DARIA CCALLA, AN AYMARA ARTISAN

I had the fortune to meet Daria Ccalla Huayllara, an aymara artisan involved in alpaca knitwear since some years ago. She was born in Cochiraya, a rural town located near Titicaca Lake. Daria together with a group of other aymara artisans knit different products: scarves, sweaters, gloves, etc. She also knits the type of toy we see in the picture using other kind of wool.

Last February, she was preparing to participate in a regional event of women, when she fall down and broke her leg. This hasn´t allowed her to develop her activities as she used to do and that has meant losses for her but also for the women that depend on the contacts she could make to sell the products.

Two weeks ago, I visited her in Puno, Peru. In spite of her health difficulties she tries to manage this situation with strenght, but although she has always a smile I feel her sadness too. I see that she hasn´t been receiving medical attention because it means a lot of money. Something should be done in order to help her, so that she can receive the adequate medical treatment.

WILLKA KUTI, THE RETURN OF THE SUN

Today is a very important day. Indigenous peoples celebrate the return of a new sun. Willka is a native word that means sun and kuti is other aymara word which means return. We receive the new sun with a special ceremony in sacred places which could be the mountains or sites as Tiwanaku or other places where our ancestors lived during ancient times. During the ceremony there is a sacred fire where we make and offering to the mother land. We also receive this new sun with the arms up, so that the warm energy of the sun enters through the palms of our hands. This arrival of the new sun means the beginning of a new life for human being but also the beginning of the new agricultural cycle.

Early in the morning, people wait in the sacred places to receive the first beams of the sun.

¡Jallalla!