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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles!Indigenous peoples in Peru (pueblos indígenas in Spanish) comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country's present territory prior to its discovery by Europeans around 1500. Like Christopher Columbus, who thought he had reached the East Indies, the first Spanish explorers called them índios ("Indians"), a name that is still used today in Peru. Indigenous peoples in Peru form about 45% of the total population (14 million). However, other sources are updated in 31% of the indigenous population. ... Read more

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Chapters: 2009 Peruvian Political Crisis, Aguaruna, Shuar, Urarina, Machiguenga, Asháninka, Achuar, Uros, Matsés, Homosexuality in Ancient Peru, Zapara, Yanesha' People, Bora People, the Q'ewar Project, Yawanawa, Aguano People, Maina Indians, Mascho Piro, Chincha People, Secoya People, Amahuaca, Wankas, Conibos, Cashibo, Chuncho, Cholones, Arakmbut. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 105. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: The 2009 Peruvian political crisis results from the ongoing opposition to oil exploitation in the Peruvian Amazon, with local Native Americans opposing Petroperu and the National Police. At the forefront of the movement to resist the exploitation, is AIDESEP, the coalition of indigenous community organizations. This conflict has been described as Peru's worst political violence in years and is the worst crisis of President Alan García's presidency, while Prime Minister Yehude Simon resigned his post in 10 July 2009. The crisis has involved over one year of declared opposition and advocacy, and 65 straight days of civil disobedience. In June 2009, the Garcia government suspended civil liberties, declared a state of emergency, and sent in the military to stop the protests. The military intervention resulted in two days of bloody confrontations, in which, according to first reports, at least 22 soldiers (seven by spears), and least 30 indigenous people (three children) have been killed. The police have been accused of burning bodies to hide the death toll. The indigenous accused the police of firing from helicopters on people armed just with spears. 155 have been injured, one third by bullet wounds. 72 people have been arrested. The toll is expected to rise. Not since tensions attributed to the Shining Path were quelled over ten years ago have so many people been kill...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=23125806 ... Read more

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Quechua indigenous people of Challhuahuacho- Apurimac, Peru, seem to have worse oral health(dental caries and periodontal diseases) and lessaccess to dental care facilities than the generalpopulation in the country. Therefore, the purpose ofthis work is to analyse the oral health seekingbehavior of Quechua indigenous people and oralhealth programmes carried out in indigenouspopulation around the world and in other communitieswith similar background in order to makerecommendations for a sustainable oral healthprogramme for Quechua communities to improve theiroral health status and to increase access to oralhealth services.The Andersen's behavioural model modified by theInternational Collaborative study for oral healthoutcomes and by the author of this work is used.Each oral health programme is also analysed usingthe criteria to assess the quality of oral healthstrategies stipulated by WHO.This text should be useful to Oral HealthProfessionals and Researchers in the area willing tostudy Health in Indigenous communities and to propose strategies to overcome the burden of dental diseasesin the target group. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Andean Indians - Cultural Adaptation to Spanish Colonialism
I was captivated by Mario Vargas Llosa's disturbing novel, Death in the Andes. It is structurally a mystery story, but it can be best characterized as a compelling portrait of political violence in contemporary Peru. Mario Vargas Llosa is a captivating story teller and I found myself wanting to know more about the people that inhabit the harsh mountains of Peru.

"Peru's Indian Peoples and the Challenge of Spanish Conquest - Huamanga to 1640" by Steve J. Stern exactly met my needs. This scholarly text tells the story of how conquest transformed a resilient and vigorous people into an inferior caste of Andean Indians. The geographical focus is a mountainous region in southwest Peru dominated by the city Huamanga (today known as Ayacucho, a city not too distant from the fictional town of Naccos, the setting for Death in the Andes).

