The Aymaras dances are ritual dances that are part of the folklore Aymara, an indigenous people who settled in the regions where the Incas prevailed. The Aymara were a native people that lived in the high plains of the Andes Mountains, where Bolivia is currently located. Its natural border with Peru is Lake Titicaca. This town settled on high ground, above 3700 meters above sea level.
At present, there are descendants of this ethnic group found in Peru, Bolivia and Chile. In addition, there are still cities where indigenous languages such as Aymara and Quechua are still spoken, in addition to Spanish.
History
The Aymara were an indigenous people who inhabited the Andean Altiplano area in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. They were a town annexed to the Inca Empire and later conquered by the Spanish.
They were inhabitants of the Andes, today the eastern part of Bolivia, southern Peru and northern Chile, for 800 years. The Tiwanaku region was one of its important settlements, like the Altiplano, which was conquered by the Incas under the command of Huayna Capac.
Although they were conquered by the Incas, the Aymara maintained a certain degree of autonomy, such as their language, which has two varieties, Jaqaru and Kawki.
Another element that was preserved from this culture, despite the Inca and Spanish influence, was its famous seven-colored flag, known as the wiphala.
Their colorful clothing is also preserved, especially the dress of the "Bolivian chola", whose elements are a thick skirt, an aguayo, hat, boots and jewelry. It is a symbol of Aymara women.
Among its most representative traditions is chewing coca leaves, which has two uses:
- Reduce symptoms caused by altitude
- Be part of rituals for their deities, who represent the forces of nature, earth and heaven.
Folklore and mythology
The Aymara people were a people that widely developed mythology and other cultural activities such as dance, weaving, songs and a worldview that was their religion.
They believed in the spirits of nature and the powerful spirits of the mountains. Its greatest deity is the Pachamama, Mother Goddess and also Goddess of the earth. The same goes for Inti, the Sun God.
The Pachamama had the power to make the soils fertile and the harvests prosperous, so a large number of artistic manifestations such as their dances and rituals were for her. To this day they continue to be carried out.
They developed a significant number of festivities that are still celebrated in Bolivia, such as the Indian Day, which is celebrated on August 2, as well as Christmas, Easter and Independence Day.
The most important of these is Carnival, just before the Lenten period begins, which lasts for a week. In this festival there is music, dances, comparsas, gastronomy and typical games.
For the Aymara, traditions are still very important. Celebrations are a fundamental part of their culture, that is why they always celebrate with a lot of music, colors and allegorical representations of their deities and nature.
Dances and religion
For the Aymara peoples, music has always had a fundamental place in their society. That is why an immense number of musical instruments have been discovered during archaeological excavations at the Paracas, Tiwanaku, San Pedro de Atacama, Arica and Nazca sites, to name a few.
Based on the documents left by the Spaniards who came to the Altiplano, for the Aymara people, music and dance were always present both in daily life and in rituals. It continues to be of the same importance today for its descendants, since its function is to unite daily activities with a deep inner symbolism.
The Aymara have colorful and attractive dances with which they celebrate on various occasions. During these festivities, the dancers dress in beautiful costumes, full of symbolism and traditional elements, such as the bowler hat on women.
They often dance to remember ancient wars and to honor the members of their people who participated in those battles.
They also dance to thank the gods for the rain or the good conditions of the land. Some of its more traditional dances take place during its festivals, where a large number of dancers participate.
Music is essential during the Carnival celebration and is heard constantly for four days and four nights. A kind of contest is held in the "verses". The Aymaras divide into groups and compete to see who are the best and loudest singers.
Dances during Carnival are made up of tones. In other words, songs accompanied by wheels, round dances, orchestra and music with Andean instruments such as charangos, quenas and guitars and tarkeadas. Songs are also made with sounds of wind.
Another traditional dance is the Sarawja, which is danced during Easter and Christmas. Here, the men play the instruments and dance, while the women sing and dance. The verses are often improvised and they wear typical costumes with hats and aguayos.
One of the most common festivities are the "peñas", which take place in rural areas, in small huts where music is played, danced and traditional cuisine is enjoyed. In the cities, the same "peñas" are held in larger venues such as restaurants, where everyone can enjoy these traditions.
Many Aymara songs are actually prayers sung for their gods. For example, people sing the song of the toads to ask the rain gods for precipitation to fall.
This is why the song is accompanied by the sounds of the flute and the croaking of the toads. These are toads captured from Lake Titicaca, which are put in containers with water and left in the sun, so that they begin to croak.
The Aymara think that the gods, when they hear the toads croaking at the annoyance of the sun, will take pity on them and send the rain to the highlands.
Other traditional songs also speak of llamas and alpacas, fundamental animals for the survival of the Aymara people in the Altiplano. In fact, one of the most famous dances is called “Llamadas”, where the dancers represent shepherds leading their flock through the mountains.
The most important instruments of Aymara dances are the zampoñas and the charangos, a kind of mandolin with which they accompany their traditional music.
References
- Recovered from everyculture.com.
- Music and dance: Aymara. Recovered from chileprecolombino.cl.
- The Aymara of South America. James Eagen. Recovered from books.google.cl.
- Aymara people. Recovered from Wikipedia.com.
- Music in Latin America and Caribbean: an encyclopedic history. Edition of Malena Kuss. Recovered from books.google.cl.
- Aymara Dancers, Bolivia. Recovered from travel.nationalgeographic.com.
- Sarawja Dance. Recovered from festival.si.edu.