Liviano: Another Gringa Blog: Andean New Year

The imminent sun, on the first day of the Andean Year.

Friend and collective member Dani on the snare,
surrounded by members of his traditional Andean
Musical group. In downtown Cocha, during the OEA
Conference (which meant the govt threw a bunch of money
and sprucing up the streets--and showing off the best of
Bolivia's culture and entertainment).

With the election of Bolivia's first indigenous president, observance of indigenous traditions, holidays and civil rights and dramatically increased. Evo Morales is, however, loosing tremendous credibility among much of his indigenous base due to continually moving further and further toward the traditional modern neo-liberal capitalism model. The most screaming example is a conflict over a highway the government (and the governments of various other countries) hope to construct through a Bolivian National Park and marked indigenous territory. The TIPNIS highway would undoubtably make transport easier (including transport of cocaine), but it would cut down precious forrest and inevitably destroy the way of living for native people and animals in the area. Despite Bolivia's constitutional law protecting mother nature, and a series of nine marches of indigenous peoples from the TIPNIS region to Bolivian capital La Paz in efforts to petition the government (the most recent IX March just ended after a few marchers in La Paz recently died. Police sprayed adults and children with gas and cold water--in mid-winter at 13,000ft.), TIPNIS highway consultation continues to move forward. Due to the TIPNIS debate, and numerous other issues, President Morales' indigenous support is waning.

Sunrise dancing and music to celebrate the near year.

(There's an curious connection between the high hopes placed on Morales and a certain other president of a historically-oppressed racial background -- both now finding themselves fulfilling a presidential role, entrapped in a system, perhaps at the cost of their former moral convictions.)

So Evo's record is mixed, but Bolivia does have a process of de-colonization in place thanks to the Morales administration, and one of the benefits is the recognition of indigenous holidays, which is significant for the enormous population who've celebrated these dates for centuries without government recognition. For the secularists, capitalists and Christians, it means at the least--a day off work.

Hands raised, greeting the first light of the year.

Overlooking the lights of Cochabamba, on the hike up the hill.

The June 20th Winter Solstice (summer solstice in the north) marked the Andean New Year. At the urging of friends and my natural (and nearly obligatory) curiosity, I joined one of the traditional festivities. We hiked a grand hill between midnight and 3am, preparing to meet the first sun of the new year. From what I could tell, the ritual gathering I attended has become, frankly, fairly commercial. Despite the Inca-era trail leading to the hill's summit and the continued practice of sacrificing three llamas (don't worry, I spared you those photos), the event seemed almost overshadowed by the late night campfires, BBQs and copious drinking. Though the meeting of sunrise by thousands of raised hands is stunningly beautiful--such that one cannot help but feel deep reverence surrounded by such a posture--I couldn't help but suspect I was meeting a commercialized version of a spirituality to which most tipsy attendees did not devoutly and holistically embrace. Even while nature spoke so powerfully all around us. As a lover of ritual (and nature), I naturally am drawn to these ritual expressions. My journey in understanding Andean spirituality continues.