabs again. The wounded "ampu" slowly dies. When the agony of the "ampu" begins, San Jorge approaches him, if the weight of the spider is under his strength, grabs him and flies away with him.

Low-flying, it gets lost among trees, bushes and reeds, descends in some secluded place and, they say, eats its prey. The Indians are also afraid of San Jorge and consider him a magical insect, perhaps that is why he seems to them much larger than he actually is. I saw one dead and slightly maimed San Jorge, probably some animal stepped on him while crossing the road. It seemed to me very small, fragile, like all insects. Despite his “holy” name, he is also a “like” for the Indians. When they hear the chirping of his wings, they stop and follow him with their gaze until he disappears among the mountains or forest.

Laik, therefore, is a sorcerer capable of causing damage and the evil eye. However, sometimes he helps treat terrible diseases - madness, hysteria, insomnia and fear. He treats nervous and frightened children, using a “soft” version of the system for them He tells the sick child stories about interesting animals, stones, fairy tales about enchanted lakes, and when he almost falls asleep, he leans over him and, like a spell, says in a detached voice: “Soul, soul of this child, where are you, where do you wander, go back to your place! good soul, look how I’m waiting for you, how I’m crying for you, come back, I’m already asleep!” This method of treatment is called "k"aiy, it is based on the assumption that if a man or child is afraid of something in early childhood, his soul has left the body to which it belonged and cannot find it anywhere. That is why the patient is overcome by melancholy, his memory and prudence are lost, he turns into a “utti” - an idiot, or a person without a soul, insane, constantly experiencing bouts of depression or violence. Only the voice of Laika is able to reach a soul wandering somewhere, and guide it on the true path. He addresses the soul in such a quiet, inviting voice that he does not wake the children, but keeps them in some kind of foggy half-sleep. In this state, the child listens to the laika, and it seems to him that it is he who runs around the night skies, turning into a changing and enveloping cloud. I attended a session of one of these laikas in the capital of the province of Taiacaha, the city of Pampas. His all-pervading voice seemed to come from some otherworldly, but so familiar from dreams, world. The next day the sorcerer left the village, but I still cannot forget his face, the smell of coca, the color of his poncho, his bowed head and hidden power his voices.

Other diseases like "a" are also treated with the help of k "ak" opas. This word comes from "k" ak "oy" - "to rub." Laik "a rubs the patient’s body mainly with live rabbits or other rodents - viscacha. He beats them on the patient's body until the animals die. Then he immediately rips open the animal’s abdomen, examines the condition of the insides and makes a diagnosis. Until now, sorcerers are in great demand among Indians and white inhabitants of mountain villages. Laik also heals with the help of herbs, earth and divination.

However, the Indians revere, but also fear, Laik, because it can cause slow or quick death and cause damage. Laik, according to the Indians, is an accomplice of the devil and therefore has power over death. He can also cause madness, dumbness, blindness and lameness, and send an incurable and inexplicable disease to the body of his enemy or the enemy of someone who pays him well.

Like" entangles his victim in different ways depending on the scale of the evil he is going to cause. To cause the formation of a tumor in the body of the enemy, he catches a toad somewhere near the house of the intended victim, ties it with something like a tie woven from the clothes of the one who awaits terrible punishment, and bathes it in urine infused with tobacco. After such a “bath,” the toad swells and its eyes pop out of their sockets. If the sorcerer wants the victim to also get a sore throat, he sticks a thorn into the toad's throat. Then Laik casts the appropriate spell over the toad.

If Laik wants to send something more serious, for example, an incurable disease that causes the victim to waste away and become covered with purulent ulcers, then he resorts to a more complex procedure. He collects scraps from the victim’s wardrobe, locks of her hair, nail clippings from her feet and hands. All He ties it into a knot, using a lace or rope, which must be twisted “to the left,” and buries the knot next to the victim’s house, under the condition that no one should know about this terrible secret. Therefore, no one can claim to have seen anything like this. Only one thing is known - everything happens in absolute silence. The bark of a dog, someone's voice, the sounds of a ken or a guitar, the singing of a bird, the steps of a traveler - any noise or rustle will negate the effect of witchcraft. This almost impossible condition must be met. Any magical actions are valid only in complete silence.

Each mountain village has its own laika, but few of them are universally famous. From the most distant villages people come to them to be healed, get rid of damage, or, conversely, cause someone’s death. The Indians tell incredible stories from the lives of these people: they know how, for example, to melt stones and dry up springs, to walk all day long with their backs forward and to cross stormy rushing rivers riding on a stick, as if their eyes glow in the dark, like burning candles, illuminating the road with a yellow and trembling light. “Like” is a meeting with the spirit of sacred aukis (mountain peaks) or with a consecrated cross.

