﻿450 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  member 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  who 
  has 
  received 
  a 
  strip 
  of 
  land 
  in 
  the 
  family 
  

   plot 
  must 
  give 
  several 
  days 
  of 
  free 
  labor 
  to 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  family. 
  

   There 
  is, 
  however, 
  a 
  limitation 
  put 
  on 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  "free" 
  days 
  the 
  

   junior 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  contribute. 
  Usually 
  after 
  2 
  or 
  3 
  days, 
  

   the 
  family 
  workers 
  go 
  on 
  aine, 
  and 
  from 
  then 
  on 
  their 
  workdays 
  must 
  

   be 
  returned 
  in 
  kind 
  by 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  family. 
  Or, 
  as 
  happens 
  not 
  

   infrequently 
  in 
  recent 
  years, 
  a 
  daily 
  wage 
  in 
  coin 
  may 
  be 
  paid. 
  

  

  The 
  authority 
  exercised 
  by 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  extends 
  beyond 
  

   the 
  economic 
  sphere 
  into 
  the 
  political 
  and 
  religious 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  Quechua. 
  

   Behind 
  any 
  community 
  action 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  individual 
  

   family 
  decisions. 
  If 
  unanimity 
  or 
  near 
  unanimity 
  among 
  the 
  family 
  

   heads 
  is 
  not 
  reached, 
  each 
  family 
  will 
  act 
  independently. 
  The 
  higher 
  

   political 
  officers 
  of 
  the 
  community 
  or 
  the 
  sub-rosa 
  political 
  leaders 
  are 
  

   always 
  family 
  heads, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  formal 
  or 
  informal 
  councils 
  all 
  the 
  

   family 
  heads 
  are 
  represented. 
  Family 
  interests 
  play 
  a 
  part 
  in 
  the 
  

   deliberations 
  of 
  the 
  councils. 
  This 
  is 
  not 
  only 
  an 
  observer's 
  conclu- 
  

   sion. 
  According 
  to 
  native 
  theory, 
  family 
  interests 
  determine 
  the 
  com- 
  

   munity 
  interests. 
  There 
  should 
  be 
  no 
  contradiction 
  between 
  the 
  two. 
  

   A 
  loss 
  of 
  land 
  suffered 
  by 
  a 
  few 
  families 
  evokes 
  community 
  defense 
  

   since 
  each 
  and 
  every 
  family 
  feels 
  thereby 
  threatened. 
  In 
  practice, 
  

   modern 
  conditions 
  have 
  introduced 
  diverging 
  family 
  interests 
  and, 
  as 
  

   a 
  result, 
  the 
  interests 
  of 
  the 
  community 
  appear 
  contradictory 
  and 
  con- 
  

   fused. 
  The 
  poorer 
  families 
  have 
  too 
  little 
  to 
  defend 
  ; 
  the 
  richer 
  families 
  

   defend 
  their 
  own. 
  Unified 
  community 
  action 
  consequently 
  becomes 
  

   relatively 
  rare. 
  

  

  But 
  as 
  the 
  community 
  loses 
  its 
  force 
  and 
  significance, 
  the 
  institu- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  gains 
  in 
  stature. 
  Thus, 
  in 
  many 
  Quechua 
  villages 
  

   family 
  loyalty 
  and 
  tradition 
  are 
  highly 
  developed. 
  The 
  family 
  group 
  

   acts 
  in 
  an 
  organized 
  fashion, 
  each 
  member 
  coming 
  to 
  the 
  assistance 
  

   of 
  the 
  others 
  in 
  economic, 
  political, 
  and 
  religious 
  matters. 
  Family 
  

   unity 
  is 
  best 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  land 
  disputes 
  that 
  arise 
  between 
  families. 
  

   Here 
  one 
  notes 
  the 
  frequency 
  with 
  which 
  cases 
  are 
  reported 
  of 
  family 
  

   pitted 
  against 
  family. 
  One 
  group 
  is 
  accused 
  of 
  having 
  taken 
  a 
  piece 
  

   of 
  land 
  belonging 
  to 
  another 
  family 
  group. 
  The 
  two 
  families 
  will 
  

   quarrel, 
  resort 
  to 
  legal 
  action, 
  carry 
  on 
  a 
  perpetual 
  feud, 
  and 
  practice 
  

   sorcery 
  against 
  each 
  other. 
  In 
  the 
  end, 
  the 
  community 
  is 
  torn 
  with 
  

   internal 
  strife 
  while 
  the 
  family 
  is 
  all 
  the 
  more 
  strengthened. 
  Usually, 
  

   in 
  these 
  instances, 
  the 
  authority 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  is 
  well 
  

   maintained. 
  

  

  Certain 
  rites 
  and 
  ceremonies 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  ccoime 
  (offerings 
  to 
  the 
  

   earth) 
  and 
  the 
  Christian 
  fiestas 
  are 
  essentially 
  family 
  affairs, 
  although 
  

   they 
  are 
  conceived 
  as 
  benefiting 
  the 
  whole 
  community. 
  All 
  the 
  

   members 
  of 
  the 
  extended 
  family 
  group 
  are 
  expected 
  to 
  give 
  their 
  

   assistance 
  and 
  to 
  contribute 
  foodstuffs, 
  coca, 
  and 
  aguardiente. 
  In 
  the 
  

   simpler 
  agricultural 
  rites, 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  with 
  the 
  members 
  of 
  

  

  