﻿Vol.2] 
  THE 
  AYMARA 
  — 
  TSCHOPIK 
  541 
  

  

  to 
  the 
  headman. 
  It 
  has 
  no 
  formal 
  meetings, 
  having 
  only 
  informal 
  

   discussions 
  in 
  the 
  fields 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  house 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  members. 
  

  

  Moieties. 
  — 
  The 
  function 
  of 
  the 
  moieties 
  in 
  the 
  towns 
  corresponds 
  

   closely 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  ayllus 
  in 
  the 
  countryside. 
  Usually, 
  they 
  are 
  

   designated 
  as 
  masaya 
  and 
  arasaya, 
  these 
  names 
  being 
  variously 
  

   translated 
  (Bertonio, 
  1879 
  b). 
  Chucuito, 
  perhaps 
  under 
  Inca 
  influ- 
  

   ence, 
  calls 
  its 
  moieties 
  ainaca 
  and 
  alaxa 
  marka, 
  "lower" 
  and 
  "upper 
  

   town." 
  Within 
  the 
  town, 
  the 
  moieties 
  are 
  localized 
  geographically; 
  

   according 
  to 
  Bandelier, 
  they 
  are 
  associated 
  with 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  south 
  

   (Bandelier, 
  1910, 
  p. 
  82). 
  

  

  Perhaps 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  frequent 
  personal 
  contacts 
  in 
  urban 
  

   life, 
  a 
  moiety 
  tends 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  greater 
  solidarity 
  than 
  an 
  ayllu. 
  Moiety 
  

   affiliation 
  depends 
  upon 
  place 
  of 
  birth. 
  During 
  fiestas 
  the 
  moieties 
  

   compete 
  and 
  intermoiety 
  brawls 
  often 
  result. 
  Although 
  no 
  strict 
  rule 
  

   forbids 
  moiety 
  exogamy, 
  moieties 
  tend 
  to 
  be 
  endogamous. 
  Today, 
  

   each 
  moiety 
  has 
  its 
  own 
  cemetery 
  and 
  frequently 
  its 
  own 
  church. 
  

   Dances 
  within 
  the 
  town 
  tend 
  to 
  be 
  organized 
  somewhat 
  more 
  strongly 
  

   along 
  moiety 
  lines 
  than 
  is 
  true 
  in 
  the 
  ayllus. 
  

  

  Each 
  moiety 
  possesses 
  an 
  informal 
  council 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  ayllu 
  

   and 
  each 
  has 
  its 
  headman, 
  but 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  the 
  Aymara 
  term 
  

   for 
  the 
  latter 
  is 
  obsolete. 
  Today 
  he 
  is 
  usually 
  designated 
  "Maestro 
  

   Mayor." 
  

  

  Social 
  status. 
  — 
  In 
  pre-Conquest 
  times, 
  the 
  Inca 
  (Quechua) 
  formed 
  

   a 
  social 
  stratum 
  above 
  the 
  Aymara, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  some 
  sort 
  of 
  class 
  strati- 
  

   fication, 
  possibly 
  based 
  on 
  heredity, 
  within 
  the 
  Aymara 
  group. 
  In 
  

   addition, 
  slaves 
  taken 
  in 
  war 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  comprised 
  a 
  "servant 
  class." 
  

   Whatever 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  this 
  Conquest 
  Period 
  "aristocracy," 
  class 
  

   distinctions 
  in 
  modern 
  Aymara 
  society 
  are 
  based 
  solely 
  on 
  wealth. 
  

   (See 
  Farming, 
  p. 
  514.) 
  Today 
  a 
  wealthy 
  man 
  is 
  respected 
  by 
  the 
  

   community, 
  and 
  is 
  expected 
  to 
  take 
  an 
  active 
  interest 
  in 
  community 
  

   affairs. 
  His 
  wealth 
  enables 
  him 
  to 
  acquire 
  prestige 
  by 
  acting 
  as 
  spon- 
  

   sor, 
  "Alferez," 
  in 
  church 
  fiestas, 
  to 
  appear 
  in 
  certain 
  dance 
  groups 
  

   which 
  require 
  expensive 
  costumes, 
  to 
  entertain 
  more 
  lavishly, 
  and 
  to 
  

   own 
  a 
  better 
  house 
  and 
  better 
  clothing. 
  

  

  Women, 
  although 
  well 
  treated, 
  are 
  considered 
  inferior. 
  The 
  ayllu 
  

   and 
  dance 
  group 
  leaders, 
  the 
  practitioners 
  of 
  white 
  and 
  black 
  magic 
  

   (paqo 
  and 
  laiqa), 
  and 
  the 
  doctors 
  (qo^asiri) 
  are 
  virtually 
  always 
  

   men. 
  Men 
  are 
  the 
  musicians, 
  the 
  potters, 
  and 
  often 
  even 
  the 
  best 
  

   weavers 
  and 
  midwives 
  of 
  the 
  community. 
  

  

  The 
  Aymara 
  distinguish 
  several 
  age 
  levels, 
  each 
  with 
  its 
  special 
  

   occupations, 
  behavior, 
  dress, 
  and 
  name. 
  There 
  is 
  neither 
  formal 
  age- 
  

   grade 
  organization 
  nor 
  puberty 
  ritual. 
  The 
  ages 
  named 
  are: 
  Male 
  

   and 
  female 
  infant, 
  boy 
  and 
  girl 
  (occasionally 
  also 
  "little 
  boy" 
  and 
  

   "little 
  girl"), 
  young 
  man 
  and 
  woman, 
  mature 
  man 
  and 
  woman, 
  and 
  

   old 
  man 
  and 
  woman. 
  Terms 
  collected 
  by 
  La 
  Barre 
  for 
  Bolivian 
  

  

  