Lessons in Kichwa, Saraguro hospitality, extreme driving and upset stomachs...

Colors from the Sunday market!

Sunset view from the office.

Because everyone in Loja needs a raincoat! :)

It has been awhile since I posted last, and while there should be no excuses I can say that I have been very busy! We had another fantastic trip to the field- well fantastic in a sense. We had one mediocre mapping session, one phenomenal mapping session with the indigenous Saraguros of Gurudel, Ecuador, and taught a successful workshop on water. Unfortunately during most of this field experience I was sicker than a dog!  Back to the more interesting topic however, and the one that I have been promising to share for awhile now...the Saraguro people.

This indigenous group populates the southern highlands of Ecuador into Peru and all of the way down to Bolivia. Their traditional practices and dress, which are still heavily practiced today, are all done as a state of mourning. They are mourning the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors and the ultimate demise and death of life as they knew it, of an entire race, and of their leader Atahualpa. The traditional dress for men includes black capris (what Greg and I lovingly refer to as manpris), black boots, a black sweater often over a white shirt, and a black wool hat over their long black hair that is worn neatly in a braid. The women wear black shoes and a black skirt, that sometimes has a hem of bright colored fabric, a white shirt with a beautiful shawl like poncho that is held together in their chest by a silver gemstone sunburst like pendant. Their hats resemble a cowboy hat that has not been shaped, is made with plaster, and is painted to resemble a dairy cow. Their necklaces are the most striking piece of their attire a collection of delicate and intensely bright bead work that draws you into their beautiful and gentle faces.

The mapping session that we did in Gurudel was amazing and the first predominately indigenous session that we did. They were so very intrigued and interested that we were there and wanted to provide us with as much information as possible! There were people standing in the doorway and peering through the windows, everyone wanted to participate! Thanks to a lovely little white pill that encouraged my stomach to keep some  water down and in for at least a few minutes, I was able to thoroughly enjoy this session. At the conclusion of the session I started to draw smiley faces on some of the left over stickers that we were using as mapping indicators and passing them out to all of the kids that were running around the school yard. Needless to say I became the most popular person there in a very short period of time! I felt very grateful to be able to give them something back, as they helped us out tremendously, even if is was just a few smiles.

One of the Saraguro women that participated in the session taught us how to use her huango to spin wool before the session began. She let me pull my camera out to take a few shots, but only after I promised to buy her a beer for her efforts! :) This was a fantastic experience! During the afternoon the children running around with "fresh smiles" also taught us how to say the days of the week, how to count to ten, and other random vocabulary tidbits in kichwa. These interactions are truly what make this experience!

Time is quickly winding down and we are working our fingers to the bone to get all of our data entered and prepared for analysis. We collected 80 surveys, did 17 interviews, and 4 mapping sessions in our short time down here. None of this would have been possible without the dedication of Veroníca and Rossana who have worked tirelessly with us on this project. I do not know how I will ever fully express my gratitude to them.

I fly out of Cuenca Saturday afternoon and into the Galapagos on Sunday. ROW Adventures is truly a phenomenal company, just named Travel and Leisure's 2012 World's Best Tour Operator, and after travelling many river miles with me they are showing me around the Galapagos. I will spend 8 days sea kayaking, snorkeling, and hiking volcanoes. Beyond the fact that I do not want to leave the amazing new friends that I have made while here in Loja, I am ecstatic to see the islands! Photos of this adventure to come soon. In the mean time, enjoy some photos from life in Loja and more adventures in the field.
Chau!

Veroníca trying her hand with the huango.

Rossana, just after separating the wool ball and the huango!

Days of the week in kichwa.

Our mapping session.