Quechua people (/ˈkɛtʃuə/,^[7][8]US also/ˈkɛtʃwɑː/;^[9]Spanish:[ˈketʃwa]) ,Quichua people orKichwa people may refer to any of theIndigenous peoples of South America who speak theQuechua languages, which originated among theIndigenous people of Peru. Although most Quechua speakers are native to Peru, there are some significant populations inEcuador,Bolivia,Chile,Colombia, andArgentina.

Quechua people

An Andean man in traditional dress.Pisac, Peru.
Total population
10–11 million
Regions with significant populations
Peru	6,692,900[1]
Bolivia	2,184,000[2]
Ecuador	1,592,000[3]
Argentina	68,100[4]
Colombia	55,000[5]
Chile	15,000[6]
Languages
Quechua •Spanish
Religion
Majority: Catholicism Minority: Evangelicalism Traditional Jehovah's Witnesses
Related ethnic groups
Aymaras

The most common Quechua dialect isSouthern Quechua. The Kichwa people ofEcuador speak theKichwa dialect; in Colombia, theInga people speakInga Kichwa.

The Quechua word for a Quechua speaker isruna ornuna ("person"); the plural isrunakuna ornunakuna ("people"). "Quechua speakers call themselves Runa -- simply translated, "the people".^[10]

Some historical Quechua people are:

• TheChanka people lived in theHuancavelica,Ayacucho, andApurímac regions of Peru.
• TheHuanca people of theJunín Region of Peru spoke Quechua before the Incas did.
• TheInca established the largest empire of thepre-Columbian era.
• TheChincha, an extinct merchant kingdom of theChincha Islands of Peru.
• TheQolla inhabited thePotosí,Oruro, andLa Paz departments of Bolivia.
• TheCañari of Ecuador adopted the Quechua language from the Inca.

The speakers of Quechua total some 5.1 million people in Peru, 1.8 million in Bolivia, 2.5 million in Ecuador (Hornberger and King, 2001), and according toEthnologue (2006) 33,800 in Chile, 55,500 in Argentina, and a few hundred in Brazil. Only a slight sense of common identity exists among these speakers spread all over Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. The various Quechuadialects are in some cases so different from one another that mutual understanding is not possible. Quechua was spoken not only by theIncas, but also by long-term enemies of theInca Empire, including theHuanca (Wanka is a Quechua dialect spoken today in theHuancayo area) and theChanka (theChanca dialect ofAyacucho) of Peru, and theKañari (Cañari) in Ecuador. Quechua was spoken by some of these people, for example, the Wanka, before the Incas ofCusco, while other people, especially in Bolivia but also in Ecuador, adopted Quechua only in Inca times or afterward.^{[citation needed]}

Quechua became Peru's second official language in 1969 under the military dictatorship ofJuan Velasco Alvarado. There have been later tendencies toward nation-building among Quechua speakers, particularly in Ecuador (Kichwa) but also in Bolivia, where there are only slight linguistic differences from the original Peruvian version. An indication of this effort is the umbrella organization of the Kichwa people in Ecuador,ECUARUNARI (Ecuador Runakunapak Rikcharimuy). Some Christian organizations also refer to a "Quechua people", such as the Christian shortwave radio stationHCJB, "The Voice of the Andes" (La Voz de los Andes).^[11] The term "Quechua Nation" occurs in such contexts as the name of the Education Council of the Quechua Nation (Consejo Educativo de la Nación Quechua, CENAQ), which is responsible for Quechua instruction orbilingual intercultural schools in the Quechua-speaking regions of Bolivia.^[12][13] Some Quechua speakers say that if nation-states in Latin America had been built following the European pattern, they would be a single, independent nation.^{[citation needed]}

Despite their ethnic diversity and linguistic distinctions, the various Quechua ethnic groups have numerous cultural characteristics in common. They also share many of these with theAymara or other Indigenous peoples of the centralAndes.

