﻿428 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  taken 
  place 
  in 
  Colonial 
  times, 
  had 
  left 
  extensive 
  areas 
  for 
  pasturage. 
  

   In 
  any 
  case, 
  the 
  llama 
  practically 
  disappeared 
  in 
  one 
  region 
  after 
  

   another. 
  In 
  recent 
  years, 
  horse 
  herding 
  has 
  suffered 
  a 
  set-back. 
  In- 
  

   crease 
  of 
  population, 
  noted 
  above, 
  has 
  put 
  an 
  end 
  to 
  the 
  permanent 
  

   pastures. 
  Temporary 
  pasture, 
  the 
  fields 
  that 
  lie 
  fallow, 
  have 
  become 
  

   more 
  abbreviated 
  with 
  the 
  years. 
  Under 
  these 
  conditions, 
  it 
  became 
  

   impossible 
  to 
  maintain 
  the 
  herds. 
  One 
  might 
  also 
  suspect 
  that 
  the 
  

   system 
  of 
  requisitioning 
  Indian 
  horses 
  to 
  carry 
  produce 
  for 
  local 
  offi- 
  

   cials, 
  in 
  vogue 
  some 
  decades 
  ago, 
  would 
  have 
  provided 
  the 
  final 
  straw. 
  

  

  The 
  few 
  cows 
  that 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  most 
  communities 
  have 
  no 
  

   real 
  economic 
  importance. 
  The 
  milk 
  is 
  made 
  into 
  cheese, 
  whieh 
  is 
  

   accepted 
  as 
  a 
  desirable 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  monotonous 
  Quechua 
  diet. 
  

   Nowhere 
  has 
  a 
  native 
  dairy 
  industry 
  grown 
  up. 
  

  

  Pigs 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  almost 
  every 
  Indian 
  house. 
  They 
  are 
  not 
  

   bred 
  in 
  any 
  systematic 
  way 
  but 
  are 
  consumed 
  during 
  fiestas, 
  or 
  the 
  

   meat 
  is 
  sold 
  in 
  the 
  market. 
  The 
  lard 
  is 
  highly 
  prized 
  and 
  is 
  kept 
  for 
  

   disposal 
  in 
  the 
  plaza. 
  Guinea 
  pigs 
  are 
  kept 
  by 
  every 
  family 
  for 
  

   eating 
  at 
  fiestas. 
  In 
  Kauri, 
  the 
  guinea 
  pig 
  has 
  added 
  importance 
  in 
  

   that 
  the 
  aborted 
  animals 
  are 
  a 
  powerful 
  antidote 
  to 
  sorcery. 
  Chickens 
  

   are 
  also 
  part 
  of 
  every 
  household. 
  The 
  Quechua 
  do 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  value 
  

   the 
  eggs 
  as 
  part 
  of 
  their 
  diet, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  instances 
  the 
  

   eggs 
  are 
  set 
  for 
  brooding. 
  

  

  The 
  average 
  size 
  of 
  sheep, 
  llama, 
  and 
  alpaca 
  herds 
  varies 
  from 
  

   region 
  to 
  region. 
  In 
  Kauri, 
  nearly 
  every 
  family 
  possesses 
  a 
  herd 
  of 
  

   sheep 
  numbering 
  from 
  20 
  to 
  50 
  or 
  60 
  heads, 
  and 
  4 
  to 
  6 
  llamas. 
  There 
  

   are 
  at 
  least 
  10 
  wealthy 
  herders 
  with 
  herds 
  running 
  from 
  200 
  to 
  300 
  

   sheep 
  and 
  more 
  than 
  40 
  llamas. 
  Compared 
  to 
  the 
  situation 
  a 
  few 
  

   decades 
  ago, 
  when 
  over 
  half 
  the 
  community 
  owned 
  no 
  livestock 
  at 
  all, 
  

   it 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  that 
  Kauri 
  has 
  become 
  pastoralized 
  rather 
  suddenly. 
  

   Other 
  communities 
  in 
  the 
  Department 
  of 
  Cuzco 
  have 
  experienced 
  

   the 
  same 
  change. 
  The 
  consequences 
  have 
  already 
  been 
  quite 
  serious 
  

   for 
  these 
  communities. 
  For, 
  as 
  the 
  livestock 
  increases, 
  pasturage 
  

   decreases, 
  not 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  arithmetical 
  sense 
  of 
  less 
  acreage 
  per 
  head 
  

   of 
  livestock 
  but 
  the 
  accompanying 
  increase 
  in 
  population 
  is 
  compelling 
  

   the 
  transformation 
  of 
  permanent 
  pastures 
  to 
  arable 
  fields. 
  Available 
  

   pasture 
  within 
  the 
  confines 
  of 
  the 
  free 
  communities 
  is 
  soon 
  exhausted 
  

   and 
  herders 
  have 
  no 
  alternative 
  except 
  to 
  rent 
  pasturage 
  in 
  the 
  

   haciendas. 
  These 
  facts 
  in 
  their 
  full 
  significance 
  describe 
  the 
  action 
  

   of 
  a 
  vicious 
  circle. 
  Pastoralism 
  is 
  more 
  and 
  more 
  resorted 
  to 
  by 
  the 
  

   Quechua 
  as 
  a 
  partial 
  mitigation 
  of 
  the 
  crisis 
  in 
  agriculture. 
  The 
  

   Indian 
  whose 
  landholding 
  is 
  shrinking 
  finds 
  in 
  the 
  possession 
  of 
  herds 
  

   a 
  method 
  for 
  maintaining 
  his 
  independent 
  status. 
  In 
  the 
  end, 
  while 
  

   pastoralism 
  may 
  give 
  the 
  Quechua 
  momentary 
  respite 
  at 
  an 
  economic 
  

   impasse, 
  it 
  may 
  aggravate 
  even 
  more 
  the 
  perennial 
  land 
  question. 
  

  

  Possession 
  of 
  herds 
  puts 
  the 
  Quechua 
  into 
  a 
  more 
  direct 
  contact 
  with 
  

  

  