What is the meaning of the Chakana and Andean Philosophy?
The Cruz Del Sur, a simple cross in Andean philosophy is a representation of dualities. In my search for a greater understanding of the Andean Philosophy, I recently had the opportunity to sit with Señor Benigno Zhingre at the school, Inka Samana, in the Saraguran community of Ilincho. Sr. Zhingre is a graduate of Universidad Intercultural de las Nacionalidades y pueblos indigenous Amawtay Wasi in Quito, Ecuador. Sr. Zhingre is considered a foremost authority on the Filosofía Andina and the meaning behind the Chakana and how it relates to Saragurans as connected communities.
Nothing we see or experience exists on its own, everything consists within a duality (man/woman; earth/air; fire/water; summer/winter and so on). One cannot exist without the other. The upper and lower points of the cross represent a certain duality, as do the left and right. Additionally, if one were to draw an arc from, say, the center-left point to the upper point, we should look at that as a bridge from one duality to another.
The societal importance of the Chakana is best understood when we allow ourselves to imagine not only the various points of the 3-dimensional Chakana, but extend that vision and draw arcs from one point to another. Think of these arcs as bridges that connect a host of seemingly unrelated aspects and connect various dualities to one another.
What is the significance of the various points?
When viewed as a 2-dimensional diagram, the uppermost point signifies North, and the 21
st of June, or the winter solstice. This point is representative of Gran Espiritu. In Kichwa, this is Inti Raymi, the Festival of the Sun. It is considered the first day of the New Year. The next point left points East and represents the 21 March, the fall equinox, as well as time passing from winter and night onward to water and mountains. We then move to the lower quadrant, pointing north and representing the summer solstice, December 21. This is also a very major celebration representing cultivation of a first planting, and the start of a second planting. The coming phase is the period of woman and moves towards madre tierra. The final point is west, and represents the Spring Equinox, September 21. This is a period of growth and maturing.
The Chakana is often viewed as a flat, 2-dimensional icon. This is not the case. Thinking this way over-simplifies our understanding, if one were to view the symbol 3-dimensionally, we then have a far richer experience. Imagine a line piercing the center of the 2-dimensional figure (line of truth of life) coming from the Hana Pacha, the upper world or the sky (represented by the condor), piercing the Kay Pacha or the everyday world, or tierra (represented by the puma in the southern Andes and the jaguar in the northern), and continuing into the Uku Pacha or the underworld inhabited by the spirts, or our ancestors, the dead (represented by the serpent).
These three points are also representative of the three aspects of the Andean moral code -- Ama quilla (don’t be lazy, the Upper world) -- Ama Ilulla (don’t lie, the Lower world) -- and Ama shua (don’t steal, the Current world). Keep in mind that these third dimensional points also have arcs bridging these to the points on the two dimensional plane.
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So, how might the Chakana foster successful communities?
If one thinks about the Chakana, one sees that it offers a view of life, and even existence, as a series of relationships connected by bridges from one aspect to another. Nowhere within this system have we spoken about an individual. Within the Saraguran communities, a person is seen as being at the very center of all three dimensions at only two times within one’s live – the day of birth, and the day of death. On the day of marriage the couple move towards the center point for a very brief moment in time.
Life in Saraguro is not about one person as an individual. It is not about the sum of all the individuals. Rather, it is about the sum of all the bridges and connections between the land, and the sky and the plants and the animals, the women and the men. It is about the connection between sun and water and seeds and growth. As an individual, it is my responsibility to maintain all the connections with the idea that all my actions are connected as a specific bridge to another aspect or duality.
In Saraguran society specifically, and Andean society generally, the tasks of each partner are divided along specific responsibilities. In a great departure from Western thinking, one aspect of a duality is not viewed as qualitatively better or quantitatively more important, each has its own nature and purpose. It is the wife’s job to take care of finances, do the long term planning, make certain that sufficient stores are put aside, oversee the education of the children, and maintain the family home. The job of the husband is to work, either in the fields with agriculture, or in other endeavors. Within the home, everyone, men, women, children, grandparents share the workload. The uppermost point of this cross is M/M, the right center is M/F, the lower is F/M, and the left center is F/F. A bridge would be, say, from the upper to the right, would be bridging M/M to M/F. We can then see that these bridges are supported by solely male, solely female, as well as male-female, female-male aspects.
A man whose task is to farm the land must maintain connections to nature that follow the logic and direction of the Chakana. One does not plant during the aspect of fire, but one will begin the harvest at that time. After El Niño and a poor harvest, a wife and mother will budget and husband limited resources for the coming lean times. A young girl might draw on her bridges to her abuelas, or ancestors in order to convert the wool of the sheep into blankets and ponchos.The sum of all these thousands of dualities and their bridges result in a society with a strong identity that sustains the community
as a whole, as well as the families and grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles, children and cousins. This strong identity manifests itself in many different aspects. One striking aspect is that young adults, teenagers, proudly enjoy and display their rich identity each and every day, in a myriad of different ways.
