The magic art of the Inca weaving

00:05:48
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ebO4nZZQbA

Summary

TLDRIn the Kusu region of Peru, the Inca Kunak association, founded in 2004, empowers about 55 women from remote Ketchua communities by preserving their traditional weaving practices. These women engage in various labor-intensive tasks daily, yet find solace and joy in their cultural preservation. They craft handmade organic fabrics to generate better incomes and improve their communities' living conditions, although currently, this covers only basic expenses. The weaving, learned from Inca ancestors, is a symbol of cultural heritage passed through generations. The project focuses on empowerment, gender equity, and sustainable income while combating young people's migration to cities. By encouraging eco-tourism and providing infrastructure like solar panels, health facilities, and improved accommodations, the initiative seeks a sustainable future. Supporting this cause can impact 10,000 people by enhancing their lives, preserving their tradition, and promoting economic stability.

Takeaways

  • 🌄 Women in Ketchua communities rise before dawn for daily labor.
  • 🧶 Traditional weaving is preserved from Inca ancestors.
  • 🧵 The weaving involves intricate processes from wool spinning to dyeing.
  • 🇵🇪 Eco-tourism is seen as a way to support these communities economically.
  • ⚙️ The project aims to provide basic facilities and improve living conditions.
  • 💪 Women gain financial independence and empowerment through weaving.
  • 🎨 Weaving traditions preserve cultural iconography and oral traditions.
  • 🏡 Infrastructure improvements like solar panels aid sustainability.
  • 👥 The initiative is vital for cultural preservation amid urban migration.
  • ✨ Supporting this work benefits around 10,000 people, promoting cultural and economic stability.

Timeline

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:48

    In Peru's Kusu region, the Inca Kunak association, founded in 2004, unites 55 Quechua women from remote communities to preserve and transmit their Inca heritage. Despite busy daily routines, they engage in traditional weaving, aiming to generate income and elevate living standards via a solidarity economy and fair trade. However, current handicraft profits only cover basic expenses, inspiring hopes for greater progress, tourism development, and improved community living conditions. Their weaving process, a tradition passed from mother to daughter, involves intricate steps and materials sourced from nature, serving as a medium to pass on cultural stories and traditions.

Mind Map

Video Q&A

  • What is the main focus of the Inca Kunak community?

    The main focus is to preserve and share their cultural heritage through traditional weaving and to improve living conditions via sustainable income sources.

  • How is the traditional weaving process performed?

    It involves shearing sheep, cleaning and spinning wool, dyeing with natural resources, warping, and complex weaving to create intricate patterns.

  • What are the challenges faced by these communities?

    They struggle with covering basic expenses and face cultural loss due to the younger generation leaving for cities.

  • How can tourism benefit these communities?

    Tourism can provide additional income, promote cultural exchange, and fund necessary community improvements.

  • What is the aim of the reconstruction program mentioned?

    To provide basic facilities such as toilets, showers, solar energy, and improve homes and community shops.

  • How does the weaving project empower the women in these communities?

    By generating income from weaving, women become financially independent and contribute to equitable roles within their communities.

  • What cultural practices are shared besides weaving?

    Oral traditions, songs, and dances are also shared and preserved within the communities.

  • Why is cultural preservation important to the community?

    Preserving cultural identity fosters community pride, heritage continuation, and resists cultural erosion.

  • What impact can supporting these communities have?

    It can improve the daily lives of about 10,000 people, preserving cultural heritage and ensuring economic growth.

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  • 00:00:00
    [Music]
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    in the sacred mountains of the kusu
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    region Peru the association Inca kunak
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    ruing was brought to life in 2004 within
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    the walls of the NGO Centro bom deas
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    Casas today it gathers about 55 strong
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    wheed women from four remote ketri
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    communities
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    chancha waran
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    ikin Heirs of the Ina Empire they have
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    decided to preserve and share their
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    culture with the rest of the world these
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    women have a daily life beyond
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    imagination on an average day they get
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    up before Sunrise climb steep andian
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    mountains during those Dawn hours to get
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    food from their pastures Harvest their
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    crops cook for their families and plow
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    their fields as well as many other
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    manual labors yet they they are still
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    full of energy and hold a contagious joy
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    for living among all those competencies
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    they hold an invaluable and Powerful
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    knowledge directly coming from their
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    Inca ancestors the traditional art of
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    weaving the Project based on solitary
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    economy and fair trade consists in
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    crafting handmade organic and ecologic
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    fabrics to generate a better source of
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    income and improve the living conditions
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    of their families and their whole
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    communities
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    however for now handicrafts only allow
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    them to cover their basic expenses they
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    believe they are at the very beginning
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    of the progress they hope to make and
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    still want to get basic facilities open
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    to tourism and see the life of all their
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    loved ones improve the traditional
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    weaving art of Inc and times has been
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    inherited between the members of the
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    communities mainly from mother to
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    daughter the weaving process is a
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    sophisticated and tedious art dating
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    back thousands of years and strongly
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    associated with a high andian ketan
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    culture it isn't only about making
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    marvelous Fabrics but it is also a way
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    of conveying their oral tradition among
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    dances and
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    [Music]
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    songs
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    the technique can be divided into six
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    main steps first to get the wool they
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    need the women gently share their sheep
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    by hand and then clean the
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    wool the wool is then spun into a string
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    by a spindle which AIDS in preparing the
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    wool to
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    yarn once the yarn is is made the wool
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    is dyed with wild plants from the
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    mountains that have no more secrets for
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    them depending on the color wanted they
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    also use natural minerals or specific
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    [Music]
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    insects when the wool has its definitive
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    color they spin it again to ensure a
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    thicker yarn that's sturdier and higher
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    in
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    quality the second to last step is
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    warping they use four vertical wooden
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    poles and two horizontal wooden sticks
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    to stretch the wool from top to bottom
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    tautening the yarn on the loom finally
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    the most complex task takes place the
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    weaving this process requires the most
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    skill it is about crisscrossing the yarn
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    on the loom alternately to create
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    intricate patterns and the ancestral
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    iconography specific to each
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    Community 100% of the money raised will
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    go to the communities to give them the
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    tools to improve their lives and their
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    environment in a manner which they
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    believe is the most appropriate to help
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    their community and protect the Keta
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    culture looking for sustainable
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    resources the new generation is
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    currently leaving for the big cities
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    trying to find work and without planning
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    to come
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    back our actions take place on two main
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    levels fighting against the loss of the
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    ketra weaving culture and highly complex
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    ancestral iconographies and the loss of
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    Interest among the new generation for
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    cultural
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    preservation by allowing women Weavers
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    to generate their own income you have an
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    important hand in their empowerment and
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    contribute Equity among the members of
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    the KET communities regarding their
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    gender by financing a reconstruction
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    program and building accommodations in
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    order to share their culture through
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    experiential and ecological
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    tourism helping them access basic health
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    and hygiene facilities ities such as
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    toilets showers Home Furnishings like
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    beds and
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    mattresses equipping communities with
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    sustainable resources of energy such as
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    solar panels to generate electricity and
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    hot water at low cost improving and
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    maintaining small handicraft shops they
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    share in
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    Cusco the impact of your actions can
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    significantly improve the daily life of
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    about 10,000 people shortterm as well as
  • 00:05:26
    a longer term it will allow New
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    Perspective IV on their communities help
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    them Reach their goals and ensure the
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    prosperity of their ketra culture and of
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    their peace of
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    [Music]
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    paradise
Tags
  • Peru
  • women empowerment
  • weaving
  • cultural preservation
  • sustainable tourism
  • traditional art
  • economic development
  • Inca heritage
  • gender equity
  • community support