(36 Ethnicities of Bolivia) Ethnicity The Uru Chipayas

General data

Total population:	2383 inhabitants
Ecoregion:	Andean
Department:	La Paz and Oruro.
Province:	Ingavi, Atahuallpa, Cercado, Poopo, Abaroa, Sebastián Pagador, Ladislao Cabrera, Sur Carangas, Saucari.
Municipality:	Chipaya, El Choro, Poopo, Pazña, Challapata, Sanctuary of Quillacas, Santiago de Huari, Pampa Aullagas, Andamarca Toledo.
Community:	Llapallani, Vila Ñeque, Puñaka Tinta María.
Linguistic family:	Uru
Main activity:	Agriculture, Sale of its Work Force, Breeding of domestic animals and Handicrafts.
Products:	Pejerrey, Karachi; Quinoa, potato.
Access roads:	Terrestrial: The Chipaya communities are accessed by the Oruro-Pisiga road, the same road that joins the towns of Toledo, Huachacalla and Escara. The Hiruito community is accessed by the La Paz-Desaguadero highway, deviating a few kilometers from the Desaguadero section that joins this main road with the road to Jesús de Machaca.

Demographic situation

Evolution: The population growth rate is positive.

Migration: Migrations are usually temporary, approximately for 3 months, the same ones that they do in search of work and / or higher education.

The Chipaya migrate temporarily to Chile in search of work and to sell their products, this is done at any time of the year.

The definitive migrations are carried out in search of lands, the communities that have been deprived by the Aymara.

History

Historical Synthesis: The Uru, inhabited in the American Continent from 1500 to 2000 years before Christ, lived scattered throughout the lake basin of Lake Poopó.

In the precolonial stage, the Uru were first subdued by the Aymara, then by the Incas, where they lost part of their lands, coming to depend on the Aymara authorities; having to grow, weave and deliver dried fish to their oppressors. During the Inca Empire, they worked in the mita and cultivated corn in the valleys of Cochabamba.

In the colonial era, the Uru, as Traveling People and for their extreme poverty, were imposed less half of tributary obligations than to the other conquered peoples, leaving them to retain their freedom as an itinerant people.

So to maintain their freedom, the Uru renounced some of their rights, and part of them depended to a greater degree on the Aymara, assimilating to the Aymara culture, as a consequence of the settlement in their lands; only the Uru who lived on the margin of the Aymara, managed to maintain their cultural identity.

During this time a group of Urus de Paria, was sent to Cochabamba to work in the encomienda, the same that was under the command of Don Lorenzo de Aldana. The entrusted Aldana in 1568, ordered to build two hospitals in the towns of Challacollo and the other in Capinota, declaring as universal heirs to the Uru, hospitals administered by the Augustinian priests.

Chipaya woman

With the passing of time the Uru, are taken and assimilated by other original peoples, in this course give their name to Oruro, the same that was founded in 1604, after they were discovered silver mines. They move to Oruro and abandon the work in Potosí, because the mining mills of Oruro, offered better working conditions, the Uru workers were a majority before the other indigenous peoples.

The Churaito Kuraca, near the year 1632, ordered the Uru, to obey their authorities, The Uru of Ochosuma refused to the order, arguing that they were not Christians, so they were killed the cacique Juan Pachacayo and five Urus.

Later the Kuraca Aymaras of Chucuito, ordered the Uru to subject themselves to them as well as to the Spaniards, which did not happen, since the Uru people were independent and decided to confront the Aymara. The Aymara came to the Urus settlements, in order to burn their homes and steal their livestock. Time after the Curaca de Chucuito, entered by the river Desaguadero in 20 rafts with 200 men, attempt of submission that failed, since the Uru to be skilful navigators hid in totorales, where the Aymara perished, leaving the Uru victorious.

For the defeat suffered by the Aymara, the Spanish Corregidor of Pacajes, with 60 men arrives at the place to stop them; the Uru Ochosumas, they ambush them, where several Spaniards die, the corregidor having to retreat to Tihuanacu and ask for reinforcements to Cochabamba, Oruro, Potosí and La Plata.

In the year of 1780, the abuses suffered by the Indians were unbearable, so there were uprisings in the North of Potosí, commanded by Tomás Katari. In similar ways there are uprisings in La Paz and Sorata, the same ones that were repressed, killing their leaders.

After the death of Tomás Katari, some community members, instigated by priest Troncoso, accepted the pardon of the authorities and handed over the brothers of Katari and other leaders to the troops of Commander Flores, Dámaso and Nicolás were put on trial and executed. .