The lengthy title, "Peru's Indian Peoples and the Challenge of Spanish Conquest - Huamanga to 1640", may be a little intimidating, but the book is well-written and is largely accessible without undue effort. The first chapter paints an intriguing view of a pre-Columbian society based on complex reciprocity relationships between members of extended families or kinships called ayllus. These arrangements allowed dispersed groups to exploit isolated, island-like, ecological niches like cold high mountain pastures or low dry valleys while depending upon others for products grown or created elsewhere.

The ethnic groups native to Huamanga welcomed the overthrow of the Incas and allied themselves quickly with the victorious Spaniards. "Local communities sacked warehouses once dedicated to the discredited Incas." Chapter 2 examines the rise and subsequent demise of these post-Incaic alliances with the Spanish.

Chapter 3, "A Historical Watershed", describes the revival of Andean religious fervor (the Taki Onqoy) and an unsuccessful effort to expel the Spanish colonizers. Remarkably, the Spanish, under the formidableleadership of Don Francisco de Toledo, within a decade had dramatically revised their colonial structure, and largely eliminated any possibility of future revolt by the Andean Indians.

Chapter 4 details the political economy of colonialism in the Huamanga region while chapter 5 investigates the contentious legal battles between the Indians and the colonizing elite under the Spanish judicial system. Both chapters are intriguing, but are more difficult for the non-specialist. I was surprised by how carefully the Spanish structured the taxation system; it siphoned away the maximum wealth without completely devastating the Andean economy. The Indians resisted this economic oppression through evasion as well as by tenaciously exploiting the Spanish legal system to protect their rights.

The final three chapters explore the ways in which the Andean Indians gradually adapted to Spanish colonization and how this adaptation fostered a political economy of dependence. Stern devotes chapter 7 to the "tragedy of success", the story of the successful few that escaped the burdens of the peasantry by becoming integrated into the ruling Spanish colonial structure. The final chapter, Huamanga's colonial heritage, admits that much has changed in modern times, but argues that "the present seems to superimpose itself upon the past, not destroy it." ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Ethnography at its best
I would second what the other reviewer said. The book is refreshingly free of jargon and written with an open, humble tone. The author clearly is a good listener who does not jump to quick conclusions or make snap judgments about people. Her discussion of the controversies over bilingual education programs in Peru--and the differing views of state officials, ngos, activists, and community members--is fascinating, as is the discussion in the last full chapter of changing notions of what it means to be indigenous. Again, no post-modern jargon here--just an eye for complexity. She also offer some challenging thoughts on the notion of Peru having an absence of indigenous activism compared to Ecuador or Bolivia. Again, she does that with a lack of pretension or scholarly self-righteousness that is welcom. I just used it with my undergrads in a polisci class with great success. If this topic interests you, this is an important book to read.

Do not miss this incredibly important addition to Andean and indigenous studies!!!
Maria Elena Garcia, an anthropologist who has worked for years in the Cusco area of the Peruvian Andes has written an amazingly smart, compact and readable work on indigenous Quechua organizing. Combine this with Marisol de la Cadena's Indigenous Mestizos and you have the most complete, historically profound discussion of the eternal question: In a country with so many indigenous, why has Peru not established a national Indian movement like its neighbors in Ecuador (Quichua), Chile (Mapuche) and Bolivia (Ayamara/Quechua)?? Garcia smashes our preconceived notions of what counts as indigenous and who dictates the form of how indigeneity is perceived from a transnational perspective. This book fills a huge gap in the literature on indigenous movements in the Andes: it should be on the bookshelves of every student of indigeneity or the Andes, it would be an excellent assignment for undergraduate or graduate classes and it should also interest people who simply want to better understand this fascinating and long-suffering country. Wonderfully profound and enjoyable work from an exciting new scholar.Also recommended in combination is Orin Starn's Nightwatch. ... Read more

