Guest post by student from School of International Training (SIT) Bolivia program
Last month at the Parque Urbano (Urban Park) in La Paz, the second largest metropolis of Bolivia, the first ever Cumbre Internacional de la Espiritualidad de los Pueblos Indígenas del Continente Abya Yala (International Summit of Spirituality of Indigenous Peoples from the American Continents) took place. The two-day event (May 2-3, 2015), hosted hundreds of spiritual leaders, indigenous rights activists, politicians, and policy makers from across the Americas. The purpose? To consolidate indigenous spiritual practices and to exchange ideas on public policies for the Plurinational State of Bolivia (among other countries in Abya Yala), to vivir bien, or live well, during the time of the Pachakuti, the indigenous-campesino–orginario concept of a cosmic revolution—also known as the “Great Turning,” or the Sustainability Revolution of the 21st century.
Throughout most of the weekend, there were formal meetings, focus groups, and speaker presentations. However, on Saturday night, something different happened—about one hundred of the Summit’s participants gathered for a spontaneous, informally organized urban pilgrimage to Parque Pipiripi.
Parque Pipiripi is a free urban park and interactive museum dedicated to teaching the urbanites of La Paz about the constellations and their interpretations from the Andean-altiplano (highland) cosmovision. Sergio Rojos, the Director of Pipiripi, said in a recent interview with La Razón, “The purpose of the open space is for families [of La Paz] to know the Andean constellations, the organization of time [from an Andean-altiplano perspective], the [Andean-altiplano] lunar and solar calendars and the different rituals and ceremonies related to the passing of time marked by equinoxes and solstices.” Or in other words, to reconnect the urbanites of La Paz with nature and what Bill calls in Twelve by Twelve their “vernacular culture,” or the “enduring wisdom that sustains a spiritually rich life…that has a keen awareness of how to nurture a dignified life in certain locale with particular soils, climate, water, biodiversity and cultural traditions” (2010: 154) of their ancestors.
The event commenced with several bands playing the traditional Andean-altiplano zampoñas (panpipes), quenas (flutes), and drums while walking (and dancing!) up the windy and hilly streets to Parque Pipiripi. Once everyone had arrived at the park, several Chilean indigenous spiritual leaders blew their conchas (large seashells) to mark the beginning of the event. Bolivia’s Vice-Minister of Decolonization, Felix Cardenas Aguilar, welcomed the group while others prepared for a k’oa, or a traditional ceremony offering gratitude to the Pachamama, Mother Nature. Large bags of coca leaves were passed around to share. While the k’oa burned women prepared for an athapi, a traditional pot-luck style meal consisting of different types of potatoes, small ispi fishes, beans, and bread. After the athapi, small groups went to the rooftop terrace of the Pipiripi museum to observe the night sky, its planets, the (almost!) full moon, and the Chakana.
The event on Saturday night was an exemplary illustration of (1) how to reconnect with nature and with cultural roots in the city and (2) how it is not only possible but also necessary to blend different cultures and worldviews to create a new hybrid culture, synergizing some of the fruits of modernity while equally valorizing indigenous cultures and worldviews—honoring the Andean-altiplano Chakana, the Southern Cross constellation, with “modern,” scientific telescopes.
Sitting in Parque Pipiripi that night, I looked to my left and saw the sunset slowly paint Illamani, the 21,121 foot triple-peaked mountain of La Paz, in beautiful shades of oranges, crimson reds, pinks, and yellows. I looked to my right and saw the skyline of the bustling metropolis of La Paz slowly light up. And when I looked up into the night sky, I saw the Andean-altiplano Chakana, which, according to the Andean-altiplano cosmovision, represents a meditating bridge that helps to build and restore universal harmony and balance. With that, I smiled.
Leave a Reply