﻿Vol.2] 
  CONTEMPORARY 
  QUECHUA 
  — 
  MISHKIN 
  429 
  

  

  the 
  money 
  economy 
  and 
  in 
  many 
  places, 
  in 
  the 
  higher 
  altitudes, 
  cash 
  

   income 
  is 
  primarily 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  herds. 
  The 
  price 
  of 
  sheep, 
  

   llamas, 
  and 
  cattle 
  is 
  everywhere 
  standardized 
  in 
  terms 
  of 
  the 
  local 
  

   market. 
  Around 
  Ccatcca 
  in 
  1938, 
  for 
  example, 
  a 
  milch 
  cow 
  is 
  priced 
  

   at 
  30 
  soles; 
  a 
  yearling 
  bull 
  at 
  15 
  soles; 
  a 
  llama, 
  8 
  soles; 
  a 
  sheep, 
  1.50 
  to 
  

   2 
  soles; 
  a 
  sheep 
  gelding, 
  4 
  soles. 
  5 
  

  

  The 
  functioning 
  of 
  the 
  herding 
  economy 
  can 
  best 
  be 
  exemplified 
  by 
  

   the 
  transactions 
  of 
  a 
  Kauri 
  sheepherder. 
  In 
  an 
  average 
  herd 
  of 
  50 
  

   sheep, 
  of 
  which 
  10 
  are 
  rams, 
  the 
  increase 
  during 
  the 
  first 
  year 
  will 
  be 
  

   40 
  or 
  a 
  few 
  less. 
  In 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  he 
  may 
  sell 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  10 
  

   animals 
  to 
  the 
  Cuzco 
  butchers' 
  representatives. 
  He 
  may, 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  

   time, 
  use 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  15 
  animals 
  himself 
  to 
  add 
  to 
  his 
  food 
  supply 
  and 
  

   to 
  satisfy 
  his 
  obligations 
  at 
  fiesta 
  time. 
  Moreover, 
  he 
  may 
  lose 
  as 
  

   many 
  as 
  10 
  sheep, 
  ewes, 
  and 
  lambs, 
  as 
  a 
  result 
  of 
  disease 
  and 
  lack 
  of 
  

   fodder. 
  It 
  is 
  only 
  under 
  very 
  favorable 
  circumstances 
  that 
  he 
  can 
  

   maintain 
  his 
  herd 
  at 
  the 
  original 
  number. 
  

  

  The 
  sheep 
  are 
  shorn 
  once 
  a 
  year, 
  each 
  animal 
  providing 
  2 
  or 
  3 
  

   pounds 
  of 
  wool, 
  sold 
  locally 
  for 
  about 
  20 
  centavos. 
  Buyers 
  from 
  

   Cuzco 
  pay 
  10 
  soles 
  for 
  1 
  arroba 
  (25 
  lbs.). 
  Fifty 
  sheep 
  will 
  give 
  

   enough 
  wool 
  to 
  supply 
  the 
  clothing 
  requirement 
  of 
  the 
  owner 
  and 
  

   give 
  some 
  3 
  arrobas 
  over. 
  The 
  total 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  wool 
  amounts 
  to 
  

   about 
  30 
  soles 
  or 
  may 
  be 
  wholly 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  manufacture 
  of 
  salable 
  

   textiles. 
  The 
  sheep 
  are 
  usually 
  shorn 
  in 
  March, 
  after 
  carnival, 
  when 
  

   they 
  are 
  at 
  their 
  best. 
  They 
  are 
  then 
  better 
  able 
  to 
  resist 
  the 
  cold. 
  

  

  Llama 
  wool 
  has 
  little 
  commercial 
  value. 
  The 
  animals 
  are 
  shorn 
  

   every 
  2 
  years, 
  four 
  to 
  six 
  llamas 
  giving 
  25 
  pounds 
  (1 
  arroba) 
  of 
  wool. 
  

   Sacks 
  and 
  cords 
  are 
  made 
  of 
  the 
  wool; 
  clothing 
  practically 
  never. 
  

   Aged 
  llamas, 
  after 
  they 
  are 
  no 
  longer 
  able 
  to 
  carry 
  loads, 
  are 
  butchered 
  

   and 
  the 
  meat 
  is 
  sold 
  in 
  the 
  local 
  market. 
  In 
  many 
  regions, 
  llamas 
  

   are 
  castrated, 
  but 
  the 
  practice 
  is 
  not 
  very 
  common 
  among 
  the 
  Quechua. 
  

  

  Fishing. 
  — 
  Except 
  for 
  the 
  lake 
  and 
  Coastal 
  people, 
  the 
  Quechua 
  do 
  

   little 
  serious 
  fishing. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  river 
  fish 
  are 
  utilized, 
  but 
  

   most 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  consumed 
  by 
  the 
  people 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  region 
  are 
  

   of 
  the 
  dried 
  variety, 
  commercially 
  preserved. 
  

  

  Recently, 
  an 
  interesting 
  type 
  of 
  seasonal 
  fishing 
  was 
  noted 
  among 
  

   the 
  Quechua 
  of 
  the 
  Sierra 
  adjoining 
  the 
  Coast 
  of 
  northern 
  and 
  southern 
  

   Peru. 
  During 
  the 
  slack 
  season 
  in 
  agriculture, 
  many 
  Indians 
  come 
  

   down 
  from 
  the 
  Andes 
  and 
  fish 
  along 
  the 
  Coast. 
  The 
  Bahia 
  de 
  la 
  

   Independencia, 
  in 
  the 
  south, 
  is 
  a 
  favorite 
  spot 
  among 
  the 
  visitors. 
  

   The 
  northern 
  Coast, 
  between 
  Tuijillo 
  and 
  Chiclayo, 
  has 
  been 
  tradition- 
  

   ally 
  associated 
  with 
  seasonal 
  fishing 
  by 
  Andean 
  Quechua. 
  After 
  a 
  

   few 
  weeks 
  of 
  primitive 
  fishing, 
  mainly 
  offshore 
  fishing 
  or 
  with 
  balsas, 
  

  

  » 
  Prices 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  decades 
  ago 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  region 
  have 
  been 
  estimated 
  as 
  follows: 
  Horses 
  at 
  15 
  soles; 
  cows, 
  

   10 
  soles; 
  bulls, 
  4 
  soles; 
  llamas, 
  2.40; 
  sheep, 
  40 
  to 
  50 
  centavos. 
  Thus 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  increase 
  of 
  livestock 
  prices 
  

   have 
  more 
  than 
  doubled, 
  pointing 
  again 
  to 
  the 
  shortage 
  of 
  pasture 
  and 
  the 
  increased, 
  cost 
  or 
  risk 
  in 
  herding 
  

   today. 
  

  

  