Urus crafts in totora

Description

Urus Crafts in Totora

The Urus are the oldest inhabitants of the Andean Altiplano. They identify themselves as qhas qot zoñi (people of the water), whose main means of life, since ancient times, has been fishing, hunting and gathering in lake environments. The Uru culture is closely linked to water and its resources, one of them is the reed, which is an aquatic plant like a type of reed, between 1.5 and 3m high, that grows at shallow depths.

In the past, the reed was a fundamental resource in the life of the Urus. It served them as food, medicine, construction of rafts, homes, mats and other objects for domestic use. During the colonial era, faced with the gradual occupation of their territory by other peoples: Aymara, Quechua and Spanish, the Urus sought refuge in the waters, living on artificial reed islands or on large rafts that housed families of up to 15 members.

Totora Rafts

As primeval navigators of the highland lakes, the Urus built reed rafts, the knowledge of which remains to this day. The preparation process begins with cutting the reed, then drying it so that it acquires consistency, and continues with the selection of the best specimens. To build rafts, the reed is soaked for easy handling, reed ties are placed on thin and resistant ropes, one on top of the other, until forming a block or cylinder.

The body of the raft has two side blocks and a thinner central block called chuyma or heart. These blocks are joined firmly with a rope, to shape the raft little by little. To do this, you have to tighten the ropes repeatedly from one side to the other, pushing with your feet so that the blocks are very compact. In the process, the ends must be raised so that the raft assumes its final shape. Finally, two thin cylinders of reed are prepared and placed on the edges of the raft. In some cases, a reed mat is also placed to serve as a sail.

Currently, the Urus and other artisans who live on the shores of the lakes continue with the practice of building reed rafts, but no longer for everyday use, but for tourists to take. They also make small rafts, which along with other reed objects: basketry, hats, ornaments, etc., are offered as souvenirs in the riverside communities of Lake Titicaca and Lake Poopó.

It is worth highlighting the transpacific expeditions in large reed boats carried out by different researchers: the Norwegian Thor Heyerdahl in 1947, the Spanish José Kitín Muñoz in 1999 and the American Phil Buck in the years 2000, 2003 and 2016; with the purpose of proving that in the past these ships were used to cross the Pacific, from South America to Polynesia.

englishUrus handicrafts in totora

The Urus are the oldest inhabitants of the Andean Altiplano. They self-identify as qhas qot zoñi (people of the water), whose main livelihood, since ancient times, has been fishing, hunting and gathering in lake environments. The Uru culture is closely linked to the water and its resources, one of which is the "totora" (Typha, Linnaeus), which is an aquatic plant like a kind of reed, between 1.5 and 3m high, which grows at shallow depths.

In the past, the "totora" was a fundamental resource for them. It was used for food, medicine, construction of rafts, houses, mats and other domestic objects. During the colonial period, faced with the gradual occupation of their territory by other peoples—Aymara, Quechua and Spanish—they sought refuge in the waters, living on artificial islands of "totora" reeds or in large rafts that housed families of up to 15 members.

Totora rafts

As primordial navigators of the Altiplano lakes, the Urus built rafts, the knowledge of which is maintained to this day. The process of preparation begins with the mowing, then it is dried so that it acquires consistency, and continues with the selection of the best specimens. For the construction of rafts, the wood is soaked for easy handling, and then the moorings are placed on thin, resistant ropes, one on top of the other, until they form a block or cylinder.

The body of the raft has two lateral blocks and a thinner central block called chuyma or heart. These blocks are firmly joined together with a rope to shape the raft little by little. To do this, the ropes must be tightened repeatedly from one side to the other, pushing with the feet so that the blocks are very compact. In the process, the ends must be lifted so that the raft assumes its final shape. Finally, two thin cylinders of reeds are prepared and placed at the edges of the raft. In some cases, a mat is also placed to serve as a sail.

Nowadays, the Urus and other artisans who live on the shores of the lakes continue with the practice of building rafts, but no longer for everyday use, but for tourists. They also make small rafts, which together with other objects made of reeds. Basketry, hats, ornaments, etc., are offered as souvenirs in the riverside communities of Lake Titicaca and Lake Poopó.

It is worth mentioning the transpacific expeditions in large totora boats carried out by different researchers: the Norwegian Thor Heyerdahl in 1947, the Spaniard José Kitín Muñoz in 1999 and the American Phil Buck in 2000, 2003 and 2016; with the aim of proving that in the past these boats were used to cross the Pacific, from South America to Polynesia.