Rituals of respect : the secret of survival in the high Peruvian Andes

Book

Rituals of respect : the secret of survival in the high Peruvian Andes / Inge Bolin.

Summary:

"In the remoteness of their mountain retreat, the herders of Chillihuani, Peru, recognize that respect for others is the central and most significant element of all thought and action," observes Inge Bolin. "Without respect, no society, no civilization, can flourish for long. Without respect, humanity is doomed and so is the earth, sustainer of all life." In this beautifully written ethnography, Bolin describes the rituals of respect that maintain harmonious relations among people, the natural world, and the realm of the gods in an isolated Andean community of llama and alpaca herders that reaches up to 16,500 feet. Bolin was the first foreigner to visit Chillihuani, and she was permitted to participate in private family rituals, as well as public ceremonies. In turn, she allows the villagers to explain the meaning of their rituals in their own words. From these first-hand experiences, Bolin offers an intimate portrait of an annual ritual cycle that dates back to Inca and pre-Inca times, including the ancient Pukllay weddings the Fiesta de Santiago, with its horse races on the top of the world and Peru's Independence Day, when the Rituals of Respect for elders and young people alike are carried out within male and female hierarchies reminiscent of Inca times.

Record details

ISBN: 0292708661
ISBN: 9780292708662
ISBN: 029270867X
ISBN: 9780292708679
Physical Description: xx, 289 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm
Publisher: Austin : University of Texas Press, 2002, c1998.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:: Includes bibliographical references (pages 261-278) and index.
Formatted Contents Note:: 1. Ascent to the Realm of the Apus -- 2. Suyay Ch'isin-a Night of Secret Rituals -- 3. Thunder God and Sacrifice -- 4. Fertility Rites in the Muyukancha -- 5. Pukllay Martes-the Incas Invite -- 6. Survival Today and a Look into the Past -- 7. Munanakuy -- Falling in Love -- 8. Rimanakuy -- a Wedding Andean Style -- 9. Casarakuy -- 10. La Fiesta de Santiago -- 11. Qespisqa P'unchay -- Independence Day in Tawantinsuyu -- 12. Metaphors or Reality -- Visions from the Past -- 13. Waqraqocha -- 14. Tragedy and Triumph -- Chillihuani Will Call Forever.