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Over the last two decades the indigenous movement has grown into an international force, forcing organizations such as the United Nations and the International Labour Organisation to take notice of its concerns. For the Arakmbut people, this increasing consciousness has enabled them to successfully resist the encroachment of Western civilisation, including the exploitation of their land for gold mining. Gray argues, however, that their struggle should not be viewed simply as a legal and political one. The Arakmbut derive their legitimacy from the spiritual world rather than the judicial system, and unless we recognize this, their unique culture will remain invisible. This book effectively enables us to achieve such an understanding, and as such is an invaluable sourcebook for all those concerned with indigenous rights. ... Read more

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For almost eight hundred years (100 BC–AD 650) Nasca artists modeled and painted the plants, animals, birds, and fish of their homeland on Peru’s south coast as well as numerous abstract anthropomorphic creatures whose form and meaning are sometimes incomprehensible today. In this first book-length treatment of Nasca ceramic iconography to appear in English, drawing upon an archive of more than eight thousand Nasca vessels from over 150 public and private collections, Donald Proulx systematically describes the major artistic motifs of this stunning polychrome pottery, interprets the major themes displayed on this pottery, and then uses these descriptions and his stimulating interpretations to analyze Nasca society. After beginning with an overview of Nasca culture and an explanation of the style and chronology of Nasca pottery, Proulx moves to the heart of his book: a detailed classification and description of the entire range of supernatural and secular themes in Nasca iconography along with a fresh and distinctive interpretation of these themes. Linking the pots and their iconography to the archaeologically known Nasca society, he ends with a thorough and accessible examination of this ancient culture viewed through the lens of ceramic iconography. Although these static images can never be fully understood, by animating their themes and meanings Proulx reconstructs the lifeways of this complex society. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A source book of incredible art
Donald A. Proulx's book begins with a brief overview of the people who produced Nasca pottery. It then describes the rules or canons used by Nasca potters to form and decorate their pottery. It summarizes the discovery of the first Nasca pottery. It describes how 800 years of Nasca art are divided into various periods and the basis for the chronology. It also describes the methodology of both Proulx and other experts in organizing Nasca art.

Then, as Proulx writes on his website: "The centerpiece of the book is a detailed classification and description of the iconography along with an interpretation of their meaning in the context of the Nasca Culture. [Then] I use the iconography (along with archaeological evidence) to reconstruct the religion, political organization and everyday life of the people of this ancient civilization."

For the general reader like myself, the images in the "centerpiece" are incredible, and stay in the mind well after the pages are closed. Images of realistic plants, animals, birds, and fish and numerous abstract anthropomorphic creatures persist in memory, even though even to experts, some of the forms and meanings are incomprehensible today. I was particularly struck by the comparison between the images on the pottery and the shapes of the Nasca Lines, which Proulx has also studied. I poured over the reconstructions with a sense of real excitement.

I was fascinated with how Proulx created this incredible collection of images. 45 years ago as a student he was hired to catalog a collection of Peruvian artifacts. He continued his interest by photographing Nasca collections throughout Peru and the United States as well as key museum collections in Germany and Great Britain. He added all of the images he found in books as well as museum collections available on the Internet. He then digitized the entire archive and now has approximately 24,000 images in an electronic archive representing pieces from over 150 museums and private collections. There is no doubt that this book, and the conclusions Proulx reaches, are based on the largest collection of Nasca images ever assembled.

As a consumer, I asked myself, so why, oh why doesn't this book include an CD containing all of these images? It would be so much fun to search and compare images from several different pages, and perhaps even find a connection that Proulx had missed.

His answer, also perfectly comprehensible appears on his excellent website [Google "Donald A. Proulx"]: "It has always been my desire to share my archive with other scholars until I realized the legal prohibitions of distributing the disks. I would have to obtain permission from over 200 sources to be able to do this. I also discovered that the file names that I generated on my Macintosh computer are not all compatible with PCs, and many of these names would have to be modified to be used on these other operating systems."

I am very disappointed that I can't play with these images on my own computer. Nevertheless, the book is a treasure. As a lover of art and a student of how art is integrated into culture, I was enchanted. I'll return to these images over and over again.

