﻿Vol.2] 
  CONTEMPORARY 
  QUECHUA 
  — 
  MISHKIN 
  459 
  

  

  6 
  can 
  cook 
  and 
  carry 
  on 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  around 
  the 
  house 
  without 
  

   assistance, 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  called 
  upon 
  to 
  do 
  during 
  harvest 
  time. 
  All 
  

   girls 
  of 
  6 
  can 
  spin; 
  at 
  8 
  they 
  begin 
  to 
  do 
  a 
  little 
  weaving; 
  at 
  12 
  are 
  

   making 
  bags, 
  llicllas, 
  and 
  ponchos. 
  Meanwhile, 
  boys 
  of 
  10 
  learn 
  to 
  

   work 
  in 
  the 
  fields, 
  help 
  their 
  parents 
  in 
  the 
  plowing, 
  sowing, 
  and 
  

   harvesting, 
  accompany 
  their 
  fathers 
  on 
  trading 
  expeditions, 
  crochet 
  

   chullos 
  (a 
  native 
  cap) 
  which 
  they 
  have 
  sold 
  for 
  them 
  on 
  the 
  plaza, 
  

   and 
  can 
  hire 
  themselves 
  out 
  for 
  field 
  work 
  at 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  10 
  centavos 
  

   per 
  day 
  (one 
  half 
  the 
  adult 
  rate) 
  . 
  Young 
  men 
  and 
  women 
  between 
  

   the 
  ages 
  of 
  15 
  and 
  17 
  are 
  considered 
  already 
  fully 
  mature. 
  

  

  Adulthood. 
  — 
  Men 
  and 
  women 
  do 
  not 
  take 
  their 
  place 
  as 
  full 
  citizens 
  

   of 
  the 
  community 
  until 
  they 
  have 
  married, 
  although 
  they 
  perform 
  

   adult 
  work 
  long 
  before 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  marriage. 
  As 
  indicated 
  before 
  

   (see 
  section 
  on 
  Social 
  Organization, 
  p. 
  453), 
  men 
  marry 
  between 
  the 
  

   ages 
  of 
  20 
  and 
  25, 
  women 
  at 
  20. 
  Soon 
  after 
  marriage, 
  the 
  content 
  of 
  life 
  

   for 
  the 
  Quechua 
  adult 
  loses 
  whatever 
  little 
  color 
  and 
  excitement 
  it 
  pos- 
  

   sessed 
  previously. 
  The 
  period 
  of 
  courtship 
  just 
  completed 
  had 
  provided 
  

   the 
  only 
  source 
  of 
  solid 
  ego 
  satisfaction 
  that 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  whole 
  

   cycle 
  of 
  life 
  from 
  birth 
  to 
  death. 
  Thereafter 
  he 
  must 
  return 
  to 
  the 
  

   realities 
  of 
  extracting 
  a 
  meager 
  living 
  from 
  his 
  sterile 
  plot, 
  of 
  struggling 
  

   to 
  prevent 
  the 
  expropriation 
  of 
  the 
  little 
  land 
  he 
  owns, 
  of 
  performing 
  

   his 
  share 
  of 
  the 
  public 
  works 
  projects 
  (faenas) 
  imposed 
  on 
  him 
  by 
  the 
  

   Governor, 
  and 
  of 
  fulfilling 
  his 
  religious 
  obligations, 
  which 
  take 
  up 
  a 
  

   great 
  deal 
  of 
  his 
  time 
  and 
  consume 
  considerable 
  of 
  his 
  cash 
  assets. 
  

  

  Those 
  who 
  have 
  done 
  their 
  military 
  service 
  before 
  or 
  after 
  marriage 
  

   are 
  in 
  a 
  somewhat 
  better 
  position 
  to 
  face 
  the 
  battles 
  of 
  later 
  life. 
  

   They 
  learn 
  a 
  little 
  Spanish 
  and, 
  having 
  seen 
  a 
  little 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  out- 
  

   side 
  their 
  village, 
  are 
  better 
  able 
  to 
  place 
  their 
  own 
  problems 
  within 
  

   the 
  larger 
  order 
  of 
  things. 
  

  

  Apart 
  from 
  labor 
  in 
  the 
  fields 
  and 
  the 
  momentary 
  relaxation 
  af- 
  

   forded 
  by 
  coca 
  and 
  aguardiente, 
  the 
  normal 
  Quechua 
  male 
  operates 
  in 
  

   two 
  spheres 
  of 
  action: 
  politics 
  and 
  religion. 
  Practically 
  every 
  young 
  

   married 
  Quechua 
  will 
  sooner 
  or 
  later 
  be 
  called 
  upon 
  to 
  serve 
  as 
  regidor 
  

   for 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  time. 
  Usually 
  the 
  office 
  is 
  considered 
  a 
  nuisance, 
  put- 
  

   ting 
  the 
  holder 
  of 
  the 
  office 
  to 
  some 
  expense 
  and 
  consuming 
  energy 
  

   and 
  precious 
  time. 
  But 
  occasionally 
  a 
  regidor 
  is 
  intrigued 
  by 
  the 
  

   sound 
  of 
  his 
  title 
  or, 
  as 
  happens 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  places, 
  the 
  holder 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  

   these 
  offices 
  exercises 
  real 
  authority 
  and 
  develops 
  an 
  ambition 
  for 
  

   leadership. 
  Year 
  by 
  year, 
  he 
  devotes 
  a 
  large 
  part 
  of 
  his 
  time 
  to 
  a 
  

   political 
  career. 
  In 
  the 
  end, 
  he 
  wins 
  the 
  highest 
  political 
  office 
  the 
  

   Indian 
  can 
  aspire 
  to, 
  having 
  achieved 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  status 
  which 
  may 
  have 
  

   positive 
  or 
  negative 
  value 
  in 
  the 
  eyes 
  of 
  his 
  fellow 
  villagers. 
  Leader- 
  

   ship 
  is 
  also 
  won 
  by 
  the 
  brujos 
  — 
  sorcerers, 
  diviners, 
  and 
  curers. 
  These 
  

   are 
  the 
  old 
  men 
  who 
  truly 
  dominate 
  the 
  political 
  and 
  spiritual 
  life 
  of 
  

   the 
  community. 
  

  

  