Let’s Take Care of the Environment
Belinda Tax is a former representative of the municipality of Santa Catarina Palopó in the department of Sololá, Guatemala. She sends us a message in Kaqchikel and Spanish to take care of the environment.
The Danger of Genetically Modified Seeds
In Guatemala, there are international companies promoting genetically modified seeds, which represents a great threat to the country’s biodiversity. Other entrepreneurs are opting for monoculture, which also poses a threat to forests and the crops of indigenous peoples. The National Network for the Defense of Food Sovereignty in Guatemala is joining efforts with ancestral authorities and the general population to preserve the lives and rights of the people.
Qhapaq Inti Rayma: An Ancestral Celebration
Categories
Thursday, December 22, 2022
Lima, Peru
Travelers gather at the Oracle of Pachakamaq
On December 21, the summer solstice occurred in the southern hemisphere, marking the beginning of the summer season. It is a day when the greatest difference in duration between day and night occurs, and sunlight illuminates the Earth in such a way that it falls directly perpendicular to the inhabitants of the southern hemisphere.
This phenomenon helps to increase the sensation of heat during the day, increasing sources of water, the return of rain, and the blossoming of plants.
Offering presented to the Fire
New members of the community
For this reason, on Thursday, December 22, the Qhapaq Inti Raymi was held, a ceremony of celebration to thank the sun for its maximum splendor and to offer to Pachamama for a new planting period, marking the change from one time to another in the cycle of life. The aim was to strengthen the bonds of brotherhood and keep the ancestral culture alive.
The activity took place at Waca Pachakamaq, a sacred place for over a thousand years, where walkers and pilgrims from the four directions (Chinchaysuyu, Kollasuyu, Kontisuyu, Antisuyu) come to present their respective offerings.
Fact:
It should be noted that this astronomical event occurs twice a year (June – December) and usually takes place between the 21st and 22nd of the respective months.
Photographs: Yoselin Rondan Reyes
Homage to Kurakas Tawlichuko, Kaxapaxa And Ñusta Asarpay in Rimaq Marka
Lima, Peru
The indigenous peoples of Peru who reside in the capital, Lima (Rimaq Marka: People who speak), have organized themselves in the Tawantinsuyu Kamachiq of Rimaq Marka, which is the Great ancestral council made up of Yachaq (wise grandparents or native priests), the hamawtas (possessors of ancestral knowledge), and the native leaders of the four regions (Suyos) of Lima. The Great Council is the highest authority of the native peoples.
Organized in this way, while the anniversary of Lima or “City of the Kings” is celebrated every year, the indigenous peoples of Rimaq Marka pay homage to the last kurakas or Inca rulers called Taulichuko (or Taulichusco) and Kaxapaxa, who governed the Valley that spanned from the Chillón River to the Lurín River.
Where the government palace is today, was the palace of Tawlichuko, and where the ancestral temple Puma Inti was, today is the Cathedral of Lima, reflecting the political and spiritual unity with which the Rimaq Valley was governed.
In 1985, the then-mayor of Lima, Alfonso Barrantes Lingán, erected the monument in honor of Tawlichuko, the last Inca ruler, by transferring a huge granodiorite stone (Wanka) weighing 14 tons. The indigenous peoples of Lima, who always held ceremonies in that place, turned it into a waka, a sacred place.
The homage to the last kurakas also includes the ñusta mama Asarpay, daughter of Inca Huayna Kapaq, who was viciously murdered by order of the invader Francisco Pizarro. The homage to the kurakas begins with a Mañakuy ceremony, or request for permission to Apu Uchraru, called San Cristobal Hill, which takes place one day before at 6.00 pm, or on the same day at 6.00 am.
From 7.00 am, the opening ceremony takes place around the large stone, where blankets are extended with the different sacred elements of ancestral offering, which include coca leaves, sacred fire, and chicha de jora.
On this occasion, after the municipal authorities paid their respects by delivering a floral offering, the Tawantinsuyu kamachiq of Rimaq Marka carried out the main ceremony with a greeting to the apus or tutelary guides of the four directions and the four worlds, followed by the scissor dance, an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, which is the ritual of the dancing priests.
Then, they marched with music and dances to the Rimac River, or talking river, next to the government palace.
Upon arrival at the bridge, they chose the central part of the river and, facing southeast, set up the ancestral table and placed the offering elements there to purify the waters of the river that crosses Lima. They handed over coca leaves, chicha de jora, and flower petals for the flourishing of the river and the inhabitants of Rimaq marka.
On the return, always on the same route, the police guarding the government palace told them that the entrance was from another place and did not allow them to enter.
After appealing to the police officers guarding the government palace with persuasive reasoning, the entourage was allowed to return by the same path.
The main table around the Wanka hosted the hatun Hayway, or great offering, where tribute was paid to the last kurakas Tawlichuko, Kaxapaxa, and the ñusta Asarpay as a homage to the recently murdered indigenous brothers.
The tutelary apus were also invoked to receive and guide the indigenous peoples arriving towards the march of the four suyos to demand their claims regarding the destiny of the republic, which include the resignation of Mrs. Dina Boluarte, the release of President Pedro Castillo, early elections, and a new constitution oriented towards a plurinational state that considers the participation of the indigenous nations.
Special attention is given to the final invocation of the hatun mamakuna Yaya Oq’llo, a wise grandmother who carried the staff of the Great Council of the Eagle and the Condor. She made the closing offering before the sacred fire, while receiving flowers, and two sacred birds gave their approval with circular flights in the sky of Rimaq marka, Lima-Peru.
