Families Around the World. the Quechua Family of Peru. Teacher's Resource Unit
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 052 081 SO 001 285 TITLE Families Around the World. The Quechua Family of Peru. Teacher's Resource Unit. INSTITUTION Minnesota Univ., Minneapolis. Project Social Studies Curriculum Center. SPONS AGENCY Office of Education (DREW), Washington, D.C. PUB DATE 68 NOTE 141p. EDRS PRICE EDRS Price MF-$0.65 HC-$6.58 DESCRIPTORS American History, *American Indians, Community Study, Concept Teaching, *Cross Cultural Studies, *Curriculum Guides, Ethnic Studies, *Family (Sociological Unit), Family Role, Grade 1, Human Geography, Human Relations Units, Quechua, Resource Guides, Rural Environment, *Social Studies Units, Social Systems, Sociocultural Patterns, Socioeconomic Influences IDENTIFIERS Andes, Incas,,Latin America, *Peru, South America ABSTRACT This resource guide outlines one of four units designed for grade 1. Some background material on the Quecha speaking Indians of Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador is presented for the teacher on the family structure and the economy, emphasizing subsistence, technology, clothing, division of labor, and sexual differentiation of labor. Major concepts generalizations, skills, and attitudes to be developed are outlined in the usual series format. Course content is divided into 72 teaching strategies and instructional materials to be used for each activity are listed. Appendices include many pupil materials, such as maps, geography and art activity worksheets, information summaries, and stories describing family and cultural setting. SO 001 287 outlines the total unit sequence for grades 1 and 2; other related guides in the series are SO 001 275 through SO 001 287.(Author/JSB) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION &WE Chelmsford Public Schools OFFICE OF EDUCq THIS DOCUMENT HAS DUCED EXACTLY AS REC Chelmsford, Massachusetts THE PERSON OR °ROAM, (HATING IT. POINTS OF VI IONS STATED DO NOT REPRESENT OFFICIAL OF CATION POSITION OR Pot FAMILIES AROUND \a, The Quechua Fam O0 Teacher's Resou revised b Mary Priest Mau Charles L. Mit Social Studies C This resource unit was revised following field tes from materials developed by the Project Social Stu of Minnesota under a special grant from the United 1968 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION & WELFARE OFFICE. OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HASSEEN REPRO- DUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVEDFROM ORIG- THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION INATING IT POINTS OF VIEWOR OPIN- IONS STATED DO NOTNECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICEOF EDU, CATION POSITION OR POLICY FAMILIES AROUND THE WORLD Ths Quechua Family of Peru Teacher's Resource Unit revised by ary Priest Maureen Sanders Charles L. Mitsakos Social Studies Coordinator ollowing field testing in the Chelmsford Public Schools Project Social Studies Curriculum Center of the University nt from the United States Officeof Education. 1968 THE QUECHUA FAMILY by Shirley Holt INTRODUCTION Conquest civilization as well as the modern situation to help to compare and The Quechua-speaking Indians of Peru contrast modern conditions which illus- and Bolivia and Ecuador are descendants trate this persistence on the local of the Inca who ruled the Andean highlands level, and to provide a background of and adjacent coastal areas of South Amer- knowledge of Andean cultural contribu- ica at the time when the Spanish under tions to our civilization which of Pizarro conquered and took over their course are appreciable. Empire in 1532. The Inca Empire was about 100 years old when the Spanish took over FAMILY STRUCTURE their Empire, but the Inca in turn were inheritors of previous civilizations in The Quechua family is bilateral in coastal and highland Peru. There were form, that is, it recognizes relation- perhaps 5,000,000 people in the Inca Em- ships with both a person's.mother's fam- pire at the time of the Spanish conquest. ily and his father's family equally, as The Andean civilization was characterized our own family system does. It functions by large cities, an efficient communica- as an economic and religious unit as well tions'system, a strong, centralized gover- as a primary group providing socializa- ment and religious cult, an efficient tion, physical care, and psychological military system and a highly efficient intimacy forits members. subsistence basis which supported botha large agricultural population and a large Some Quechua family compounds contain non-farming population. only the nuclear family:, that is, a man, his wife, and their children. Usually Spanish institutions were largely sub- the compound contains at least one set of stituted for indigenous ones at the Empire grandparents and possibly the families and state levels at the time of the Span- of more than one brother. Residence ish conquest. However, much of the local among the Quechua is usually patrilocal, community life in Highland Peru, Ecuador that is...at marriage, women.go