Inti Raymi
This year we were able to witness one of the most important events in the Andean world for the first time. I have been looking forward to being present at an Inti Raymi for years. On this year’s Raymi we learned that it takes several years of education to study and understand an Inti Raymi celebration including its significance, purpose and rituals. Inti Raymi is tightly knitted in the Andean identity.
We traveled to the north of Ecuador in the Andean province of Imbabura near the city of Cotacachi. We received an invitation from the Cabildo de Cotacachi to witness and participate in the celebrations.
What does Inti Raymi mean?
Inti = Sun
Raymi = Celebration
Inti Raymi is a month-long celebration. The peak of the celebration takes place on the week when the longest day of the year for the northern hemisphere takes place, which this year was June 21st, 2021. It is the pinnacle of the year’s celebration, much in part because of the role the sun has in providing energy for everything living! Additionally, in some areas of the Andes is the transition into a new year or cycle.
What are Raymis?
In this Kichwa community we visited there are several “raymis” throughout the year celebrating solstices and equinoxes: Pawkar Raymi, Inti Raymi, Killa Raymi & Kapak Raymi. Seasonal celebrations for sowing, seedling & harvesting.
According to community leader Apauki Flores Endara from the communities in Santa Barbara near Cotacachi. Inti Raymi is the celebration where all the levels of existence take place, the power of men in the present ( kay pacha) & the spiritual level of the levels above and below earth (Hawa Pacha & Uku pacha).
In Cotacachi, Inti Raymi is also recognized as the Hatun Puncha. There are two communities identified as “Alta & Baja” (high & low), this is an exercise of opposing complementing each other. This is a millenary tradition still present in many indigenous nations in the Americas.
Why are Raymis celebrated?
The Andean culture is really close to earth's natural cycles. Inti Raymi has the role of thanking the allpa = earth and the celestial deities like the sun in this case for providing its fruits for the cycle.
Activities:
Ritual of dancing in groups and stepping to the sound of music is the norm for this celebration that lasts for the month of June and into the first week of July.
Rituals involving cleansing with water.
Recognition of Music and its symbolism in the celebration. Ritual chants.
Symbolic take of sacred places and spaces.
Pamba Mesa- Community Lunch
Meaning of traditional attires worn during the celebration.
Hilda Labrada Gore interviewed many community leaders during the celebration in order to get a direct interpretation of the festivities and also about life in the communities near Cotacachi. We will be posting podcast release dates as they become available. These will be featured on the Tradiciones Sabias podcast, a project of the Weston A. Price Foundation was one of the sponsors of the Ancestral Wisdom Tour. The podcast is hosted by Hilda; it is available anywhere you get podcasts and it is available in spanish and also in english as Wise Traditions.
We are grateful to the communities in Santa Barbara in Cotacachi, Ecuador for welcoming us to this wonderful event. I want to give special thanks to Fabián Muenala Sr. Fabián Muenala Jr. from Kichwa Hatari, Ariruma Kowii kichwa author and leader & Apauki Endara Flores for opening their hearts, wisdom and community to our group. We look forward to amplifying this important education and contributing to our community to mainly rescue and highlight the heritage of the kichwa nations of Ecuador.
Special thanks to Redmond Real Salt & Ancestral Supplements for making our vision posible for this trip! Stay tuned for our upcoming videos on You Tube! Thank you Hilda, without your curiosity for ancestral wisdom this trip wouldn’t have been possible.
Updated on: February 04, 2022.