Robert C. Ross 2008

Must Have Source
For those captivated by ancient Andean imagery Don Proulx's A Sourcebook of Nasca Ceramic Iconography provides an indispensable guide to the colourful world of the Nasca. Located on Peru's south coast in the first centuries A.D., Nasca potters left a visual account of their world view in an astounding array of depictive designs. Drawing on forty years of study, Proulx offers the first comprehensive catalogue of Nasca motifs, along with his own identifications and interpretations. In addition to the motif catalogue, Proulx provides the most extensive description of the nine-phase Nasca pottery sequence ever published in one place. This contribution alone makes this book a "must have" reference. The Sourcebook also contains Proulx's own overview of Nasca culture, covering special topics such as religion, subsistence, daily life, material culture, and dwellings. A Sourcebook of Nasca Ceramic Iconography is destined to be a standard reference for generations to come. It represents the crowning achievement of Proulx's long and distinguished career, though not, we hope, the last we hear from Don Proulx. ... Read more

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Uniting the ethnographic data collected by the fieldwork methods invented by Malinowski with Levi-Strauss's analyses of the relations between myth and time, this book analyzes a century of social transformation of the indigenous Piro people of Peruvian Amazonia. It is an important contribution to anthropological debates on the nature of history and social change, as well as on neglected areas such as myth, visual art, and the methodological issues involved in fieldwork and archival data. ... Read more

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The aim of this research is to reconstruct the landscape evolution in the lower Rio Grande drainage basin during the Late Holocene and to detect interrelations between landscape evolution, cultural development, climatic changes and extreme events. Central to this is to identify and, if possible, quantify factors of landscape change. In doing so, the author differentiates natural from anthropogenic factors, i.e. to determine both the natural and the human impacts on the landscape. An important question is whether climatic changes and extreme events have had an in?uence on past societies. To answer these questions, this work goes beyond physical geography approaches to paleoenvironmental reconstruction and includes the wealth of archaeological evidence and interpretations available for the research area. The volume consists of a main section and an extensive appendix containing sketches and detailed interpretations of the investigated sediment pro?les as well as graphs showing the results of the laboratory analyses. ... Read more

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The Arakmbut are an indigenous people who live in the Madre de Dios region of the southeastern Peruvian rain forest. Since their first encounters with missionaries in the 1950s,they have shown resilience and a determination to affirm their identity in the face of many difficulties. During the last fifteen years, Arakmbut survival has been under threat from a goldrush that has attracted hundreds of colonists onto their territories. This trilogy of books traces the ways in which the Arakmbut overcome the dangers that surround them: their mythology and cultural strength; their social flexibility; and their capacity to incorporate non-indigenous concepts and activities into their defence strategies. Each area is punctuated by the constant presence of the invisible spirit, which provides a seamless theme connecting the books to each other.The death of a shaman in 1980 had an enormous spiritual and political consequences for one of the Arakmbut communities, resulting in a shift in its social organization from comparative hierarchy to a more egalitarian system. The author uses this case as an illustration to challenge the idea that indigenous peoples live in fossilized, static worlds.He shows that political activities in conjunction with shamanic communication with the spirit world provide the impetus and context for change. ... Read more

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The Arakmbut are an indigenous people who live in the Madre de Dios region of thesoutheastern Peruvian rain forest. Since their first encounters with missionaries in the 1950s,they have shown resilience and a determination to affirm their identity in the face of many difficulties. During the last fifteen years, Arakmbut survival has been under threat from a goldrush that has attracted hundreds of colonists onto their territories. This trilogy of books traces the ways in which the Arakmbut overcome the dangers that surround them: their mythology and cultural strength; their social flexibility; and their capacity to incorporate non-indigenous concepts and activities into their defence strategies. Each area is punctuated by the constant presence of the invisible spirit, which provides a seamless theme connecting the books to each other.Following the Arakmbuts' recommendation, the author uses their three greatest myths to introduce social, cultural and historical aspects of their lives. He ends with a discussion of the relationship between myth and history showing how the Arakmbut recreate their myths at the dramatic moments of their history. ... Read more

