Yuliana Kenfield provided crucial introspection into how Quechua functions between family members and communities. Growing up in Cuzco, Peru, Kenfield is able to weave how Quechua influenced her personal life and the importance of the language within Cuzco—as well as within the surrounding rural areas. We would work together as a class to forge our mutual understandings of the language with Kenfield’s guidance. For instance, we discussed the cultural constructions behind the song “Yaw Yaw Puka Polleracha” and how the phrase Chakray ukhupi Pukllasqaykita has a double meaning. We forged cultural comprehension through understanding the phrase meaning, “they are playing in my field.” In Quechua, chakrapi pukkllay or “to play in the field” is along the same lines of the idiom “roll in the hay.” Depending on where an individual is in their life, the phrase means two different things. Children will understand the phrase much differently than adults.

Beyond forging interpersonal cultural understanding, we worked with the text Kasway Vida. This book is the first English-Quechua textbook that presents Quechua in a very particular light. Beginning with greetings, chapters 1-10 demonstrate the conversational tools necessary for individuals living within rural areas as one of the runa (people). Communities in the Andes are close-knit and therefore always getting your fellow community members is essential. Moreover, the early focus on where are you from, where are you going and where are you coming from provides an interesting look into the migratory nature of many individuals in the Andes.

Kasway Vida, also, vibrantly demonstrated the important forms of economic production in rural areas that are often attributed to traditional life styles in the area. We learned the names of animals, clothing, and important verbs (such as to plant, weave, heard, etc.). Unfortunately, I found that this particular textbook limits the portrayal of Quechua speakers in the Andean world. Kasway Vida confines the Quechua experience to rural areas. The language is mostly spoken in rural areas, but this predominate focus denies the existence of the language in other areas (towns, cities, etc.). Everything that the text displays is important to understand in order to know the general function of the language, but it is lacking a more nuanced presentation representing the diversity of Quechua speakers throughout the Andean Region.

Moreover, this text relies heavily on memorization in the early chapters and does not provide an experience as interactive as I would prefer for my personal learning experience. The classroom environment, however, does provide much of the important interaction crucial to language learning. Kenfield diversifies her approach to the language through many multimedia outlets. We watched several movies to help increase our understanding of the culture, lifestyles, and use of the language in daily life. Moreover, we listened to traditional and modern music produced with Quechua lyrics. Music is a wonderful way to introduce language to new learners: the rhythms, notes, instruments, and words meld together to create a profound portrayal of language and culture together.  UCHPA, a band from Ayachucho, Peru that sings in Quechua provides a fascinating look into the progression and continued use of Quechua.

Originally, UCHPA sang Quechua covers of Nirvana and 1960s-1970s classic rock before the band recreated itself in the early 2000s. Their song “Pitaqmi Kanki?” or “Who are you?” dramatically combines traditionally singing with their modern rock use of Quechua to critique Sendero Luminoso and demonstrate how broken many communities became in their wake. Using this song, along with many others during class and for class projects assisted my understanding of Quechua and allowed me to understand the usage of the language on a more profound level.

We also conducted research covering important cultural items in Peru. Selecting one particular item, we spent a week researching the item to understand its historical background, the cultural implications, and current uses of the item. I researched the Toritos de Pukará (handmade terracotta bulls), while my classmates took on the siku (panflute), ch’uspa (small woven bag for carrying coca leaves), and the kero (ceremonial cup), amongst others. Our presentations helped us to not only practice a little Quechua, but to share our discoveries with our classmates. We grew in our understanding together and by the end of the class we demonstrated significant progression in comprehension and usage of Quechua.

Besides opening my eyes to a new world view, Quechua also helped me to better conceptualize monographs utilized in my other classes. In one of my classes—Gender and Human Rights in Cold War Latin America—we read Intimate Enemies by Kimberly Theidon. This text presents a rural and gendered perspective of Sendero Luminoso from the ethnographic research of the women living through 1980s Peru. Theidon uses many Quechua phrases and terms throughout her book that add significant detail and legitimacy to her text, when the reader has a decent grasp of Quechua. For the average reader the phrases do not contribute too much to the overall presentation of the book. However, even with my beginner understanding of the language, I felt more immersed in the narrative Theidon provided and I felt that I understood the realities facing Quechua speaking women in rural Peru during this time period.

Learning Quechua this past semester has provided me with many opportunities and challenges that I would not find in any other class. This language is beautifully unique with a powerful history. I feel honored that I was able to partake in the opportunity to learn Quechua and I encourage students of all ages to expand their knowledge of the world around them through learning a new language, especially a less commonly taught language.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtIsCtyE00k: UCPA Pitaqmi Kanki?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ5VTWy01Wg Yaw Yaw Puka PollerachaErektil dysfunktion: UCPA Pitaqmi Kanki? billig viagra danmark: UCPA Pitaqmi Kanki?

On October 29th, 2014, Karla Lara and company stopped at the Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice on their national tour to play music and talk about social justice issues for a special ¡SOLAS Presents! event. Karla was joined by guitarist Dany Morales and pianist José Antonio Velásquez Mejia.

Karla is a political activist, singer/songwriter, and advocate of women's rights. She began singing in 1985 with the Choir of the National Autonomous University of Honduras and with musical groups likes Rascaniguas and Cutumay Camones. She is part of the National Network of Human Rights Defenders in Honduras and has been a prominent voice in the Honduran Resistance Movement. She travels the world performing and raising awareness for social justice issues in Honduras and beyond.

