#Kichwa woman

[folkfashion]

Kichwa-Lamista woman, Peru, by APEC

[brostateexam]

The Vega family sticks to a series of busy stations on the 7 line, traveling together at set times in the mornings and evenings and keeping tabs on one another’s movements during the day through audio messages in WhatsApp group chats. There are other Ecuadoran families working the subway, many of them high-school-age girls like Gloria with infants strapped to their backs in bedsheets or shawls or with young children beside them on foot. Sometimes, the younger children themselves — 5, 8, 11 years old — are doing the selling. “Cómpreme un chicle, un chocolate, cómpreme,” they say quietly (“Buy a piece of gum, a chocolate”). Or “Ayúdeme, por favor, con una compra” (“Help me, please, by buying something”). Others approach potential customers without saying anything at all.

Like Gloria, most of the candy sellers are Kichwa-speaking Indigenous people from Ecuador’s rural central highlands. They are part of the largest wave of Ecuadoran migration to the U.S. since the turn of the century: In January, for the first time, Ecuadorans were more common than any other nationality of migrants detained by Mexican authorities. Whole families are fleeing a country mired in a socioeconomic crisis, driven by radical cuts to public spending and an overwhelmed health-care system still recovering from the pandemic. More than a quarter of the population lives in poverty, and in many regions gangs and drug cartels have fueled a surge in violence; on August 9, a presidential candidate was killed on the campaign trail in Quito. Some 12,000 encounters with Ecuadoran migrants were reported by the U.S. along the southern border in November 2022 alone, a nearly 20-fold increase over the year before.

In New York, asylum seekers have struggled to find space in the city’s shelter system, which currently houses 57,000 undocumented new arrivals, outnumbering the homeless population for the first time. Earlier this month, hundreds of migrants had to sleep on the street when the city couldn’t find beds for them. “We are past our breaking point,” Mayor Eric Adams said. “New Yorkers’ compassion may be limitless, but our resources are not.” Migrants have saturated the city’s informal labor markets — including construction, restaurant, and domestic work — and rents even for shared rooms in overcrowded houses have soared. Families can’t meet their basic needs.

“We’ve all recently arrived, and we don’t have the money even to afford diapers,” Gloria said. On the best days, most candy sellers don’t earn much more than $80. “Some people are nice and tell you to keep the change, and some people will give you money without asking for anything in return.” On the worst days — hot or rainy days when fewer people are commuting — hardly anyone buys at all.

The youngest working children in the Vega family, about half a dozen cousins between 4 and 14 years old, stay on one of the platforms all day, supervised by an adult — usually Gloria’s mother, Juana, a middle-aged woman who speaks Kichwa with her daughters, who typically respond in Spanish. Month after month, the children work throughout the weekday. Even if their parents might want to put them in school, they know a simple truth: Children sell more.

[brighter-arda]

@tolkienlatamandcaribbeanweek Day 1

Miriel and Vaire creating the tapestries of Mandos, Quechua style

(Part 8 of toi's indigenous tolkien series)

Thank you to @the-quiet-fire-of-defiance for creating the threads, frames and tengwar on their art program

[image description]

At the top a Quechua weaving design, lines come down like threads. White words are 'Miriel' and 'Vaire', tengwar of the words underneath. Some thread lines become diamond shapes with pictures in them. The pictures are from top to bottom

1. A young Quechua woman/girl (Miriel)

2. A serious Kichwa woman (Vaire)

3. Part of a Quechua tapestry

4. A woman leaning over a traditional loom

5. A small part of an Inca calendar (the rest of the image goes off the page)

6. Hands knitting alpaca wool in traditional patterns

[end image description]

[leggigoesabroad]

SO! We pick up in the morning at Bateleur Camp. They prepared the most epic breakfast, like I was the queen of Kenya. I was simply gutted to leave. We did a site visit of the adjacent camp, Kichwa Tembo (head of the elephant, translated) on our way out which was good for #knowledge and #work. We drove to the air strip and took an exactly 6 minute, 44 second flight to another area of the Maasai Mara, where our guide from Mahali Mzuri, Betty, picked us up. I’m thrilled any time we have female anything - pilots, servers, drivers, chefs. It’s a very male-dominant country still (for example the men still don’t go in the delivery room with their wives, but the men choose the child’s name. I’d simply end my husband’s life if either of those were true, but when I hear the stories I of course have to be respectful and not explain how whack that is bc their patriarchy is catching up to ours. Don’t they know what Taylor said about the keychain???) Betty was a woman of few words and I still lose sleep wondering if she liked me or not. Because don’t worry, I’m still the same in Africa. But she DID say she guided Demi Lovato and family TWICE! And that they had to clear all alcohol and all mention of alcohol out of the vehicle / her room / etc. because it was post accidental overdose and rehab stint. Kudos to Demi for knowing thy boundaries and temptations. (And don’t worry, Betty said she was very nice.) Also, Sir Richard Branson owns Mahali Mzuri, and I asked everyone on staff if they’ve met him. They all said “oh yes of course, plenty of times” and when I ask if he’s nice, they say he’s incredible and the kindest boss ever etc. I’m like guys are there cameras?? You can tell me the truth! I know we all get one comfort billionaire and mine recently went from Rihanna to Taylor once Taylor got promoted!!