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This study pieces together an image of Peru as a society through readings of a corpus of literary texts dating from the Conquest to the 1990s. Some chapters focus on recurrent topics: the centralization of power in Lima; the position of the indigenous population; literacy as power; the issue of national identity in a country characterized by diversity. It also examines other literary motifs such as dramatic social changes, communities living in isolation, the mestizo condition, and the hopes invested in modernization. ... Read more

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Offers an unprecedented exploration of incendiary conditions that stoked The Great Rebellion of 1780-1782 in Upper Peru (present-day Bolivia).

The Great Rebellion claimed tens of thousands of lives and traumatized imperial psyches for decades. It was one of the most devastating political and human disasters in Latin American colonial history. Using extensive primary research, Nicholas A. Robins delves into the fractious relations between Indian communities and their clergy and the role that such tensions played as a major causal factor in the rebellion.

Powerful case histories offer rare insights into the daily exercise of power in colonial Andean villages. Compelling archival evidence provides a riveting portrait of clerical abuse in rural villages and reveals how Indian peoples challenged and resisted ruling powers with varying degrees of success. ... Read more

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This definitive, magnificently illustrated work offers a comprehensive view of the textiles and techniques of pre-Columbian Peru. An introduction discusses yarns, dyes, looms, and raw materials; the first of the two-part text examines weaves, and the second considers such nonwoven materials as braiding, felt, and embroidery. Hundreds of illustrations depict authentic, well-preserved textiles, tapestries, and personal items. "An incentive, an inspiration, and a guide."--Scientific American. Approx. 465 b/w illus.
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Customer Reviews (4)

A serious study on pre-Columbian textiles and weaving
This was one of the first serious attempts at examining the weaving techniques used on what is still considered one of the more primitive looms in use today. Many other researchers, weavers and non-weavers alike, have used this book as a basis for their work, and built upon the research he did, so it is one of the bibles on South American indigenous weaving.
The text is somewhat dry because this is not a coffee table book; and the photographs of textiles are unfortunately in black and white, but there is more than enough information here for several more authoritative books on the subject, and is a must for the serious weaving or textile student. It is divided up into sections that attempt to give a classification of the types of textiles found, and the methods used to create them. Textile production, and the way the garments or artifacts were constructed and decorated, had great religious and social significance, and the methods used were/are anything but primitive, although most looms consist of a bundle of sticks.
There is nothing on basic weaving techniques as such; this is not an instruction book on how to do backstrap weaving, but is a must have for anyone interested in taking their weaving beyond the basics, and understanding what the loom is really capable of. Multi-shaft loom weavers will also find it interesting as many of the techniques described bear a striking resemblance to techniques practiced today around the world in other weaving cultures. It is helpful in re-interpreting these techniques for the modern loom.As someone who is studying backstrap weaving techniques, I would not be without this book as it is good to go back to see, study and understand the diagrams, photographs and descriptions of the textiles the author examined.
An excellent resource for those interested in Pre-Columbian textiles and weaving traditions.

Not what I expected
I thought that this book would focus on more on the symbolism of the textiles, butI was disapointed. The book was primarily dealing with the technical aspects of weaving a is a little outdated. The images were all in black and white so I could not get a good feel for the textiles.

Must-have for Andean textile classification
We used this book and a few others for comparisons with a collection of ancient peruvian textiles at a museum I worked for several years ago.It was very useful and we referred to it frequently.It included all of the techniques used in the museum collection (consisting of 100's of fragments), and had plenty of pictures for examples.Of course the techniques aren't limited to Ancient Peru, but would apply to just about any textiles--(however the pictures are ancient peruvian).I highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about ancient or modern textile techniques--a valuable resource in any museum with this type of collection.