Wanka Inti (Gerson Paredes)
Kuraka of Rimaq Marka
Photographs: Yoselin Rondan Reyes
COP 27 Experience in Dahab, Egypt
Wednesday, March 09th, 2023
Dahab, Egypt
The Cultural COP was an incredible experience that enriched my life on so many levels. I was amazed by the EarthRise Initiative, which brought together similar messages from all the participants in the group. Respectful listening, ceremony, and sharing created a mechanism of truth that strengthened the movement of Indigenous Peoples for the future. The fundamental truths and teachings shared by people from all around the world reaffirmed the essence of our understanding that we are one small part of Creation, bound by the natural and universal laws of the Earth.
During the four-day gathering in Dahab, Egypt, we prepared for the larger gathering at COP 27 by climbing the sacred mountain of Mount Sinai. This epic journey in ceremony helped fortify the endless work of grassroots and traditional peoples around the world, as we come together for the sacred work of our Mother Earth. The sacred circle we formed became the foundation of our movement forward, as we shared our experiences with other Indigenous groups in attendance.
We are not only a voice that those in power do not wish to hear, but we are also a voice that is misrepresented to the world as meaningless participants.
It is becoming clear that our cultural knowledge and sacred insights are being exploited for the purpose of commodity and profiteering. Despite the forces of division and control that tried to inundate us, we returned to the established truths that we embodied in our sacred circle. As we empower ourselves and the foundations of our truths, we aim to create a canoe that travels upon the waters of integrity and clarity, where the whispers of the Earth can be heard without.
Our decision to move forward in this way is not foreign to the people of the Earth. It is embedded in the Prophecies around the world that come into alignment with all the messages that our relatives continue to reiterate. As we empower ourselves and our truths, may the energy of this small event move into the hearts, minds, and spirits of people for future generations that depend upon our profound doing.
Mike Nadjiwon
Tribute to the Fallen Brothers in Protests
Thursday, January 12, 2023
Lima, Perú
Ancestral ceremony performed by the elders of Rimaq Marka
The Elderly members of the Rimaq Marka community held an ancestral ceremony to pay tribute to the brothers who fell during the protests that began last December (2022) in all regions of Peru, in which all protesters demand the resignation of the current president, Dina Baluarte, the closure of Congress, and the advancement of new elections for this year.
The ceremony opened the press conference where Congressman Pasión Davila, Doc. Wilfredo Robles, lawyer Elvira Rodrigues, and former prefect of Lima, Jame Huamani Lopez, were present along with international channel journalists and alternative press.
Photos: Yoselin Rondan
You can watch the complete video of the press conference through the following link.
- Let’s Take Care of the Environment
Belinda Tax is a former representative of the municipality of Santa Catarina Palopó in the department of Sololá, Guatemala. She sends us a message in Kaqchikel and Spanish to take care of the environment. https://youtu.be/9nn8pljAkT0 HOME CENTRAL AMERICA - The Danger of Genetically Modified Seeds
In Guatemala, there are international companies promoting genetically modified seeds, which represents a great threat to the country’s biodiversity. Other entrepreneurs are opting for monoculture, which also poses a threat to forests and the crops of indigenous peoples. The National Network for the Defense of Food Sovereignty in Guatemala is joining efforts with ancestral authorities […] - PACHA PUQUY KILLA 2023
March 21th, 2023 Photographs: Yoselin Rondan Previous Next Pacha Puquy Killa Festival The autumn equinox is not only a change of season, but the passage from feminine time to masculine time, the passage to the great maturation of the fruits of the nurturing of life, also known as the Pacha Puquy Killa. The celebration at […] - Qhapaq Inti Rayma: An Ancestral Celebration
Thursday, December 22, 2022 Lima, Peru Previous Next Travelers gather at the Oracle of Pachakamaq On December 21, the summer solstice occurred in the southern hemisphere, marking the beginning of the summer season. It is a day when the greatest difference in duration between day and night occurs, and sunlight illuminates the Earth in such […] - UNMSM Celebrates Inti Raymi 2022
Friday, July 01, 2022 Lima, Peru Photographs: Yoselin Rondan Reyes Previous Next Inti Raymi ceremony held at the National University of San Marcos Inti Raymi is one of the most important ancestral ceremonies in honor of Tayta Inti, where the return of the sun, the rebirth of nature, and the beginning of a new stage […] - Homage to Kurakas Tawlichuko, Kaxapaxa And Ñusta Asarpay in Rimaq Marka
Monday, March 07th, 2023 Lima, Peru Previous Next The indigenous peoples of Peru who reside in the capital, Lima (Rimaq Marka: People who speak), have organized themselves in the Tawantinsuyu Kamachiq of Rimaq Marka, which is the Great ancestral council made up of Yachaq (wise grandparents or native priests), the hamawtas (possessors of ancestral knowledge), […] - Change of Ancestral Authorities in San José Poaquil
Tuesday, January 17th, 2023 San José Poaquil, Guatemala On December 21, 2022, a change of ancestral authorities took place in the municipality of San José Poaquil in the department of Chimaltenango, Guatemala. Tat Cristobal Cojtí García, the Indigenous Mayor of Tecpán Guatemala, and a Counselor of the Great Council of the Eagle and the Condor […] - COP 27 Experience in Dahab, Egypt
Wednesday, March 09th, 2023 Dahab, Egypt The Cultural COP was an incredible experience that enriched my life on so many levels. I was amazed by the EarthRise Initiative, which brought together similar messages from all the participants in the group. Respectful listening, ceremony, and sharing created a mechanism of truth that strengthened the movement of […] - Tribute to the Fallen Brothers in Protests
Thursday, January 12, 2023 Lima, Perú Previous Next Ancestral ceremony performed by the elders of Rimaq Marka The Elderly members of the Rimaq Marka community held an ancestral ceremony to pay tribute to the brothers who fell during the protests that began last December (2022) in all regions of Peru, in which all protesters demand […]