Traditionally, Quechua identity is locally oriented and inseparably linked in each case with the established economic system. It is based on agriculture in the lower altitude regions, and on pastoral farming in the higher regions of thePuna. The typical Andean community extends over several altitude ranges and thus includes the cultivation of a variety of arable crops and/or livestock. The land is usually owned by the local community (ayllu) and is either cultivated jointly or redistributed annually.

Beginning with the colonial era and intensifying after the South American states had gained their independence, large landowners appropriated all or most of the land and forced the Native population into bondage (known in Ecuador asHuasipungo, from Kichwawasipunku, "front door"). Harsh conditions of exploitation repeatedly led to revolts by the Indigenous farmers, which were forcibly suppressed. The largest of theserevolts occurred in 1780–1781 under the leadership ofHusiy Qawriyil Kunturkanki.

Some Indigenous farmers re-occupied their ancestors' lands and expelled the landlords during the takeover of governments by dictatorships in the middle of the 20th century, such as in 1952 in Bolivia (Víctor Paz Estenssoro) and 1968 in Peru (Juan Velasco Alvarado). The agrarian reforms included the expropriation of large landowners. In Bolivia, there was a redistribution of the land to the Indigenous population as their private property. This disrupted traditional Quechua and Aymara culture based on communal ownership, butayllus has been retained up to the present time in remote regions, such as in the Peruvian Quechua community ofQ'ero.

The struggle for land rights continues up to the present time to be a political focal point of everyday Quechua life. The Kichwa ethnic groups of Ecuador which are part of the ECUARUNARI association were recently able to regain communal land titles or the return of estates—in some cases through militant activity. Especially the case of the community of Sarayaku has become well known among the Kichwa of the lowlands, who after years of struggle were able to successfully resist expropriation and exploitation of the rain forest forpetroleum recovery.^{[citation needed]}

A distinction is made between two primary types of joint work. In the case ofmink'a, people work together for projects of common interest (such as the construction of communal facilities).Ayni is, in contrast, reciprocal assistance, whereby members of anayllu help a family to accomplish a large private project, for example, house construction, and in turn can expect to be similarly helped later with a project of their own.

In almost all Quechua ethnic groups, many traditional handicrafts are an important aspect ofmaterial culture. This includes a tradition of weaving handed down from Inca times or earlier, using cotton, wool (fromllamas,alpacas,guanacos, andvicuñas), and a multitude ofnatural dyes, and incorporating numerous woven patterns (pallay). Houses are usually constructed using air-dried clay bricks (tika, or in Spanishadobe), or branches and clay mortar ("wattle and daub"), with the roofs being covered with straw, reeds, or puna grass (ichu).

The disintegration of the traditional economy, for example, regionally through mining activities and accompanyingproletarian social structures, has usually led to a loss of both ethnic identity and the Quechua language. This is also a result of steady migration to large cities (especiallyLima), which has resulted inacculturation by Hispanic society there.

Quechua people cultivate and eat a variety of foods. They domesticated potatoes, which originated in the region, and cultivated thousands ofpotato varieties, which are used for food and medicine. Climate change is threatening their potato and other traditional crops but they are undertaking conservation and adaptation efforts.^[14][15]Quinoa is another staple crop grown by the Quechua people.^[16]Ch’arki (the origin of the English wordjerky) is a dried (and sometimes salted) meat. It was traditionally made fromllama meat that was sun- and freeze-dried in the Andean sun and cold nights, but is now also often made from horse and beef, with variation among countries.^[17][18]

Pachamanca, a Quechua word for apit cooking technique used in Peru, includes several types of meat such as chicken, beef, pork, lamb, and/or mutton; tubers such as potatoes, sweet potatoes,yucca,uqa/ok’a (oca in Spanish), andmashwa; other vegetables such as maize/corn and fava beans; seasonings; and sometimes cheese in a small pot and/ortamales.^[19][20]

