﻿Vol.2] 
  THE 
  AYMARA 
  — 
  TSCHOPIK 
  567 
  

  

  The 
  coqela 
  ceremony 
  is 
  performed 
  regularly 
  by 
  the 
  Peruvian 
  

   Aymara 
  in 
  Ichu, 
  Chucuito, 
  and 
  Juli 
  and 
  is 
  also 
  held, 
  according 
  to 
  

   Bandelier, 
  in 
  western 
  Bolivia 
  (Bandelier, 
  1910, 
  p. 
  103). 
  Although 
  

   representing 
  the 
  ritual 
  hunting 
  of 
  the 
  vicuna, 
  it 
  takes 
  place 
  after 
  

   the 
  harvest 
  and 
  is 
  designed 
  to 
  produce 
  large 
  crops 
  the 
  following 
  

   year. 
  It 
  is 
  performed 
  on 
  hilltops. 
  The 
  group 
  of 
  performers 
  consists 
  

   of 
  a 
  chorus 
  of 
  women 
  who 
  do 
  a 
  posture 
  dance 
  and 
  sing, 
  carrying 
  poles 
  

   connected 
  by 
  woolen 
  cords 
  representing 
  the 
  vicuna 
  fence 
  (see 
  Hunting, 
  

   p. 
  519), 
  an 
  orchestra 
  of 
  men 
  with 
  special 
  end-flutes 
  and 
  drums, 
  a 
  group 
  

   of 
  masked 
  clowns 
  led 
  by 
  a 
  white 
  magician 
  (paqo), 
  and 
  a 
  man 
  who 
  

   dances 
  with 
  a 
  stuffed 
  vicuna 
  skin 
  (pi. 
  112, 
  top). 
  A 
  song 
  describing 
  the 
  

   ritual 
  hunting 
  of 
  the 
  vicuna 
  must 
  be 
  rendered 
  letter 
  perfect, 
  while 
  the 
  

   masked 
  clowns 
  panto 
  mine 
  the 
  hunt 
  (pi. 
  112, 
  bottom). 
  These 
  clowns 
  

   wear 
  fur 
  masks 
  and 
  caps 
  and 
  heirloom 
  ponchos 
  decorated 
  with 
  tufts 
  

   of 
  fur 
  and 
  carry 
  slings 
  and 
  miniature 
  bolas. 
  They 
  mock 
  the 
  bystand- 
  

   ers 
  and 
  occasionally 
  are 
  obscene. 
  They 
  may 
  not 
  talk 
  during 
  the 
  

   performance, 
  but 
  must 
  communicate 
  by 
  grunts. 
  These 
  clowns, 
  said 
  

   by 
  some 
  to 
  represent 
  spirits, 
  are 
  called 
  acacila, 
  the 
  generic 
  word 
  for 
  

   supernatural 
  beings. 
  The 
  man 
  who 
  dances 
  with 
  the 
  stuffed 
  vicuna 
  

   imitates 
  the 
  antics 
  of 
  this 
  animal. 
  The 
  rite 
  culminates 
  when 
  the 
  

   paqo 
  sacrifices 
  the 
  vicuna 
  and 
  produces 
  blood, 
  meat, 
  and 
  intestines 
  by 
  

   sleight-of-hand. 
  He 
  also 
  makes 
  an 
  offering 
  to 
  the 
  place 
  spirit 
  to 
  bring 
  

   benefits 
  to 
  the 
  community 
  during 
  the 
  following 
  year. 
  Following 
  this, 
  

   the 
  vicuna 
  is 
  magically 
  revived 
  and 
  the 
  rite 
  is 
  terminated. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  public 
  weather-controlling 
  rites 
  performed 
  by 
  the 
  white 
  

   magician 
  (paqo), 
  the 
  rain 
  ceremony 
  held 
  in 
  times 
  of 
  drought 
  in 
  Chu- 
  

   cuito 
  is 
  perhaps 
  the 
  most 
  elaborate. 
  The 
  community 
  engages 
  a 
  paqo 
  

   through 
  the 
  agency 
  of 
  the 
  "public 
  spirited 
  men" 
  (p'eqe^a). 
  The 
  

   white 
  magician 
  then 
  goes 
  out 
  into 
  Lake 
  Titicaca 
  in 
  a 
  balsa 
  and 
  collects 
  

   basins 
  of 
  water, 
  frogs, 
  and 
  water 
  plants 
  from 
  certain 
  deep 
  pools 
  where 
  

   he 
  deposits 
  offerings. 
  He 
  is 
  accompanied 
  by 
  men 
  in 
  other 
  balsas 
  with 
  

   panpipes 
  and 
  drums. 
  After 
  returning 
  to 
  shore, 
  the 
  magician, 
  the 
  

   orchestra, 
  and 
  the 
  spectators 
  climb 
  the 
  mountain 
  named 
  Atoja, 
  and 
  

   proceed 
  to 
  the 
  shrine 
  called 
  Father 
  Atoja 
  (pi. 
  Ill, 
  top 
  } 
  left) 
  to 
  deposit 
  

   the 
  water, 
  plants, 
  and 
  frogs 
  in 
  the 
  two 
  basins 
  of 
  the 
  altar 
  which 
  are 
  

   exposed 
  to 
  the 
  sun. 
  The 
  magician 
  places 
  offerings 
  in 
  the 
  "mouth" 
  

   of 
  the 
  altar, 
  asking 
  the 
  mountain 
  spirit 
  to 
  send 
  rain. 
  Everyone 
  sings 
  

   the 
  frog 
  song 
  accompanied 
  by 
  panpipes, 
  and 
  drinks 
  and 
  chews 
  coca. 
  

   As 
  the 
  water 
  evaporates, 
  the 
  frogs 
  begin 
  to 
  cry 
  out, 
  whereupon 
  the 
  

   spirits 
  pity 
  them 
  and 
  send 
  rain. 
  

  

  A 
  festival, 
  called 
  alasita, 
  for 
  the 
  good-luck 
  fertility 
  spirit 
  (eq'eq'o; 
  

   see 
  Supernatural 
  Beings, 
  p. 
  560) 
  is 
  performed 
  everywhere 
  in 
  Aymara 
  

   territory 
  (Paredes, 
  1936, 
  pp. 
  170-73). 
  Often 
  it 
  takes 
  place 
  in 
  fixed 
  

   spots 
  where 
  miniature 
  stone 
  houses 
  are 
  built 
  and 
  repaired 
  each 
  year. 
  

  

  