﻿820 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  best 
  and, 
  at 
  this 
  writing, 
  probably 
  the 
  only 
  example 
  are 
  the 
  Indians 
  

   around 
  Otavalo 
  who 
  yearly 
  produce 
  many 
  thousand 
  woolen 
  ponchos, 
  

   a 
  garment 
  worn 
  by 
  Whites, 
  cholos 
  (Mestizos 
  and 
  acculturated 
  natives), 
  

   and 
  Indians 
  alike 
  throughout 
  the 
  Sierra. 
  In 
  addition, 
  they 
  weave 
  

   tweeds 
  and 
  homespuns 
  for 
  the 
  Whites 
  in 
  the 
  cities 
  (pi. 
  162). 
  The 
  

   rewards 
  of 
  this 
  craftsmanship 
  have 
  been 
  most 
  gratifying 
  as 
  a 
  source 
  of 
  

   both 
  revenue 
  and 
  rejuvenation 
  of 
  Indian 
  structure 
  and 
  self 
  respect. 
  

   The 
  community 
  still 
  looks 
  at 
  weaving 
  as 
  an 
  unusual 
  source 
  of 
  cash 
  

   money 
  and 
  invests 
  all 
  profits 
  into 
  land 
  and 
  not 
  into 
  additional 
  looms, 
  

   agriculture 
  still 
  being 
  considered 
  the 
  only 
  long-range 
  secure 
  occupation 
  

   and 
  land 
  ownership 
  the 
  paramount 
  source 
  of 
  wealth. 
  The 
  weavers 
  

   still 
  wear 
  Incian 
  clothes, 
  their 
  hair 
  long 
  and 
  braided, 
  speak 
  Quechua, 
  

   and 
  supplement 
  formal 
  Catholic 
  observances 
  by 
  curing 
  with 
  eggs 
  and 
  

   guinea 
  pigs 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  divining 
  against 
  sorcery. 
  The 
  acculturating 
  

   effects 
  of 
  participation 
  in 
  a 
  competitive 
  money 
  economy 
  are 
  neverthe- 
  

   less 
  visible: 
  Otavalo 
  Indians 
  acquire 
  city 
  goods, 
  their 
  children 
  go 
  to 
  

   school 
  in 
  fair 
  numbers, 
  they 
  travel 
  long 
  distances 
  to 
  dispose 
  of 
  their 
  

   merchandise, 
  and 
  they 
  show 
  considerable 
  independence 
  in 
  their 
  deal- 
  

   ings 
  with 
  the 
  White 
  man. 
  

  

  Throughout 
  Ecuador, 
  native 
  political 
  organization 
  has 
  disappeared. 
  

   Here 
  and 
  there 
  a 
  native 
  alcalde 
  will 
  represent 
  the 
  authorities 
  in 
  getting 
  

   Indians 
  to 
  take 
  part 
  in 
  public 
  works 
  and 
  perform 
  other 
  tasks 
  assigned 
  

   them. 
  Such 
  alcaldes 
  do 
  not 
  carry 
  any 
  real 
  leadership 
  functions 
  in 
  the 
  

   community 
  and 
  are 
  recognized 
  as 
  representatives 
  of 
  the 
  superordinate 
  

   group. 
  

  

  Among 
  hacienda 
  Indians, 
  authority 
  is 
  usually 
  carried 
  by 
  the 
  mayoral, 
  

   mostly 
  a 
  cholo 
  but 
  sometimes 
  an 
  Indian, 
  who 
  represents 
  the 
  owner 
  

   and 
  assigns 
  the 
  given 
  tasks 
  of 
  the 
  day. 
  Among 
  themselves, 
  Indians 
  

   recognize 
  the 
  authority 
  of 
  elders 
  but 
  no 
  formal 
  structure 
  can 
  be 
  dis- 
  

   cerned. 
  Neighbors 
  and 
  friends 
  will 
  frequently 
  help 
  each 
  other 
  with 
  

   the 
  more 
  difficult 
  tasks 
  such 
  as 
  house 
  building, 
  well 
  digging, 
  and 
  others, 
  

   and 
  the 
  job 
  is 
  cheerfully 
  performed 
  as 
  in 
  olden 
  times, 
  without 
  remuner- 
  

   ation 
  beyond 
  lunch 
  and 
  chicha, 
  the 
  national 
  maize 
  beer. 
  Such 
  assist- 
  

   ance, 
  known 
  as 
  minga 
  from 
  Inca 
  times, 
  has 
  been 
  utilized 
  by 
  both 
  

   landowners 
  and 
  State 
  to 
  secure 
  Indian 
  assistance 
  on 
  such 
  projects 
  as 
  

   road 
  building, 
  harvesting, 
  and 
  construction 
  work. 
  

  

  The 
  Indians 
  of 
  the 
  Ecuadorean 
  Andes 
  are 
  a 
  very 
  religious, 
  Catholic 
  

   group 
  (pi. 
  166, 
  top). 
  Rivet 
  has 
  observed 
  that 
  religion 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  

   plane 
  on 
  which 
  Whites 
  and 
  Indians 
  meet 
  with 
  a 
  semblance 
  of 
  joint 
  

   participation. 
  There 
  seems 
  no 
  evidence 
  that 
  such 
  participation 
  

   extends 
  beyond 
  the 
  common 
  use 
  of 
  church 
  facilities 
  and 
  the 
  services 
  

   of 
  the 
  priest. 
  Indian 
  Catholicism, 
  although 
  passionately 
  held, 
  is 
  only 
  

   formally 
  similar 
  to 
  Ecuadorean 
  and 
  other 
  Catholic 
  observance. 
  While 
  

   the 
  Indian 
  still 
  pays 
  tithes 
  and 
  first 
  fruit 
  to 
  the 
  church, 
  which 
  most 
  

   Whites 
  do 
  not, 
  he 
  also 
  firmly 
  believes 
  in 
  the 
  ancient 
  origin 
  myth 
  which 
  

  

  