Guinea pigs are also raised for meat.^[16] Other foods and crops include the meat ofllamas andalpacas as well as beans, barley, hot peppers, coriander, and peanuts.^[14][16]

Up to the present time, Quechuas continue to be victims of political conflicts and ethnic persecution. In theinternal conflict in Peru in the 1980s between the government andSendero Luminoso about three-quarters of the estimated 70,000 death toll were Quechuas, whereas the war parties were without exceptionwhites andmestizos (people with mixed descent from both Natives and Spaniards).^[21]

Theforced sterilization policy under Peruvian presidentAlberto Fujimori affected almost exclusively Quechua and Aymara women, a total of about 270,000 (and 22,000 men) according to official figures.^[22] The sterilization program lasted for over five years between 1996 and 2001. During this period, women were coerced into forced sterilization.^[23] Sterilizations were often performed under dangerous and unsanitary conditions, as the doctors were pressured to perform operations under unrealistic government quotas, which made it impossible to properly inform women and receive their consent.^[24] The Bolivian film director Jorge Sanjinés dealt with the issue of forced sterilization in 1969 in his Quechua-language feature filmYawar Mallku.

Quechuas have been left out of their nation's regional economic growth in recent years. The World Bank has identified eight countries on the continent to have some of the highest inequality rates in the world. The Quechuas have been subject to these severe inequalities, as many of them have a much lower life expectancy than the regional average, and many communities lack access to basic health services.^[25]

Perceived ethnic discrimination continues to play a role at the parliamentary level. When the newly elected Peruvian members of parliamentHilaria Supa Huamán andMaría Sumire swore their oath of office in Quechua—for the first time in the history of Peru in an Indigenous language—the Peruvian parliamentary presidentMartha Hildebrandt and the parliamentary officerCarlos Torres Caro refused their acceptance.^[26]

Practically all Quechuas in the Andes have been nominallyCatholic since colonial times. Nevertheless, traditional religious forms persist in many regions, blended with Christian elements – a fully integratedsyncretism. Quechua ethnic groups also share traditional religions with other Andean peoples, particularly belief in Mother Earth (Pachamama), who grants fertility and to whom burnt offerings and libations are regularly made. Also important are the mountain spirits (apu) as well as lesser local deities (wak'a), who are still venerated especially in southern Peru.

The Quechuas came to terms with their repeated historical experience of tragedy in the form of various myths. These include the figure ofNak'aq orPishtaco ("butcher"), the white murderer who sucks out the fat from the bodies of the Indigenous peoples he kills,^[27] and a song about a bloody river.^[28] In their myth ofWiraquchapampa,^[29] the Q'ero people describe the victory of theApus over the Spaniards. Of the myths still alive today, theInkarrí myth common in southern Peru is especially interesting; it forms a cultural element linking the Quechua groups throughout the region fromAyacucho toCusco.^[29][30][31] Some Quechuas consider classic products of the region such ascorn beer,chicha,coca leaves, and localpotatoes as having a religious significance, but this belief is not uniform across communities.

Quinine, which is found naturally in the bark of thecinchona tree, is known to be used by Quechuas people formalaria-like symptoms.

When chewed,coca acts as a mild stimulant and suppresses hunger, thirst, pain, and fatigue; it is also used to alleviatealtitude sickness. Coca leaves are chewed during work in the fields as well as during breaks in construction projects in Quechua provinces. Coca leaves are the raw material from whichcocaine, one of Peru's most historically important exports, is chemically extracted.

