Indigenous Visit

This past Friday, our group took a bus ride to the next town, Cotacachi. This town is known for its leather-making. We walked around the town and saw boots, wallets, jackets, purses, belts, shirts, pants, pencils…you name it, they made it with leather. I ended up buying a leather jacket (unplanned). I love it! However, as I was purchasing my amazing new jacket I asked the storeowner what it was made from; I learned that I had just purchased a baby cow. 

My new Baby Cow.

This weekend we had a cultural experience in a local community called San Clemente. This Indigenous village is one of many that have preserved the culture and lifestyle during the modernization of Ecuador.

While in San Clemente, we had the opportunity to participate in several activities that make up the everyday lives of their people. We first removed corn from the cobs to be ground for flour. We then ground the corn kernels using a stone mortar. It was very difficult! Our guide, Don Juan, told us that in the past if a man were interested in marrying a woman, she would have to come to the family’s house and grind a certain amount of corn within a time limit. If she couldn’t do it, the family did not accept her. I was not very skilled at grinding the corn; I guess I won’t get an Ecuadorian husband. The next morning we had corn tortillas for breakfast made from the corn flour we ground.

Grinding corn into flour by hand...Very difficult!
She already has a husband.

We also were able to see how the Indigenous people plow their fields. They hooked up two cows to the yolk and let us plow as well. I passed on this activity, but my friends said it is much harder than it looks! The plow is very heavy and hard to keep in a straight line. That evening we dressed in the traditional Indigenous clothing and danced to their traditional music. The family has their own band called (NAME) and sells their own CD’s. We had a great evening and enjoyed spending time with the locals. We each stayed with one of the families that evening and had traditional food dishes made by the mothers. It was delicious!

In the morning we had an opportunity to ride an Alpaca! Well, sit on it. He was not very happy with having 15 people try to sit on his back. Alpacas are similar to llamas, however they are smaller than llamas, have a finer coat (hence the popularity of alpaca-made products), and have different feet. The foot of an Alpaca is like a soft pad on the bottom, and has two nails/claws on the front. The soft pads distribute the Alpaca’s weight so that it does not compact the ground and make it hard. This is helpful to farmers because the Alpacas can graze without ruining the fields. The claws help the Alpaca grab the ground for a steady grip, and also helps aerate the fields for the farmers. They are very good for carrying heavy objects, but of course are most known for their coats, which are used to make warm clothing, blankets, and other fabric products.

Feeding a baby Alpaca!

Riding an Alpaca! He was not happy with us.

Before we left, our host mothers gave us each a bracelet made from the colors of the village flag. The colors of the rainbow are used to symbolize the sun, the earth, corn/crops, spirituality, and serenity.

Our host mom for the weekend - Susanna

On Monday, we went to the local weaving town, Peguche. In the shop, we had a Master Weaver show us how wool is turned into useful material for weaving, and how the many colors are made (all from fruits, berries, etc.) The woman who gave us this demonstration is one of only two women Master weavers in the town!

In other news, my family sold all but one of their puppies. I had to say goodbye to my favorite one the other morning:

So sad to say bye to Pablo!

This is our last week in Ecuador! The time went by so quickly. This week we will visit a local weaving town and see how all that Alpaca wool is made into a product. Also, we will finish teaching our lessons, review with our students, and prepare a presentation for their parents. We still have a lot of work to do!