Between 1931 and 1932, Los Uru are affected by natural phenomena such as droughts and the Chaco War, which caused them to leave their communities, to obtain food and escape the obligation to enlist for the Chaco War.

In 1937, the lake dried up again and was reduced to a large pampa, which made the Uru look for areas with better environmental conditions. Settlements where they still live today.

Between years 1960 and 1964, the Aymara begin to learn the technique to fish of the Uru, this causes tensions between both towns, by the diminution of the resources of the lake Poopó.

Currently, the problems caused by the invasion by the Aymara to the traditional territory of Uru, cause them problems of access to their territory and traditional resources, to the extreme that the Uru, have had to change their traditional activities such as fishing and hunting for Sale of your Work Force.

Social organization

The social organization of the Urus, is based on the nuclear family, with the family being the basic unit of production. They maintain inbred relationships of kinship. The father is the maximum authority.

The Putukus or C'uyas

Cultural aspects

The Uru Chipaya women comb small braids on both sides of their heads.

The urban organization and the conical shape of their homes are cultural aspects of the Uru Chipaya.

Religion and Mythology: The Urus worshiped two deities: the serpent (quwak) and Wari; the serpent connected the upper world or sky with the e below; Wari was the creator of the world, he lived in Uracharku, territory of fire, so it was related to volcanic activity, it is considered a male principle because it is close to the gold deposits that related it to the sun and the fire. The feminine principle was the Warsicharcu or dominion of the water that was reflected by silver reefs the same one that was related to the moon and the water.

When they were subdued by the Aymara, the gods Quwak and Wari were the only deities that survived the process of transculturization.

The Uru, perform rites in all their activities such as hunting, agriculture, fishing, construction of their homes, fishing rites are practiced twice a year the first between March and April and the second in August.

Land and Territory

Situation of Access and Land Tenure: Access to the territory of the Uru, is limited because they are surrounded by the Aymara, which prevents them from accessing their traditional territory and therefore their natural resources. The possession of land in the Chipaya is communal, there is a limited possession of land, each year land is distributed for agriculture and livestock; in the Murato is parcelario and the community Hiruito, owns 54.50 has.

The Chipaya government has provided 5,000 hectares. in Alto Beni, where the elderly have not been able to get used to it, only some young people have been able to get used to the environment so different from theirs.

State Indigenous Territory: The Chipaya and Murato have filed lawsuits with the government, for the consolidation of their territory as Community Land of Origin.

Infrastructure

The Uru communities have health posts.

Economy and Productive Activities

The Uru Murato and Hiruito have as their main activities the raising of animals such as pigs, sheep and llamas, the sale of their labor force, work for the Aymara in the agricultural activity, in the concentration of minerals in Poopó, concentration of limestone and in the population of Uyuni in the salt beneficiary plant and crafts.

They have as complementary activities to fishing, agriculture, waterfowl hunting, salt extraction and collection.

The Chipaya currently have subsistence agriculture as their main activity, they cultivate especially quinoa, with fishing and hunting remaining as complementary activities, due to the limited space they have been reduced to.

Marketed Products: Pejerrey, Karachi; quinoa, crafts.

Subsistence Activities: Agriculture

Productive or Marketing Organizations: The Uru Muratos and Hiruito, have the commercial organization "Anapqui", which is in charge of marketing the quinoa produced by these two peoples.

The Murato, have two productive organizations, one in the Community of Llapallapani and the other in Tinta María, they produce handicrafts. They sell their handicrafts through the Uru Murato Crafts Project in Llapallapani.

Environment and Natural Resources

Habitat: The Uru, inhabit the Bolivian Altiplano, a plain flanked by the two foothills of the Andes mountain range, on the shores of Lake Poopó, Lauca River, Salar and Lake Coipasa, important hydrological route of the Altiplano endorheic basin.

The area between 3,100 and 4,000 meters above sea level, with temperatures of 7 °

Average Celsius. They are recorded from 60 to 180 days a year with frost.

The Urus, use natural resources from the aquatic environment of lakes and rivers, such as: fish, waterfowl, seaweed, totora, salt.

Foreign Exploitation: Fishing, agriculture, hunting, exploitation of salt.

Environmental problems: The territory of the Uru, mainly that of Lake Poopó have been contaminated and damaged by mining activity, lead tin mills and others, a situation that is accentuated by low rainfall, seriously affecting the environment.

Language

The Uru had as language the Uruquilla, the one that later changed for the Puquina, to the subjection Aymara, Quechua and Spanish, adopting the same like own. Currently some Uru Chipayas, Iruhito and Murato speak their mother tongues.