Many Indigenous women wear colorful traditional attire, complete withbowler-style hats. The hat has been worn by Quechua and Aymara women since the 1920s when it was brought to the country by British railway workers. They are still commonly worn today.^[32]

The traditional dress worn by Quechua women today is a mixture of styles from Pre-Spanish days and Spanish Colonial peasant dress. Starting at puberty, Quechua girls begin wearing multiple layers of petticoats and skirts, showing off the family's wealth and making her a more desirable bride. Married women also wear multiple layers of petticoats and skirts. Younger Quechua men generally wear Western-style clothing, the most popular being synthetic football shirts and tracksuit trousers. In certain regions, women also generally wear Western-style clothing. Older men still wear dark wool knee-length handwoven bayeta pants. A woven belt called achumpi which protects the lower back when working in the fields is also worn. Men's fine dress includes a woolen waistcoat, similar to a sleeveless juyuna as worn by women but referred to as achaleco, and often richly decorated.

The most distinctive part of men's clothing is the handwovenponcho. Nearly every Quechua man and boy has a poncho, generally red decorated with intricate designs. Each district has a distinctive pattern. In some communities such as Huilloc, Patacancha, and many villages in theLares Valley ponchos are worn as daily attire. However, most men use their ponchos on special occasions such as festivals, village meetings, weddings, etc.

As with the women, ajotas, sandals made from recycled tires, are the standard footwear. They are cheap and durable.

Ach'ullu, a knitted hat with earflaps, is frequently worn. The first ch'ullu that a child receives is traditionally knitted by their father. In theAusangate region, chullos are often ornately adorned with white beads and large tassels called t'ikas. Men sometimes wear a felt hat called asombrero over the top of the ch'ullu decorated withcentillo, finely decorated hat bands. Since ancient times men have worn small woven pouches calledch'uspa used to carry theircoca leaves.^[33]

The following list of Quechua ethnic groups is only a selection and delimitations vary. In some cases, these are village communities of just a few hundred people, in other cases ethnic groups of over a million.

• Inca (historic)

• Kichwa-Lamista
• Southern Pastaza Quechua

• Huanca
• Chanka
• Q'ero
• Taquile
• Amantaní
• Anqaras
• Huaylas
• Piscopampas
• Huaris
• Sihuas
• Ocros
• Yauyos
• Yarus

• Otavalos
• Salasaca
• Puruha
• Cañari
• Panzaleo

• Quijos-Quichua
• Amazonian Kichwas

• Kolla
• Kallawaya

• Túpac Amaru II, Revolutionary
• Angélica Mendoza de Ascarza, Peruvian human rights activist
• Kimberly Barzola, American community organizer and artist
• Benjamin Bratt, American actor
• Manco Cápac, Sapa Inca
• Luzmila Carpio, Bolivian musician
• Andrónico Rodríguez, Bolivian trade unionist and politician
• Martín Chambi, Peruvian photographer
• Renata Flores Rivera,^[34] Peruvian musician
• Oswaldo Guayasamín, Ecuadorian painter
• Ollanta Humala, former President of Peru
• Antauro Humala, Peruvian ethnocacerist
• Josh Keaton, American actor
• Q'orianka Kilcher, American Actress
• Nancy Iza Moreno, Kichwa leader^[35]
• Leonidas Iza, Ecuadorian activist and indigenous leader
• Delfín Quishpe, Ecuadorian musician and politician
• Izkia Siches, Chilean physician and politician
• Magaly Solier, Peruvian actress and musician
• Diego Quispe Tito, Painter
• Francisco Tito Yupanqui, Sculptor
• Alejandro Toledo, former President of Peru
• Edison Flores, Peruvian footballer
• Renato Tapia, Peruvian footballer

• Kichwa
• Inkarrí
• Yanantin
• Sumak kawsay
• Andean textiles
• Chuspas
• Chakitaqlla
• Chinchaypujio District
• Quechuan languages
• Indigenous peoples in Argentina
• Indigenous peoples in Bolivia
• Indigenous peoples of Peru
• Indigenous peoples in Ecuador
• Secret of the Incas movie with conversation and singing in Quechua

Dixon, Melissa, "Against all odds: UM grad charts new course with $90,000 fellowship"^[1]

• Quichua, Peoples of the World Foundation
• World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples - Bolivia : Highland Aymara and Quechua, UNHCR