to' live and Bolivia, where Indian languages are with their husbands, who usually live still spoken, reflects cultural elements with or near their own parents. One's which represent persistence of many aspects spouse virtually always .Comes from one's of Pre-Conquest Andean culture. It would own community -- Quechua communities be desirable if the teacher 'could acquaint are thus "endogamous" -- they almost herself with the salient features of Pre- never come 'from outside. (This means ii that in the small Quechua settlements of a cease a few hundred or less virtually everyone is Marriag related by consanguinity or through ritual marriage to everyone else. In Hualcan, tinue the Peruvian community of W. Stein's field ships w study this is not true. Hualcan has about out the 750 inhabitants.) also an tween t The Quechua child is born into a rela- people tively small household group which contains compadr mother, father and siblings and often mutual paternal grandparents, and sometimes his father's brother and their families. He Thu has an "extended family" of kindred on both a large his mother's and father's sides to whom he hold gr owes responsibilities as he grows older and to cont from whom he can expect various kinds of hold in support. (This group is designated as the family Kastain Hualcan; marriage is not permitted portant with members of either one's maternal or operati paternal kasta.) society tionshi Every person has, in addition, some pected ritual relatives -- godparents (compadres are a n' and comadres) who are chosen for life crisis tionshi rites. The most important ones are those which i chosen at baptism and marriage, but other person' occasions at which such godparents are rules a chosen are birth, first haircutting, confirm- tive ri ation and housewarming. These "compadre" ones.) relationships may be established with rela- tives, with other community members or with The outsiders. In Raalcan, the most important persona ceremonial sponsors are chosen from among society one's kindred, but this is not necessarily occurs true in other highland Quechua communities. to one Friends or influential people in the commun- the int ity may also be selected. At and after bap- economi tisms in Hualcan, padrinos have a number of ties or important responsibilities which continue of Hual through life. Some of the formal obligations be side 4 ii is of a cease at the child's adolescence. one is Marriage padrinos also have important ritual roles at the wedding and con- can, tinue important and close relation- s field ships with the married couple through- s about out the rest of their lives. There is also.an important relationship be- tween the parents of the couple and a rela- people who serve as their marriage contains compadres. This relationship involves en mutual aid'and respect throughout life. s his . He Thus the Quechua "family" includes on both a large number of people. The house- whom he hold group among the Quechua is like2v lder and to contain more people than a-house- ds of hold in our society does. Extended as the family kin relationships are more im- rmitted portant. These family ties are al or operative with more pedple in Quechua society than in ours and in most rela- tionships more mutual support is ex- some pected/and given. In addition there padres are a number of ritual "family" rela- fe crisis tionships entered into by everyone those which increases the size of a given other person's family even further. (Incest are rules are as stringent on these fic- confirm- tive ritual relatives as on "real" padre" ones.) th rela- or with There are few nonkinship inter- portant personal relations in Highland Quechua Jamong society. Most social interaction ssarily occurs between people who are related unities. to one another through kin ties, whether e commun- the interaction be oriented toward fter bap- economic, religious, sociable activi- umber of ties or any other activity. Stein says ntinue of Hualcainos: "Family members are to bligations be sided with in disputes with outsiders. 5 iii They are to be supported in their ritual brought back to Hualcan to enter the and festive endeavors. They are to be socioreligiously oriented system of nursed when sick and prayed for when Hualcan itself. dead . the individual's role with regard to his relatives is clearly de- The basic economic unit in Hualcan, fined for him. "' The individual can as in other highland communities, is face neither the outside world nor the the family, although property in land supernatural world without support of his and goods is owned by individuals. The family. individual begins to acquire property-- fields and goods -- at the age of about THE ECONOMY 1 year at his or her first haircutting ceremony when his parents and specially Highland Quechua communities have chosen godparents give a fiesta in his largely subsistence economies. Relative- honor at which the guests, mostly kin, ly little is produced for entrance into make contributions to the child. A the market economy of the states of field may be given this time by the grand- which they are a part.