Clothing…
Both Saraguran men and women wear a highly distinctive hat, made only by Don Francsco in the community of Tuncarta. The Saraguran women wear a wide multicolored beaded necklace called a collare. The women wear a long black knife pleated skirt, one made of wool that will cost about $1,000 and is often passed from grandmother to granddaughter (she also has several every day of cotton). Men wear a below the knee wool dress type pant, always black. Again, each will have a fine quality wool pair as well as several every day. They top with some variant of a white shirt. Footwear is either black shoes with black socks or black rubber boots, topped with dress headwear, the Saraguran sombrero, or a more casual black wool fedora, or quite possibly a baseball cap.
Language…
Kichwa is the first language of the Saragurans; however, as a successful community, the vast majority are bilingual, many trilingual. School is a bilingual affair and all are fluent in both Kichwa and Spanish. On my many visits to Saraguro I find myself laughing as when a group of Saragurans are speaking rapidly and happily with me they often break into a back and forth combination I call Kichañol.
Music…
The musical traditions and identity of the Saragurans are special and unique. When one understands the connections of music with nature, one gains yet another greater understanding of the societal identity with the representations of the Chakana. The music of the Saragurans is called Chaspishka. Saragurans understand it to be a symbol of their identity, the message of their Abuelos (grandparents or ancestors), brought to them from the Uku Pacha through to the land of the corn, as well as expressions of their taitas (persons of respect), s a people not bowed by, but rather respectful of the struggle for a oneness with Mother Earth and the Grand Spirit. This expression of both joy and mirth is Chashpihka.
The instrumentation of the Saraguros express the sounds of the wind, the violin express the feelings experienced in the struggles, their aspirations and hopes of a subject people that each day builds their path of freedom of expression. These sounds and dance steps give thanks to life, today spreading the heart of the message to the four winds in the divinity of their Gods, through the ancient sounds, weaving and connecting with the cosmos.
Can a strong cultural identity survive in a rapidly changing modern world?
In the mid-nineties I went back to University to study for my Masters of Science in Philosophy. I had been doing more and more business with Asian partners and I found my rather ridged code of ethics sorely strained. I began to question the foundation of that code, and was asking the question is there an ‘A Priori’ morality, thus an ‘A Priori’ code of Ethics? This led me into what I found to be a more interesting and fruitful course of studies, “Philosophy of Multiculturalism” where beliefs and ways of life are engaged with greater flexible.
The sad truth is, the effects of the rapid worldwide expansion of Western, technology based, society is consuming much of our natural, oral based human history. A history that has formed thousands of bridges and untold connections generations immortal.
Common knowledge says that there is no way to overcome this onslaught and we can only retain some of this knowledge by converting it to digital format. Others try to fight the advance by seeking remote parcels of land and closing their societies to the brutal advance.
I do not feel that either of these approaches are fully effective. In all my studies I have found two results, both of them but paths to failure. In the first case, digital data can never replicate the full and complete nature of oral traditions, much less represent our deep connections with Mother Nature atnd the cosmos. In the second case, communities that I have studied that have chosen to close out the modern world, little by little meet with deterioration and ultimately implosion. The young leave, the birthrate drops, infant mortality increases, illiteracy increases, and further closing down of vibrant society follows.
The most successful society I have ever observed, a society that strives to not only maintain, but educate others, is the society of the Saragurans. This is a society with very strong cultural identity, an identity that gains strength, does not lose it, yet they live in harmony with the modern world. They do this because they do not break their bridges with the rest of the world, they work very hard at tending to those in need of repair. Strengthening those that have become weak, and finally, and possibly of highest importance, building new bridges that connect this successful philosophy of life to the modern world. Through Fundación Kawsay, La Operadora de Turismo SARAURKU, and hundreds of members of the various communities in the Saraguran valley, doors are open to fellow Ecuadorians, Latin Americans, and interested world citizens. The people make mutually beneficial collaboration welcome and easy. Little by little, project by project, visitor by visitor, these connections and bridges help to preserve and promote a culture that makes out planet a finer place to be.
The overriding purpose of my work for the past many years is promote, in the English language, multicultural cooperation and collaboration throughout the world.
www.cultureconnections.ec
In this community are a beaded fabric craft workshop (handles, purses, necklaces, pendants and a variety of jewelry and textile in which ponchos, hamacas, chales, bolsos, fajas of wool fabrics. There one can also view the process and laborious work that is needed to obtain the final product. Also it has a workshop of dye, where the family will explain the entire process to get those beautiful colors, and 100% natural.
Without a doubt, my favorite spot in Ecuador is Baños del Inca Ñamarin. This is a small Saraguran community in the northern part of Loja province. This community offers many wonders, an ethnographic museum, a medicinal garden, a family operation that takes wool from A-Z, and a rustic community restaurant. Baños del Inca Ñamarin is located within the community of Ñamarin, yet it is a site of great importance for all Saragurans. This is the site of important rituals that take place during each of the four Raymi festivals. Pachamama is always here, protecting the sacred location of Baños del Inca Ñamarin.