Dany began his musical career at the age of 13 and is currently seeking his bachelor's degree in music at the National Autonomous University of Honduras. He is especially interested in jazz guitar, and has collaborated with several musicians and musical groups in Honduras, including Hibriduz and Tambor Negro. He is the co-founder of the Crescendo Music Conservatory, an institution dedicated to teaching music to children and adults.

José began his studies in art at the National Autonomous University of Honduras, but eventually entered the National School of Music specializing in percussion and piano. He has collaborated with popular musical groups in the region, as well as with symphonic orchestras. Like Dany, he became interested in jazz and joined forces with several musical groups in Honduras.

Dany and José began collaborating with Karla in 2010 and 2007 respectively with the intention of spreading messages of positivity and equality through music.

Between songs, Karla spoke to the crowd about several subjects, including her family, life in Honduras, where her group had traveled to thus far, and what they had seen. She stressed the importance of working together to fight for human rights, to stop the oppression of and violence against women, and to love one another as people. Her song lyrics told stories of personal relationships and coexistence, but also of the exploitation of the environment, war and violence in Central America, and the pain of loss. A particularly moving song discussed the relationship Karla shares with her daughter. She stated that even though they don't always see things the same way, the respect and love they feel for one another allows for a meaningful and mutual understanding.

After a few songs, UNM assistant professor José Manuel Cerrato joined the band on electric guitar. José is also from Honduras, and has joined Karla onstage many times before. Before studying in the United States, he received his bachelor's degree from the National Autonomous University of Honduras in civil engineering.

After the concert, the entire group went out to eat with members of SOLAS. We shared stories, discussed politics, and reflected on the show, but mostly laughed, relaxed and enjoyed each other's company. The following morning, the group met with activists from (un)Occupy Albuquerque, a local organization created in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement and indigenous and colonized peoples worldwide. The two groups discussed current issues of social justice and human rights abuses in Latin America and exchanged meaningful gifts they had brought.

Overall, having Karla and her group in Albuquerque for two days was an incredibly rewarding and meaningful experience for all those involved. Their music was beautiful and touching, and their words were extremely poignant. Karla tells the story of many people, and it is her desire for us all to see ourselves and our struggles through her so that we might make a difference.

There is something interesting cooking in Brazil right now. Traditions are starting to change. The old guard, so keen on replicating the techniques and ingredients of Europe and, to a lesser extent, the United States, are being edged out by those more keen to produce something authentically and honestly brasileiro. To add even more importance to this shift, the eyes of the outside world are starting to take notice, as they should be. But some of these eyes are not watching the ‘vem pa rua’ protests, nor are they watching Brazil’s uphill struggle to accommodate the world and its own citizens as it prepares for the Olympics and World Cup. These eyes are watching a man named Alex Atala.

Alex Atala is a celebrity chef. While the label ‘celebrity chef’ more often than not brings to mind images of acerbic and ego-maniacal TV personalities, Atala seems to be a force for good. Through his restaurant D.O.M in Sao Paulo - ranked as the sixth best restaurant in the world by some - Atala has used his new-found fame to push forward an ideology that is centered around the concept of alimento, which can be summed up as a manifesto that ties together environmental and social awareness, things that taste good, and a general sense of well-being.

Atala and his restaurants champion and use only ingredients that are found within Brazil, particularly the Amazonian Basin. Within culinary terms, this is, while not being entirely unique, not the road most travelled. Atala’s approach stands in contrast to the many menus that are flecked with ingredients that have crossed at least an ocean, if not more. While it is enjoyable, if ultimately curious, to be able to experience sushi in New Mexico, quinao in Georgia, or bananas in Alaska, there is something to be said about food that has a sense of place, what the French call terroir. Whereas the idea of terroir was once a superfluous term – of course people ate what was nearby, as there was no way of getting anything else – this idea contributed to the formation of ‘cuisine’ itself. Cuisines formed not because of preference, but because of the availability of resources. Foodstuffs, techniques, and climate all figured into the development of what we now see as cohesive cuisines. Atala pushes against the amorphous ‘global cuisine’ and looks at the ground that supports his feet. Yet even for those who question the importance of food in the human experience, Atala’s manifesto has had tangible socio-economic impacts in parts of Brazil. By using his celebrity, Atala has helped support and publicize small, agricultural ventures. These grassroots organizations often produce exotic and localized foodstuffs, often far away from Brazil’s major metropolitan areas and outside the reach of the nominal market.

Atala’s style of cooking rejects contemporary, scattered cuisine and draws from the greatest culinary tradition of all: that of the marginal. His menus are defined by regionally specific ingredients such as manioc, nameless river fish, ants, and the infinite flora of the Amazonian Basin. But more important than his ingredients are his sources. Atala and his newly formed Instituto ATÁ – an organization about humanity’s relationship to food – seek to enhance the socio-economic and cultural meaning of food by forging partnerships with Amazonian communities, assisting in the development of small-scale agro-businesses, and espousing the larder of the Amazon.

Celebrity chefs are not in short supply; however chefs who are changing the social, economic, and cultural relationships with food are. Atala represents a break from the old guard, from those who reside over an empire of restaurants and guest appearances. But perhaps what is most important to take from Atala is his self-awareness, of his consciousness of the earth that feeds him and of his fervor to pay his respects. Even more so, he seems to perceive the fragile, but essential, string that holds our entire food system together, to go outside what is wrapped in plastic, to forge bonds with people who are not wrapped in plastic, and create art and nourishment that pays tribute to both the land and the honest people who work it. While Brazil no doubt influenced him tremendously, his manifesto is not tied to any particular place, but can be applied where people can see the dirt between their toes. Maybe we should all, from time to time, look down instead of forward to find our next meal.

                                                                             Here is the manifesto of Instituto ATÁ: