Bolivia - Peru - Chile - Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage of Aymara communities

The proposed sub-regional project aims at developing safeguarding measures to ensure the viability of the oral expressions, music and traditional knowledge (textile art and agricultural technologies) of the Aymara communities of Bolivia (La Paz-Oruro-Potosí), Chile (Tarapacá-Arica-Parinacota-Antofagasta) and Peru (Tacna-Puno-Moquegua). The activities, planned for implementation over the course of a five-year project, are: (i) identifying and inventorying the traditional knowledge and oral traditions of Aymara communities in the selected areas, (ii) strengthening language as a vehicle for transmission of the intangible cultural heritage through formal and non-formal education, (iii) promoting and disseminating Aymara oral and musical expressions and (iv) reinforcing traditional knowledge related to the production of textile arts and traditional agricultural techniques. These four lines of action of the planned project have been established as priorities by the Aymara communities in the different phases of consultation and preparation of the project and they will be implemented with the full involvement of the communities, guided by the 2003 Convention’s principles. The project intends to adopt as its working strategy the creation of a subregional and international network comprising individuals, communities, groups, cultural managers, specialists, indigenous organizations, research centres, NGOs and Governments, to promote the exchange of experience, information and training in order to strengthen capacities in the region.

Bolivia - Ichapekene Piesta, the biggest festival of San Ignacio de Moxos

Every year, the inhabitants, both young and old, of San Ignacio de Moxos in Bolivia celebrate Ichapekene Piesta, a syncretic festival that reinterprets the Moxeño founder myth of the Jesuit victory of Ignacio de Loyola and melds it with indigenous beliefs and traditions. The festivities begin in May with firework displays, singing and praises, and continue in July with daily and nightly celebrations of masses, funeral wakes, alms-giving and feasts. The main representation of the victory of Saint Ignatius involves twelve sun warriors, wearing spectacular feathers, who battle the guardians of the holy flag – the original ‘owners’ of the forest and water – before converting them finally to Christianity. These rites are an act of faith and constant rebirth, allowing the Moxeños to be reborn into the Christian tradition in the presence of the spirits of their ancestors. The main procession involves 48 groups of participants disguised as masked ancestors and animals, reinforcing the importance of respect for nature. They play tricks and dance to the accompaniment of the Baroque-era music of the Jesuit missions, then around midnight fireworks pop from the top of their wide-brimmed hats, symbolizing the gift of light and vision to live respectfully.

Bolivia - Pujllay and Ayarichi, music and dances of the Yampara culture

Pujllay and Ayarichi are the main musical and choreographic forms of the Yampara culture. They complement each other and form a whole: Pujllay linked to the rainy season and Ayarichi to the dry. Pujllay is performed primarily by males, during the ritual of the same name celebrating the renewal of life and abundance brought on by rains. The sounds, dances and costumes evoke the ‘Tata Pujllay’, a demonic and fruitful entity with boundless energy. A group of musicians play flutes and a horn clarinet. Dancers, lavishly dressed as Tata Pujllay, tirelessly circle around a large altar decorated with food. Ayarichi is danced during festivals dedicated to various Catholic saints who govern the social and cosmic order and influence the preservation of life. The group comprises four male dancer-musicians playing panpipes and drums, and two to four young female dancers. Craftswomen are responsible for weaving costumes meticulously to the smallest detail. Extensive community networks are mobilized to organize the ritual and provide abundant food and drink. Transmission of musical and choreographic knowledge to children occurs without adult participation, often through collective games and observation. Pujllay and Ayarichi create unity among Yampara communities as a favoured way to communicate with nature.

Bolivia - The festival of the Santísima Trinidad del Señor Jesús del Gran Poder in the city of La Paz

The festival of the Santísima Trinidad del Señor Jesús del Gran Poder takes place on the Day of the Holy Trinity in the city of La Paz. The celebration transforms and stimulates the social life of La Paz every year, emanating from a particular way of understanding and living Andean Catholicism. The Parade begins with a procession through the western part of the city. This procession is central to the event, involving 40,000 devotees who dance and sing in an offering to the patron saint. The dance has a sacred significance for the sixty-nine fraternities involved, which are greeted in the streets in a euphoric atmosphere where the music of 7,000 musicians resonates. The heavy dances begin with the Morenos, the iconic dance of the festival, mixed with light dances; meanwhile, the Sikuris and Qhantus native dances hark back to the origins of the Ch’ijini festival. The next day, the procession members solemnly carry the patron saint on their shoulders in the Gran Poder district; devotees pay tribute to the image with incense, flowers and confetti. The fraternities prepare their musical repertoires throughout the year; embroiderers and jewellers transmit their knowledge within the families of the Gran Poder, and the devotional aspect of the practice is transmitted through devotional ceremonies, evenings and processions.

