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Information About the Quichua People of Ecuador
HIGHLAND QUICHUA OF ECUADOR
WHO ARE THEY AND WHERE DO THEY LIVE?
The word indigenous means “originating in the region or
country where found, native.” Indigena is the Spanish word for indigenous
person, which is what the Quichua prefer to be called rather than “Indians.”
The Highland Quichua have always been rural,
agricultural people. They live in the high double cordillera (mountain
range) of the Andes that runs along the spine of Ecuador from north to
south. They have traditionally maintained their farms and communities at
altitudes of 9,000 to 13,000 feet. Although they constitute roughly half of
the country’s 12,314,000 inhabitants, they are considered an ethnic
minority. Their socioeconomic stratum has always been the lowest class. They
have been slaves for the dominant powers for hundreds of years. Only in
recent years have laws been passed to try to protect them, but these laws
are rarely enforced. With a population of 13 million in Ecuador, Peru &
Bolivia, the Quichua (called Quechua in Peru and Bolivia) comprise the
largest indigenous group in Latin America.
Ecuadorian Quichua are a distinct ethnic group. They
see themselves as distinct racially, culturally, linguistically and have a
group consciousness. Their skin is tea-colored, and protects them from the
sun’s strong rays. They are physically hardy due to centuries of living &
working at the high altitude. The men average only five feet two and a half
inches in height and the women only four feet nine and a half inches. These
physical characteristics coupled with their colorful costume make them stand
out from the mestizo (non-indigenous) population.
DAILY LIFE & CULTURE
Daily activities of rural life center around care of
domestic animals and crops, meal preparation and laundry. Almost every
family will have a couple of cows, pigs, sheep or goats. Chicken and geese
are common, as are rabbits and guinea pigs. Meals generally begin with a
soup of potatoes and grains, which is followed by a plate of rice with small
amounts of meat, fish or chicken and vegetables. Cilantro is a common
seasoning. Coffee, tea, hot milk or a milky-oatmeal mixture called colada de
avena will be commonly offered as beverages. A large spoon is generally the
only utensil. Guinea pigs (cuyes) are usually reserved for special guests
and are served roasted, broiled, fried or in soups. Bread is not usually a
part of the typical meal.
Rivers and streams are popular spots for washing
clothes, and weekly or twice-weekly trips to nearby markets are important
for buying and selling animals and produce. Homes are located in small
communities ranging from 50 to as many as 400 or more people. Communities
are usually family-related. Houses may be made of mud walls and roofs with
eucalyptus beams. They are covered with thatched straw, and are called “chozas.”
There are no windows or chimneys and the only opening is a low door. The
cooking is done indoors, which gives the appearance of a house on fire from
the outside. The more fortunate people may have homes of cinder block walls
and windows. There is no indoor plumbing or hot water, just a spigot in the
yard. There is very little furniture inside, and often the floors are made
of packed dirt. They sleep on woven mats and use their heavy ponchos for
bedding and covering. There is a wide range of economic diversity among the
Quichua which is manifested in the type of homes they have.
In order to maintain their identity, the various clans
each wear a distinctive costume. The common denominators of the Highland
Quichua costumes generally include a hat made of thick felt and a woolen
poncho that serves to keep out the rain and the cold of the high altitudes.
A trained eye can discern the home region of each Quichua person in the
market place based on the color, style, and weave of the poncho, and the
style and color of the women’s dress.
Schools are provided in central locations throughout each province, but due
to the high drop-out rate, the escuelas (elementary schools) are much more
numerous than the colegios (high schools). Teachers are poorly paid and
often do not have a college education. They are faced with a large number of
students, plus poor and/or scarce teaching materials. Their frustration
often contributes to excessive discipline and punishment. Once a child
reaches the third grade and can read as well as his parents can, his ability
to work and contribute to the welfare of the family is often valued more
highly than attaining any more education. But many of the children never
even have the opportunity for that many years of schooling. Therefore, the
functional illiteracy rate is extremely high.
Skills for living and cultural traditions are passed
from grandparents and parents to the children in the daily practice of doing
them alongside their parents. From a very early age, the children are
watching and then they begin helping with simple tasks. Each generation
watches the older ones and imitates their work. Boys are taught how to plow,
prepare the earth for planting, harvesting, taking produce to market and
caring for animals. Girls begin at a very early age to care for young
children. They care for them and learn to carry them on their backs as their
mothers do. This teaching model also frees the mother to do her own chores
around the home or in the field. Preparing food for the family, grazing the
animals, and working in the fields are also the chores of a Highland Quichua
girl. It is more common to see the women carrying heavy loads on their
backs, than to see men doing this. They often marry in their mid-teens, so
this life of labor is all many of them ever know.
