﻿Vol.2] 
  THE 
  AYMARA 
  — 
  TSCHOPIK 
  557 
  

  

  Men 
  carry 
  coca 
  in 
  small 
  woven 
  bags 
  or 
  occasionally 
  in 
  skin 
  pouches. 
  

   Women 
  fold 
  and 
  tie 
  it 
  in 
  a 
  small 
  square 
  cloth. 
  

  

  Lime 
  chewed 
  with 
  coca 
  is 
  prepared 
  from 
  kanawa 
  stalks, 
  the 
  bark 
  

   of 
  the 
  qenua 
  tree, 
  or 
  from 
  woody 
  cactus 
  fiber, 
  the 
  plant 
  being 
  burned 
  

   and 
  the 
  ashes 
  ground 
  and 
  made 
  into 
  a 
  paste 
  which 
  is 
  molded 
  into 
  cakes 
  

   and 
  dried 
  in 
  the 
  sun. 
  It 
  may 
  also 
  be 
  pulverized 
  and 
  kept 
  in 
  a 
  small 
  

   gourd 
  (Squier, 
  1877, 
  p. 
  302). 
  

  

  Intoxicants. 
  — 
  Although 
  commercially 
  distilled 
  liquors 
  are 
  drunk 
  

   today, 
  various 
  forms 
  of 
  fermented 
  chicha 
  formed 
  the 
  aboriginal 
  intoxi- 
  

   cants. 
  Drinking 
  is 
  more 
  than 
  purely 
  recreational; 
  it 
  is 
  considered 
  

   necessary 
  at 
  all 
  festivals 
  and 
  ceremonies. 
  Chicha 
  and 
  other 
  intoxi- 
  

   cating 
  beverages 
  are 
  used 
  for 
  libations 
  in 
  virtually 
  all 
  ritual 
  offerings. 
  

   Alcohol 
  is 
  also 
  used 
  medicinally. 
  Intoxicating 
  drinks 
  are 
  used 
  by 
  

   adults 
  of 
  both 
  sexes 
  and 
  occasionally 
  in 
  small 
  quantity 
  by 
  children, 
  

   because 
  some 
  rites 
  require 
  that 
  all 
  participants 
  drink. 
  Heavy 
  

   drinking 
  for 
  both 
  sexes 
  begins 
  at 
  puberty 
  or 
  soon 
  thereafter. 
  

  

  Chicha 
  is 
  made 
  by 
  women 
  of 
  quinoa, 
  maize, 
  or 
  barley. 
  It 
  is 
  drunk 
  

   fresh 
  or 
  fermented. 
  The 
  grain 
  is 
  dried, 
  ground 
  into 
  flour, 
  and 
  divided 
  

   into 
  two 
  portions. 
  One 
  part 
  is 
  chewed, 
  deposited 
  in 
  a 
  basin, 
  and 
  

   later 
  mixed 
  with 
  the 
  dry 
  flour. 
  Usually, 
  young 
  girls 
  whose 
  teeth 
  are 
  

   not 
  stained 
  by 
  coca 
  chew 
  the 
  grain. 
  The 
  dough 
  is 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  large, 
  

   open-mouth 
  chicha 
  jar 
  with 
  warm 
  water 
  and 
  stirred 
  with 
  the 
  arm. 
  

   The 
  mixture 
  is 
  boiled 
  and 
  allowed 
  to 
  settle, 
  after 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  decanted 
  

   into 
  a 
  second 
  jar 
  with 
  a 
  constricted 
  neck. 
  The 
  liquid 
  is 
  allowed 
  to 
  

   ferment 
  for 
  2 
  or 
  more 
  days. 
  

  

  In 
  southwestern 
  Bolivia, 
  a 
  fermented 
  drink 
  is 
  made 
  from 
  green 
  maize 
  

   stalks 
  (Forbes, 
  1870, 
  p. 
  57). 
  

  

  RELIGION 
  AND 
  CURING 
  

  

  The 
  formal 
  priesthoods 
  and 
  temple 
  cults 
  were 
  ehminated 
  early 
  in 
  

   Colonial 
  times 
  through 
  the 
  energetic 
  activities 
  of 
  the 
  Spanish 
  mis- 
  

   sionaries 
  and 
  settlers; 
  however, 
  the 
  "personal" 
  religion 
  of 
  the 
  Aymara 
  

   has 
  survived 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  day 
  as 
  a 
  coherent 
  body 
  of 
  beliefs 
  and 
  

   practices. 
  Several 
  aboriginal 
  public 
  ceremonials 
  are 
  still 
  performed 
  

   in 
  addition 
  to 
  Church 
  fiestas, 
  but 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  native 
  rites 
  are 
  of 
  

   a 
  personal 
  or 
  family 
  nature. 
  Today, 
  no 
  specific 
  cults 
  of 
  any 
  super- 
  

   naturals 
  survive. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  discuss 
  the 
  "religion," 
  "magic," 
  "witchcraft," 
  and 
  

   "medicine" 
  of 
  the 
  Aymara 
  as 
  discrete 
  entities, 
  since 
  these 
  arbitrary 
  

   categories 
  are 
  all 
  closely 
  related 
  aspects 
  of 
  one 
  central 
  subject: 
  the 
  

   Aymard's 
  conceptualization 
  of 
  and 
  ways 
  of 
  dealing 
  with 
  the 
  super- 
  

   natural. 
  Nor 
  are 
  the 
  spheres 
  of 
  activity 
  of 
  the 
  practitioners 
  of 
  magic 
  

   clearly 
  defined; 
  the 
  powers 
  to 
  cure 
  disease, 
  divine 
  the 
  future, 
  and 
  

   manipulate 
  the 
  spirit 
  world 
  are 
  shared 
  by 
  several 
  classes 
  of 
  specialists. 
  

  

  