Mahali Mzuri (translated to “beautiful place”, aptly) is built on a big hill/cliff, and each of the 12 tents are on tall decks looking over this river and plains below. When we first arrived, a herd of elephants was grazing just below our lunch spot. There are also hippos, which until the last day, I only heard, not saw. We were treated all night to the MOOOOOOOO UNGFGHHHHH MOOOOHHHH MAAAAGGHH of the African hippopotamus. How lucky*. Read: sleep did not come easy.

While our rooms were lovely, I instantly knew I preferred Bateleur still. You can’t beat the elevation and positioning of Mahali Mzuri, but the vibe at Bateleur is simply IMMACULATE. Mahali Mzuri was much hotter, somehow? Not sure if it was the way the tents were built or the positioning of the rooms in relation tot he afternoon sun, but I was sweltering during the day, even with the fan on. Like untenably hot and stuffy and as soon as I’d leave the tent, it was normal outside again. Even with all the tent flaps up and the breeze coming through the screens. Something about the thermal design of it all! At night, it’s lovely, as the night chills and the breeze brings in the cool air as I’m snuggled under covers, listening to my best friends, the hippos. Also there’s a little rodent-type animal called the hyrax, which looks a bit like a possum and a meerkat had a baby. It likes to crawl all over the top of the canvas tent, so there’s a permanent scratching noise above your head, leading to some fucked up dreams. And constantly battling with yourself as to: ARE they in my tent with me?? (They’re not). The staff calls them the “landlords”. They also make a high-pitched EEE EEE EEEEEEE sound which just didn’t do much in regards to endearing them to me. The only cute part was when I found two napping in the metal frame of the tent outside. Love is love.

Have to run to afternoon game drive in Tarangire, but much more to say about the Mara and Mahali Mzuri - but time to write and catch up is at a premium here, so I tell myself anything I get down is better than nothing and it’s better to chip away at it. Off to find the elusive wild dogs, which are arguably the cutest thing in the entire ecosystem and are apparently widely despised and wreak havoc and chaos on any population they enter. Like roving gangs of assholes who run into town, steal your wives and children, pillage your stores, destroy your land, and leave everyone in a stunned daze. Metaphorically speaking. But my god google “wild dog babies Africa” and you’ll simply pass away.

[andeanbeauties]

Alma Azul: Kichwa Model  🌺 💙 🌺

[positivexcellence]

‘Walker’ star Genevieve Padalecki supporting ‘Amazon Defenders’ on International Women’s Day

The Indigenous women who dedicate their lives to protecting the Amazon rainforest are getting a boost from “Walker” star Genevieve Padalecki this International Women’s Day.

Padalecki’s digital platform and community, “towwn”, is joining forces with Amazon Watch to raise funds for “Women Defenders of the Amazon” — those working to preserve the rapidly shrinking region and the indigenous cultures of those who live there.

“The Amazon rainforest is the heart of our planet,” Padalecki said. “As the largest and most biodiverse region on earth, it plays a vital role in regulating our climate. Protecting it is critical to solving the climate crisis and there is no one better to lead us than the Indigenous women who’ve called it home for generations.”

Promoting growth and fighting climate change are just two of the tenets of “towwn” — which stands for Take Only What We Need.

Padalecki, 41, an NYU Tisch School of the Arts grad, founded the online community last year with the idea of “finding a path to sustainability that makes sense, that’s not elitist, that is approachable, that is incremental for people,” she told The Daily News.

“It doesn’t mean being a vegan and throwing all of your clothing away. It’s incremental steps and everyone’s level and tolerance is very different,” she added.

The campaign with Amazon Watch began Tuesday and ends March 22. The goal is to raise $20,000 to supplement the work of Indigenous women in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

Funds will be distributed three ways. The largest recipient is Casa de Mujeres — a new house for women defenders, where they can organize and receive child care and wellness services. The rest will go to their leadership to improve security, safe travel and communication and finally, for legal support for the women when they are victims of violence.

“Amazon Watch supports the leadership of the women that know their communities, their people, and their territories the best. We support them to organize, to mobilize, to create different strategies for how they want to work, so that we don’t impose different ideas and plans upon them,” said Nina Gualinga, Amazon Watch’s Women Defenders Program Coordinator and a Woman Defender from the Kichwa community of Sarayaku in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

“I’m a firm believer that women know what we want to do and how we want to do it, and we just need support for it by other women and allies. It’s a process, so we support their processes as Indigenous leaders, women, and communities,” Gualinga said.

About 75% of the Amazon is struggling to bounce back from droughts and man-made encroachments over the last 20 years, indicating the rainforest could be on the precipice of plant death that could impact the global carbon cycle, a study published Monday by “Nature Climate Change” shows.

Though she’s thousands of miles away from the Amazon, in Austin, Texas, with her husband — “Walker” lead and former “Supernatural” star Jared Padalecki and their three kids — Genevieve is happy to do what she can to help the women protecting the rainforests.

