The Aymara dances Are ritual dances that are part of the Aymara folklore, an indigenous people that settled in the regions where the Incas predominated.
The Aymaras were a native town that inhabited the high plains of the Andes Mountains, where Bolivia is currently located. Its natural border with Peru is Lake Titicaca. This settlement was settled on high ground, above 3700 meters above sea level.
At present, there are descendants of this ethnic group that are in Peru, Bolivia and Chile. In addition, there are still cities where indigenous languages such as Aymara And Quechua, in addition to Spanish.
History
The Aymaras were an indigenous people who inhabited the zone of the Andean Altiplano at the end of century XV and principles of the XVI. They were a town annexed to the Inca Empire and later conquered by the Spanish.
They were inhabitants of the Andes, at present the eastern zone of Bolivia, the south of Peru and the north of Chile, during 800 years. The region of Tiwanaku was one of its important settlements, like the Altiplano, that was conquered by the Incas under the command of Huayna Capac .
Although they were conquered by the Incas, the Aymaras maintained a certain degree of autonomy, as their language, which has two varieties, the Jaqaru and the Kawki .
Another of the elements that were preserved of this culture, in spite of the Inca and Spanish influence, was its famous flag of seven colors, known like wiphala.
It also preserves its colorful clothing, especially the dress of the"Bolivian chola", whose elements are a thick skirt, aguayo, hat, boots and jewelry. It is a symbol of the Aymara women.
Among its most representative traditions is chewing coca leaves, which has two uses:
- Reduce symptoms caused by height
- Be part of rituals for your deities, who represent the forces of nature, earth and sky.
Folklore and Mythology
The Aymaras were a town that developed widely the mythology and other cultural activities like the dance, the weave, songs and a cosmovisión that was his religion.
They believed in the spirits of nature and the mighty spirits of the mountains. His greatest deity is Pachamama , Mother Goddess and also Goddess of the earth. The same happens with Inti , The Sun God. The Pachamama had the power to make the soils fertile and the crops prosperous, so that many of the artistic manifestations such as their dances and rituals were for her. To this day they are still being performed.
They developed a significant number of festivities that are still celebrated in Bolivia, such as the Indian Day, which is celebrated on August 2, in addition to Christmas, Easter Resurrection and Independence Day.
The most important of these is the Carnival, just before the Lenten period begins, which lasts a week. In this party there are music, dances, comparsas, gastronomy and typical games.
For the Aymaras the traditions remain very important. Celebrations are a fundamental part of their culture, so they always celebrate with lots 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 amount of musical instruments have been discovered during archaeological excavations in the deposits of Paracas, Tiwanaku, San Pedro de Atacama, Arica and Nazca, to name a few.
Based on the documents left by the Spaniards who arrived on the Altiplano, for the Aymaras music and dance were always present both in daily life and in rituals. The same importance continues today for their descendants, since their function is to unite daily activities with a deep inner symbolism.
The Aymaras have colorful and attractive dances with which they celebrate in diverse occasions. During these festivities, the dancers dress in beautiful costumes, full of symbolism and traditional elements, such as the hat mushroom in women.
Many times they dance to remember ancient wars and to pay homage to 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 earth. Some of their more traditional dances are developed during their festivals, where a large number of dancers participate.
The music is fundamental during the celebration of the Carnival and is listened constantly for four days and four nights. A sort of contest is held in the"coplas". The Aymaras are divided into groups and compete to see who are the best and loudest singers.
The dances during the Carnival are composed of tones. That is songs accompanied by wheels, round dances, orchestra and music with Andean instruments such as charangos, quenas and guitars and Tarked . Songs with wind sounds are also made.
Another traditional dance is Sarawja, which is danced during Easter and Christmas. Here, men play instruments and dance, while women sing and dance. The verses usually improvise and they wear typical costumes with hats and aguayos.
One of the most common festivities is the"peñas", which are developed in rural areas, small huts where music is played, dancing and enjoying traditional gastronomy. In the cities, the same"rocks"are made in larger premises such as restaurants, where everyone can enjoy these traditions.
Many Aymara songs are actually prayers sung to their gods. For example, people sing the song of the toads to ask the gods of rain to fall precipitations.
This is why the song is accompanied by flute sounds and the croaking of frogs. These are toads captured from Lake Titicaca, which are placed in containers with water and left in the sun, so that they begin to croak.
The Aymara think that the gods, hearing the toads croak because of 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 Aymaras in the Altiplano. In fact, one of the most famous dances is called"Llamadas", where the dancers represent shepherds carrying their flock through the mountains.
The most important instruments of Aymara dances are zampoñas and charangos, a kind of mandolin with which they accompany their traditional music.
References
- Retrieved from everyculture.com.
- Music and dance: Aymara. Recovered from chileprecolombino.cl.
- The Aymara of South America. James Eagen. Retrieved from books.google.cl.
- Aymara people. Retrieved from Wikipedia.com.
- Music in Latin America and Caribbean: an encyclopedic history. Edition by Malena Kuss. Retrieved from books.google.cl.
- Aymara Dancers, Bolivia. Retrieved from travel.nationalgeographic.com.
- Sarawja Dance. Retrieved from festival.si.edu.