Quechua Animism

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a blog posting on the subjectivity of
economic rationality--the fact that these Quechua-speaking peasants do
things that are rational, but only when taken from the perspective of
their own philosophy and belief system (which has strong pre-Colombian
roots, and is fundamentally animist).

Aubrey commented that I might be not be casting my net wide enough, in a
way--that these kinds of belief system issues have been the root of many
conflicts in the past.

I agree with that--I didn't mean to downplay the relevance of these
kinds of belief systems to the things we see today. Fundamentally, we
all have our own belief systems which might or might not be correct--we
all probably do a lot of things that we think are rational, but in some
objective way, make no sense at all (or wouldn't make sense if we had
access to some sort of objective truth).

But maybe I'm getting a little esoteric.

In my Quechua lessons, we spend a lot of time talking about the
spirituality and philosophy of the Quechua-speaking peasants. Valerio
(my teacher) thinks it has a strong bearing on the kinds of things I'll
be looking for when I go out to the municipalities to do more
fieldwork. He might be right--I do think that sometimes these kinds of
"cultural" factors are often less important than we assume they will
be. But I did seem to find some evidence of the importance of some of
these things in my data analysis on the Guatemalan municipality data I
used this summer. Unfortunately, Krister doesn't have any questions in
the survey that touch upon issues like values, philosophy, and cultural
traditions, but ethnic background (Maya or Ladino/Mestizo) often was
statistically significant, as was level of education.

In any event, we've been talking about the way that the peasants will
often take part in a form of economic exchange with (who else) a Shaman
and an Apu (spirit/deity/ancestor).

As something of a questioning believer myself, I find all of this really
interesting on a personal level. I find the idea that my ancestors are
around looking out for me kind of comforting. Especially when I picture
my grandfather, handlebar moustache and all, keeping an eye out for me.

I also think it's pretty interesting the way that the shaman (is that
plural? Shamans? Paqokuna?) make contact with these deities. Sometimes
they talk to them--the more powerful or learned shaman can talk directly
with the Apu, but most of the time, they need to use some intermediate
tool--like reading the future in coca leaves tossed on a blanket, or (in
some places), the use of these terribly unglamorous hallucinogenic
plants that they have down in the jungle.

I wonder if there is some truth to all of this, but not in the way we
might think--it might not be that the well-trained Paqo can use those
coca leaves as something of an inkblot test to bring out his (her?) own
thoughts and instincts about the customer/client/lost soul/seeker of
truth.

Anyways, I probably won't be making offerings to Pachamama any time soon
(or offerings to Maximon, the Guatemalan evil saint, either), but it
does get me thinking. Is there a god? Are there parallel universes
close to our own? And is a 6'2" bald guy with a fantastic moustache up
there looking out for me?

I would make a terrible Catholic, and an even worse Evangelical
Protestant. And I would probably be worst of all as an Animist. I'd
probably be a pretty good Unitarian, though. And I might be able to
swing it as a Catholic of the Franciscan variety, too. Although I guess
the never getting married thing would do me in.