“Their wisdom and insight deserve to be heard and I’m honored to be able to support their work to create a better future for both people and the planet,” she said.

New York Daily News

[reina-morada]

What do you think are some main differences between folk Catholicism (especially the Ecuadorian variety) and US Catholicism? Also indigenous Ecuadorian club 👊🏽 (I’m Amazonian Kichwa and Quechua from the Highlands) (they could probably be spelled the same but whatever 😂

Hello!

Honestly for me there seem to be a whole lot of differences. Even just saying “Jesus” versus “Jesús” makes the same being feel like a totally different one. Also yes!! Ecuadorian club!! My abuelito’s side is Afro-Ecuadorian and my abuelita’s side is indigenous to the Guayas canton, and before that I know my great grandfather’s family came from the Highlands. We’re largely Costeños now. 

I think a lot of practices seem to be very different, on the daily I mean. My Latinx family was very devoted to the daily misa, and frequently prayed the rosary. They’re remarkably more conservative. I remember when I was growing up, on Good Friday we weren’t allowed to use electricity until after Jesus passed on the cross. We kept the blinds closed from early morning until 3 PM, and sat in darkness praying the rosary in Spanish. If we weren’t praying, we couldn’t speak. 

I think the perception of divinity is a little different too. My abuelita frequently spoke to the statues of Mary and Jesus in her home. My great aunt speaks directly to a portrait of Mary hanging by her bed every morning and evening. When my abuelita was annoyed with a saint, she’d turn their statue around or put it away to incite them into approving her prayers and such. The relationship is a very intimate one, that treats these beings almost like members of the household. My abuelita came into my room two nights ago and instead of saying “Buenas noches” said, “Duerma con el divino niño Jesus” (She’s devoted to El Divino Niño de Bogotá). 

There’s this very real and lived spirituality that includes speaking to Jesus and Mary more as deities rather than Catholic teachings where Mary is human and Jesus is the divine one. Growing up Mary was VERY MUCH on the same like, wavelength as divinity. Rather than being the human mother of god, spirituality revolving around her definitely felt more on par with a deity. In my personal practice, I view Mary as a deity/on par with divinity. 

Also I’m sure you’ve experienced this, there’s obviously a bunch of syncretization between Catholicism in various regions of Latin America that American Catholicism may not seem to have. 

For example, it’s very popular in the Andes for Mary to be syncretized with Pachamama. Or even, the worship of Pachamama still continues to happen but separate from Mary. 

Also, regional divinities pop up. Mary’s and Jesus’ pop up with different apparitions and stories. They have different likes and dislikes in popular religion- even though they’re all Jesus/Mary. 

The Divino Niño de Bogotá is a child Jesus just like El Divino Niño de Atocha, but they have different vibes depending on their region/story/people. 

The Black Christ of Daule (my patron) is really heavily associated with the Daule river, and from my research I’ve seen that the divinity pre-colonization of the Daule river was ALSO called “Señor de las Aguas”. My galaxy brain be going, “They share the epithet, same river, Lord of the Waters. Hmmm....wonder why... Interesting....”

Even Guadalupe doesn’t feel the same as like, Our Lady of Fatima- for example. They’re both Mary, but one is very clearly influenced by the Spanish colonization of the indigenous peoples of Mexico, and appears as a mestiza woman for very explicit reasons. The other doesn’t have this appearance, these associations. 

That sort of stuff doesn’t translate into American Catholicism.  

When I’ve spoken to American Catholics, I’ve never met anyone at all who’s done practices like that. They’ve very rarely heard of devotions such as El Divino Niño de Bogotá, or El Señor de los Milagros de Lima. The Sacred Heart and the Divine Mercy are significantly more popular in the US as devotions so these smaller, regional names don’t really appear. 

It could just be the people I’ve met, but it definitely seems to be a commonality amongst Latinx Catholics. I’ve met American Catholics who are very traditional and devoted, and who pray the rosary or attend daily mass. But the energy of saying words in Spanish carry different meaning. Even though I’m bilingual, I pray in Spanish to them and pray the rosary/attend mass in Spanish. When I do so in English, it feels strange, like it’s for someone else. But I think that makes sense too, especially because there’s so many things and emotions that can’t be translated from one language into another. 

Anyway omg. There’s a lot of differences but these are some big ones, sorry for ranting!

Blessings

[lauritanaomystery]

Rude Girls Sketchs!!!

Vivi: 私は弱い女性ではありません...

Laurel: Mana kani shuk warmi irki...

"I am not a weak woman..."

Translate into Japanese and Kichwa language.

Vivi ready to fight with her powerful baseball bat...

Laurel ready to fight with her secret weapons, her stockings are actually a craft like Boxing gloves...

Vivi and Laurel: We won...

[mosteffers]

A little Kichwa woman I drew for an art show a while back. Really missing Ecuador right now.

Friends (2019) - line work done in Illustrator, color and detail done in Photoshop.

[folkfashion]

Kichwa woman, Ecuador, Luz Micaela Lema Illicachi

[andeanbeauties]

Alma Azul: Kichwa Model

[andeanbeauties]

Alma Azul: Kichwa Model