﻿Vol.2] 
  QUILLACINGA, 
  PASTO, 
  AND 
  COAIQUER 
  — 
  ORTIZ 
  965 
  

  

  PROFESSIONS 
  AND 
  TRADES 
  

  

  Apart 
  from 
  farm 
  work, 
  the 
  Indian 
  has 
  for 
  many 
  years 
  done 
  day 
  

   work 
  or 
  manual 
  labor 
  in 
  the 
  city, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  

   houses. 
  Miguel 
  Triana 
  (1907) 
  observed 
  such 
  labor 
  more 
  than 
  20 
  

   years 
  ago. 
  About 
  80 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  men 
  of 
  both 
  regions 
  are 
  masons. 
  

   They 
  begin 
  the 
  trade 
  as 
  small 
  boys, 
  even 
  before 
  adolescence, 
  learning 
  

   to 
  pulverize 
  lime, 
  scour 
  bricks 
  or 
  tile, 
  compact 
  clay, 
  etc., 
  until 
  even- 
  

   tually 
  they 
  become 
  skilled 
  workmen 
  or 
  " 
  masters," 
  i. 
  e., 
  builders 
  of 
  

   houses, 
  always 
  in 
  the 
  Colonial 
  style. 
  Some 
  now 
  work 
  with 
  cement 
  

   and 
  build 
  houses 
  according 
  to 
  modern 
  construction, 
  except 
  that 
  they 
  

   do 
  not 
  use 
  reinforced 
  concrete, 
  which 
  has 
  scarcely 
  been 
  introduced 
  

   in 
  the 
  city. 
  As 
  a 
  mason, 
  the 
  Indian 
  constantly 
  observes 
  the 
  skilled 
  

   city 
  workers, 
  and 
  wants 
  to 
  imitate, 
  even 
  to 
  surpass 
  them, 
  and 
  offer 
  

   them 
  competition 
  — 
  a 
  competition 
  that 
  has 
  become 
  stiffer 
  every 
  day, 
  

   if 
  one 
  takes 
  into 
  account 
  the 
  cheapness 
  of 
  the 
  labor 
  and 
  the 
  earnest- 
  

   ness 
  the 
  Indian 
  puts 
  into 
  his 
  work. 
  This 
  field 
  in 
  particular 
  offers 
  

   evidence 
  of 
  the 
  extraordinary 
  potentiality 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  for 
  incorpora- 
  

   tion 
  into 
  the 
  national 
  life, 
  and 
  continuous 
  experience 
  is 
  demonstrating 
  

   that 
  he 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  skilful 
  and 
  economical 
  laborer. 
  He 
  fulfills 
  his 
  obli- 
  

   gations 
  to 
  the 
  extent 
  that 
  his 
  farm 
  work 
  permits, 
  and 
  makes 
  no 
  

   noisy 
  complaints, 
  knowing 
  nothing 
  of 
  strikes, 
  theories, 
  accident 
  

   compensation, 
  and 
  other 
  such 
  items. 
  

  

  COMMUNITY 
  LIFE 
  

  

  The 
  Indians 
  have 
  meetings 
  called 
  mingas 
  (meetings 
  for 
  coopera- 
  

   tive 
  work) 
  at 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  houses, 
  at 
  marriage 
  festivals, 
  

   and 
  at 
  mourning 
  ceremonies 
  for 
  the 
  dead. 
  

  

  MARRIAGE 
  

  

  In 
  former 
  times, 
  a 
  marriage 
  was 
  arranged 
  by 
  the 
  fathers 
  of 
  the 
  fu- 
  

   ture 
  spouses 
  without 
  their 
  knowledge. 
  The 
  young 
  man's 
  father 
  would 
  

   visit 
  the 
  girl's 
  father, 
  bearing 
  gifts 
  (eggs, 
  potatoes, 
  ullucos, 
  etc.). 
  

   The 
  two 
  men 
  would 
  discuss 
  everything 
  imaginable 
  except 
  the 
  prin- 
  

   cipal 
  business 
  of 
  the 
  visit; 
  the 
  gifts, 
  however, 
  made 
  the 
  purpose 
  

   plain. 
  

  

  After 
  the 
  wedding, 
  the 
  bridegroom 
  distributed 
  sweetmeats 
  among 
  

   the 
  guests, 
  who 
  were 
  usually 
  relatives 
  or 
  intimate 
  friends 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  

   families. 
  All 
  went 
  to 
  the 
  town, 
  where 
  they 
  drank 
  chicha 
  and 
  some- 
  

   times, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  finances 
  of 
  those 
  concerned, 
  aguardiente. 
  

   (They 
  never 
  drank 
  wine, 
  which 
  the 
  Indians 
  even 
  today 
  find 
  insipid 
  

   and 
  unpalatable.) 
  Then 
  the 
  musicians 
  arrived, 
  and 
  the 
  dancing 
  

   began 
  to 
  the 
  sound 
  of 
  bambucos 
  (Colombian 
  popular 
  airs) 
  or 
  of 
  some 
  

   of 
  the 
  sad 
  ancient 
  tunes. 
  Old 
  songs 
  suitable 
  to 
  the 
  occasion 
  were 
  sung. 
  

   The 
  dances, 
  as 
  today, 
  were 
  not 
  performed 
  in 
  couples. 
  A 
  pair 
  kept 
  

  

  