July 15, 2015
Today
was one of the most amazing days of my life. We left the hotel at 4:00 and
drove and drove…and drove. I must have dozed off, because when I woke up, the
dark night was giving way to bits of daylight. We were getting ready to cross
over the peak in the mountains. Sure enough, I looked around and snow-capped
mountains were everywhere. Elevation was the highest I’ve ever been (and
probably ever will be) at 14,160 feet above sea level.
Our guide was
informing us of a ritual we were going to be performing included coca leaves.
This is a ritual many indigenous people perform every time they go through this
specific pass in the mountains. Before we could get to our ritual destination,
our guides noticed a woman and two girls walking along the road. They
recognized them and stopped. The mother was distraught; their family’s horses
had been stolen in the night and the trio had been walking since 1:30 to get to
school. We soon found out that since these girls lived so far away, they would
be staying with the teacher for 3-4 nights instead of making the long trek back
and forth. The girls’ names were Carmen and Angélica…and just like that, we met
our first students from the Panticalle school!
We stopped some
ways down the road and performed the ritual; each holding 3 coca leaves in a
very specific way, breathing our souls into the mountains and asking for safe
passage and then placing our leaves under a rock. Then, on we went! Not much
longer and we were at the top of the mountain we were meant to climb down. We
strapped on our backpacks, heavy with supplies for the students and teachers
and began our hour and a half climb down the mountain. This was no easy feat at
that altitude (even though we were a bit lower than the highest peak we had
driven over) and we stopped often for some breathing breaks. Looking down the
mountain, we could see the teeny tiny dot at the bottom which was the school.
Slowly that tiny dot became bigger and formed a building. Another student from
the school joined us on our hike. When I say he joined us, this was an
understatement; he ran circles around us…up and down and all around grinning
and teasing and always helping to carry lunch supplies. I called him my little
mountain goat, even though I had no idea how to say that in Quechua.
Finally, we made
it to the bottom and were greeted with big smiles and wet eyes by the teachers
and students. Carmen and Angélica, once so quiet in the van due to knowing very
little Spanish and being around strangers, lit up and began frolicking and
chatting with their friends. At first the students were a bit shy; I learned
later we were the school’s first visitors (other than TAREA and other workers)
in 15 years. Curious eyes and smiles were constantly glanced our way as they
got used to us being there.
We soon learned
today was a special day. The students, teachers, a few parents and elders and
the school yacha were all here. From what I gather, the ceremony was meant to
bless the potatoes that would soon be planted. We observed the ceremony, which
incorporated potatoes, coca leaves, chicha (a corn-based beverage) in shells, a
certain flower and animal fat. The ritual was filmed by the school’s video
camera to preserve the students’ heritage and to be used later in lessons. The potatoes were blessed and a few were
planted by the yacha and elders and the rest by the students. Afterward that the
yacha spoke to the children about why the ceremony was important and the
process by which the farmers planted potatoes.
Next, we went
back into the school, which contained two classrooms and a separate small
building that was used for cooking and eating food. Once in the classroom, I
was amazed to see the excellent teaching practices and bilingual pedagogy
utilized by the teacher. Students started by drawing what they learned and
remembered from the ceremony and what the yacha had taught them. Most of the
students’ families were potato farmers so I loved the authenticity of the
content and ownership the students had over their learning. When finished with
their drawings, students orally explained what they had drawn in their native
language, Quechua. The teacher then began saying sentences in either Spanish or
Quechua about the drawings and students had to repeat them and determine which
language it was. The teacher began to put up Spanish vocabulary words (with
illustrations) from today’s ceremony and lesson. All students then came up to
the board and wrote one sentence about either potatoes or coca leaves in
Spanish. Each student read his or her sentence to the class. The teacher then
posted a text written in Quechua about the planting of potatoes. Students read
the passage and then were asked to identify certain vowel sounds. Finally,
students were given worksheets about how to plant potatoes. All within an hour
or so, the teacher gave a real-life lesson about the student’s environment and
culture, a bilingual lesson in Spanish and Quechua (spoken, written and read),
and a science lesson about plants. Even though I couldn’t understand what was
being said, I knew I was observing real learning taking place.
After lessons,
we went out into the yard for a bit of fun while we waited for lunch to be
ready. A rowdy game of tickle tag and big hugs was played until it started
raining. We went in to enjoy a delicious meal of rice, potatoes, yucca and a
pork chop. Our guides were surprised by the meat included in our meal; this is
a rarity. The students didn’t have a pork chop and eagerly ate what would be
their only full meal for the day. While eating, the rain and sometimes hail
poured down on the metal roof. I was a bit nervous about our hike back up the
mountain; it was difficult enough going down, I couldn’t imagine climbing back
up in the pouring rain, with wet rock and mud underfoot. We quickly put our
worries to the side because it was time to give the children and teachers our
gifts of notebooks, pencils, colored pencils, erasers, candy and folders. The
students were so excited and the teachers were near tears once again. The
students immediately began investigating their goodies and drawing with the
colored pencils-which were the fan favorite.
The rain
thankfully eased up and all that was left was a group picture and lots of hugs.
I couldn’t believe this day was ending. The rain continued to lightly fall as
we carefully made our way back up the mountain. Every time I turned around, the
school building was getting smaller and smaller as the ache in my heart grew
bigger and bigger. When we first walked up to the school that takes most
students 1-3 hours to get to, I kept thinking these people have nothing
material; no running water, no electricity, long journeys to and from school or
work and a hard, laborious life. The majority of people I live and work with
will never know life such as this. However, as I walked away I realized
everything these people did have; an
eagerness to learn, generosity of spirit and a deep-seeded love for their
environment. I am humbled, in awe and full of love and respect for these people
and their culture…their mountains…and their smiles.
--Erin Pille
1. Learning from the Yacha, documenting for the future
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| Ready to start the session: First step, a ceremony |
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| Children gather together for the experience |
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| Children and their families observe the start of the process of growing potatoes |
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| Using the chaquitaclla to furrow |
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| Potatoes on lliclla, chicha, and coca leaves fr the ceremony |
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| Children at work/learning |
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| Everybody participates |
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| The Yacha showing the process |
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| Hands-on learning |
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| Children and comuunity |
2. Reinforcing the learning in the classroom
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| "Tarpuy" or plant; "inti" or sun; "tuta" or night |
3. The actors and their community
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| Children at lunch time |
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| Melquiades ("Milquicha") waiting to play a scare on Ms. Nuss |
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| The Yacha and the school children. Ms. Duque to the left, and Ms. Pille to the right |
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| Having a good moment with one of the technology facilitators |
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| Ms. Pille and schoolchildren |
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| Ms. Pille and Milquicha |
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| School girls wearing their traditional custome |
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| School boy |
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| Spinning using the k'anti |