Large numbers of Quichua have migrated to the larger
cities in hopes of finding better jobs, better education for their children,
and as a means of escaping the arduous labor of living in the campo
(country). Many hope to escape what they feel is the stigma of being
indigenous, and adapt western dress & customs, and try to melt into the
general mestizo population. However, they still carry many aspects of their
Quichua culture with them.
Fiestas, especially those involving rites of passage
and agricultural celebrations, have been observed for hundreds of years.
Even today some ancient sacred expressions and gestures are carried out
under very careful, ceremonial traditions. Many of the actual fiestas are a
synthesis of diverse cultural and religious elements: the most traditional
fiestas relating to the worship of corn, Mother Earth, fire and the
celestial bodies; the Inca religion in relation to the worship of the sun
and corn, and the Catholic religion.
PRACTICE OF RELIGION
Quichua people identify with the Catholic church, a
religion brought to them by the Spanish conquerors and later enforced by
Spanish hacienda owners. However, the Quichua simply found ways to express
their traditional indigenous religion in ways that were acceptable to the
Catholic church. The many spirits of the mountains and the natural phenomena
could easily be renamed with saint names, and the old idols could be
replaced with new ones. The Highland Quichua Catholic religion that exists
today is the result of the mixture of these two religions over 500 years, an
aberrant form which is highly superstitious and animistic. The Quichua live
in fear of the spirits AND the saints, so they pray to both. They worry when
their children get sick, so they visit the Quichua curandero (shaman) to get
the traditional healing from the animistic spirits as well as the mestizo
priest to get a prayer or a mass said for the patient. Prayers are chanted
at the grave when burying family members to help them pass through the
curtain to the land of the spirits.
The first Protestant ministry specifically to the
Quichua was begun in 1902. The first New Testament translated into Quichua
was published in 1954, and the first Quichua believers were baptized the
following year. The first evangelical Quichua church was built in 1958.
Quichua had previously always had to rely on the Catholic mestizo priests,
but the recent Evangelical Protestant movement among the Quichua churches
has stressed self-governing, or grass-roots churches with their own
leadership, and the response has been very enthusiastic. This Quichua
self-identification has increased the trust factor and allowed them to
worship in culturally acceptable forms – with their own leaders, among their
own people, without having to cross cultural, linguistic or racial
boundaries. The Evangelical Protestant missionaries have sought to introduce
cultural functional substitutes, utilizing Quichua musical tunes and
instruments in worship, involve Quichua leaders, and seek bridges to make
the gospel culturally relevant. Formerly in bondage by fear to the Catholic
church and animism, Quichua are responding very positively to the Christian
message of hope and help.
Many Quichua speak both Spanish & Quichua. Some can
read both, but not well. They are an oral culture, and they are not
accustomed to thinking abstractly. The transmission of knowledge between the
generations has been passed down through example, with little and
story-telling. Missionaries and church planters have worked to transmit the
message of the gospel in ways that bridge the gap between Bible material and
the experiences of the hearers & the realities of their lives. Better
education and the ability to have the Scriptures in both Quichua & Spanish
has given the Quichua a new motivation for learning to read in order to be
able to study God’s Word in their own language. That means that they are no
longer dependent upon others to tell them what it says. Also, individualism
is an unknown concept. Quichua make decisions by seeking a consensus.
Decisions for Christ are not made in church but rather in private settings,
often after conferring with the family and friends. Thus, altar calls or
invitations at the close of the worship service are not commonly practiced.
EVANGELISM AND MINISTRY TO QUICHUA
Missionaries have adapted many methods of sharing the
gospel with Quichua. Some ministry takes place in the rural communities, and
some in the larger towns & cities. Because Quichua are so
community-oriented, entry level evangelism often takes the form of a
community-based ministry that allows for missionaries, church-planters, or
volunteers to meet some type of perceived need in the community. This may be
through medical/dental clinics, workshops in schools, English classes,
health seminars, or seasonal projects such as Christmas fundas (goodie
bags). Market days in the cities provide ample opportunities for
broad-sowing of the gospel with distribution of colored-bead salvation
bracelets & tracts. Some volunteers have provided training for local
believers and churches in evangelism & discipleship. College students have
worked in universities where Quichua are studying. The most important
element is to build relationships of friendship & trust, where believers can
demonstrate the love of Christ through every activity they engage in with
Quichua people. Follow-up is planned and carried out by missionaries, church
planters & local believers.
_______________________________
Minga Misionera, IMB-SBC, May, 2005
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