Bolivia - Andean cosmovision of the Kallawaya

The Kallawaya ethnic group, based in the mountainous Bautista Saavedra region north of La Paz, traces its roots to the pre-Inca period. Like many aspects of Andean culture, the Kallawaya’s practices and values have evolved through the fusion of native and Christian religions. The principal activity of the Kallawaya involves the practice of ancestral medical techniques. The various rites and ceremonies related to these techniques form the basis of their local economy. The Andean Cosmovision of the Kallawaya culture consists of a coherent body of myths, rituals, values and artistic expressions. Widely recognized not only in Bolivia but also in many other South American countries where Kallawaya priest doctors practise, the medical techniques are based on the belief systems of indigenous peoples of the Andean area. This healing art derives from a deep understanding of animal, mineral and botanical pharmacopoeia and a body of ritual knowledge intimately linked to religious beliefs. The exclusively male itinerant healers treat patients using medical and pharmaceutical knowledge that revolves around a complex system of transmission and apprenticeship in which the journey plays an essential role. By travelling through widely varying ecosystems, Kallawaya healers expand their knowledge of medicinal plants. With some 980 species, their botanical pharmacopoeia rates as one of the richest in the world. Kallawaya women participate in a number of rites, care for pregnant women and children, and weave textiles with motifs and decoration relating to the Kallawaya cosmovision. Musical groups called kantus play the drum and pan flute during ritual ceremonies in order to establish contact with the world of the spirits. In recent times, the traditional Kallawaya way of life has come under threat from acculturation, which may lead to the disappearance of this extraordinary body of medical knowledge. The tradition is also affected by the lack of sufficient legal protection for indigenous communities, particularly in regard to policies pursued by major pharmaceutical companies.

Bolivia - Ritual journeys in La Paz during Alasita

During the ritual journeys in La Paz during Alasita, which begin on 24 January and last two or three weeks, participants procure ‘good luck’ miniatures associated with Ekeko, the city’s beneficent god of fertility. The activities begin with the search for and acquisition of the miniatures, followed by their consecration with the different Andean ritualists or their blessing by the Catholic Church. The miniatures acquire a new meaning since the individuals have vested them with faith, allowing their wishes to come true. People also exchange the miniatures to symbolically pay debts. The bearers and practitioners include a broad community of stakeholders, and inhabitants of the city participate irrespective of their social status. The practice promotes social cohesion and intergenerational transmission and improves intra-family relationships. The importance granted to donations and the payment of debts, even if symbolic, also lowers tensions between individuals and even social classes. Alasita rituals are primarily transmitted naturally within families, with children accompanying their parents during the journey. Efforts to safeguard Alasita have been continuous and depend mainly on civil society. Conservatories and museum exhibitions have raised awareness about certain Alasita themes, and municipal contests are organized to encourage the craft production of the miniatures and develop creativity, enjoying an ever-increasing number of participants.

Bolivia - Grand Festival of Tarija

The Grand Festival of Tarija takes place in the city of Tarija, in the southeast of Bolivia. Celebrated every year in August and September, it involves devotional processions, music festivals, competitions and fireworks dedicated to Saint Roch. The festival has its origins in the colonial period, when the inhabitants of the city entreated the saint to cure epidemics and diseases and to protect their loved ones. It is founded on religiosity and faith, preserved and transmitted within families and in the Catholic community. During the festival, processions cross the main streets of Tarija, visiting the cathedral and temples and churches, with believers showing their devotion through dances, music and prayers. Pilgrims in colourful costumes and masks perform music and dances, and neighbours decorate the temples and streets through which the procession is to pass and organize sport and cultural activities. The Grand Festival of Tarija is characterized by regional crafts, traditional dishes and the absence of alcoholic drinks.