Will please any avid textile artist
This unabridged reproduction of a 1962 classic should be an essential edition to any textile collection: Textiles Of Ancient Peru And Their Techniques covers raw materials form Peru, weaves unique to the region, and techniques and materials used in nonwoven efforts. The result will please any avid textile artist. ... Read more

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"This book is as close as we can ever come to seeing the Moche people--and to having a basis for understanding the society that produced such remarkable works of art."--Craig Morris, Senior Vice President and Dean of Science, American Museum of Natural History"By presenting the Moche artists and the people who have been portrayed by them, Donnan brings us to a level of understanding and proximity, so to speak, that I would have never considered possible just a few years ago. . . . Believe me, this book is going to be a bestseller."--Steve Bourget, Assistant Professor of Art History, University of Texas at AustinOf all the ancient civilizations that flourished in the Americas, only one perfected true portraiture of living people and produced it in quantity--the Moche who inhabited the north coast of Peru between approximately AD 100 and 800. Using the medium of three-dimensional ceramic vessels that could have contained liquid, Moche artisans typically formed the heads of the individuals they wished to portray, though sometimes they presented full figures with realistic portrait faces. Depicting an astonishing range of physical types, these portraits now allow us to meet Moche people who lived more than 1,500 years ago and to sense the nuances of their individual personalities. This pathfinding book presents the first wide-ranging, systematic study of the Moche portraits. Drawing on more than 900 examples from museums and private collections around the world--some 300 of which are illustrated here in full color--Christopher Donnan documents how the portrait tradition evolved, how the portraits were produced and distributed, who they portrayed, why they were made, and how they were used in Moche society. His analysis is supported by extensive archaeological evidence, which provides the context for portraits found in Moche tombs and midden deposits, as well as useful information for identifying the headdresses and ornaments worn by the individuals portrayed. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

Edit, please
This is a very poorly written piece of history.I'm not an expert on the topic but I know that most English teaches would have returned this.He should have improved the writing and the editors should have intervened.

Edit, please
This is a very poorly written piece of history.I'm not an expert on the topic but I know that most English teaches would have returned this.He should have improved the writing and the editors should have intervened.

Insightful view of Indians and nation in 19th-century Peru
Mark Thurner's recent FROM TWO REPUBLICS TO ONE DIVIDED is a landmark contribution to Andean history and historical anthroplogy writ large--a book bound to provoke healthy controversy among scholars and studentsalike. This is the first book-length study to deploy insights from"post-colonial" theory to explore the complex roles of indigenouspeoples in the politics and political imagination of republican Peru. Basedon remarkable archival research about indigenous communities and the statein the little-studied Huaylas-Ancash region, the book begins by insightfulytracing the paradoxical fate of the so-called colonial "Indianrepublics" in early republican politics. The second half of the bookzeros in on the Atusparia revolt of the latter part of the century, as asign of the widening gulf between Creole nationhood and indigenous politicsas Peru approached the 20th century. All in all, Thurner offers a complexand thoughtful alternative to both "integrationist" and"resistance" visions of the role of Indians in theliberal-republican world, and in its theoretical sections new ways ofthinking about ethnicity and the "national problem" across LatinAmerican history. The American Historical Review already hails this work as"an important book" that provides a "pathbreaking analysisof peasants'use of republican discourse." The Hispanic AmericanHistorical Review proclaims it a "sophisticated study" with"impressive" "intellectual and analytical power".Whatever, FROM TWO REPUBLICS TO ONE DIVIDED ought be on the shelf of everyserious (and not-so-serious) student of the region. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from NotiSur - South American Political and Economic Affairs, published by Thomson Gale on June 22, 2007. The length of the article is 1611 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: PERU: ACHUAR INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY SUES OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM FOR DECADES OF CONTAMINATION.
Author: Gale Reference Team
Publication: NotiSur - South American Political and Economic Affairs (Newsletter)
Date: June 22, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale


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