Like is a servant of the devil (“supai”) and so on evil spirits. Paco, on the contrary, is the envoy of the Aukis, their priest, since he is protected by a cross, knows how to pray and call “pucaras” - the souls of the Aukis.

21.02.2016 13:33

For most people, being in the mountains is not an easy experience. Cold air temperature and lack of oxygen - such living conditions are not suitable for most modern peoples.

However, there are people whose peoples have not only lived in the mountains for centuries, but also do not strive to descend from them. One of these peoples are the Quechua Indians. The online magazine "100 Worlds" has been prepared for you Interesting Facts about this unusual people.

Peculiarities of life of the Quechua Indians

Quechua Indian people lives in South America: Beru, Bolivia, Argentina, Ecuador and other regions. Some of them “descended to earth,” but many representatives of this people remained faithful to their traditions. For example, in the Andes mountains, the Quechua Indians live at an altitude of 3650 m above the ground. It's interesting to note that the heart and lungs of the people of this tribe are larger than the standard sizes of these organs in “earthly” people. The fact is that the increased size of these organs allows the Indians’ bodies to increase blood circulation and, thus, receive more oxygen.Photo from the site: votpusk.ru

Because the Quechua people are located so far away
from the earth, representatives of other nations rarely contact them. This is why the Indians before today were able to preserve their cultural characteristics , their national identity. The culture of the Quechua Indians is strongly associated with the heritage of the Incas - from them they preserved both colorful outfits and original songs.

Quechua Indians has its own language , many of whose words have found their way into the Spanish language. Actually, some Indians speak pure Spanish.

National outfits Indians stand out among others for their brightness and, in addition, they are all handmade from natural materials. An important element in the attire of both men and women is felt hats, which representatives of this people also like to decorate with natural materials: flowers and products made of bone and natural wood.

It is interesting that the Quechua Indians It's common to go barefoot . Thus, the soles of these people's feet are so rough that they can easily can even walk on icy rocks without feeling the cold.

Traditional activities Quechua's main activities include animal husbandry, hand-woven textiles, jewelry making from natural materials, and agriculture. In their mountain settlements, they grow crops such as beans and potatoes, and the Quechua's favorite animals are llamas, animals that are well adapted to the harsh climate of the high mountains.

But that's not the most interesting thing. As a result of the Spanish conquests, many Quechuas were converted to Catholicism, but some Indians remained faithful to their traditions. Therefore among them you can meet supporters of paganism and shamanism . Therefore, if you ever visit South America and you are lucky enough to meet representatives of the Quechua people, then they can make a magic talisman for you or cook love potion . True, the method of making such things by the Quechua Indians remains unknown - shamans keep the recipes for their magical potions in the strictest confidence.

By the way, the Quechua Indians treat tourists with great friendliness , and many of them are engaged in the tourism business: they make souvenirs and organize excursions. Therefore, if you travel to South America, the opportunity to meet the Quechua people is quite real. They say that Indians love open and friendly people - they will respond to such travelers with the same kind attitude. However if you are the owner of an obese figure, then representatives of this people may treat you with suspicion. But you shouldn’t be offended by this - it’s not at all about your completeness as such. It’s just that there is one interesting legend widespread among the Quechua Indians.

The Quechua tribe believes in the existence of an otherworldly creature, which they call Likichiri . According to their beliefs, Likichiri is a werewolf who attacks sleeping people and sucks out the subcutaneous fat from them, causing the person to subsequently die. The more subcutaneous fat in a person’s body, the greater the likelihood that he will be attacked by this terrible monster. Thus, when meeting an overweight person, the Quechua Indians fear that the guest will be able to attract a bloodthirsty monster to their settlement. However, sometimes they are also suspicious of strangers of normal build - who knows, what if there is actually a werewolf hiding under your pretty appearance?

Because of fear, Indians carefully close the doors and windows to their houses and try not to be alone. Sometimes you can find a member of the tribe with a clove of garlic in his mouth - the smell of garlic is another way to scare away the monster.

For the same reason, the Indians of this tribe monitor their own weight and try not to overeat . If you happen to visit them, they will hospitably treat you to their dishes, but they may glance at you: are you overeating? No matter how tasty the dish is, you should not eat too much in the company of these people - it can ruin their impression of you.

By the way, there is something exotic in the cuisine of this tribe . It is known that the Quechua Indians eat dishes made from meat guinea pigs- those same cute little animals that we keep as pets. Can you try this dish? You decide.

Like this interesting people can be found at the heights of our world. What do you think?

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Anastasia Cherkasova

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