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Tarabuco Axsu Figures
In the style of Tarabucos weavings you can see the strong influence of the Spanierd. Under the Toledans, indigenous figures and symbols were banned. Therefore they started to replace their symbols and instead wove real life stories and existing animals or figures. Especially the horse is an important detail nowadays the horse is of European origin.
Farming superstition
The Tarabuqueños have many old superstitions about household chores and farming, two activities commonly depicted in the weavings. For example, it was said that if it started to rain while a person was ploughing, then they should place the plough and the yoke in the form of a cross, in either the farmyard or field, to avoid bad luck. Similarly, farmers avoid cutting wood, or ploughing at night time, to avoid "cutting short their own existence." Yampara farmers used to also adorn their harvest with crosses, making the sign of the cross on the top of the reaped and gathered wheat, barley and straw, for good luck. Even currently, farmers will also not kill cows or sheep on Tuesdays or Fridays, as it is believed that these are the days of the devil, and killing animals on those days denies them a natural death. For the same reason, Tarabuqueños also believe that you shouldn't wash your hair on Tuesday or Fridays, because otherwise you will be afflicted with a headache(!).
Animal Superstition
The Tarabuqueños have many old superstitions about household chores and farming, two activities commonly depicted in the weavings. For example, it was said that if it started to rain while a person was ploughing, then they should place the plough and the yoke in the form of a cross, in either the farmyard or field, to avoid bad luck. Similarly, farmers avoid cutting wood, or ploughing at night time, to avoid "cutting short their own existence." Yampara farmers used to also adorn their harvest with crosses, making the sign of the cross on the top of the reaped and gathered wheat, barley and straw, for good luck. Even currently, farmers will also not kill cows or sheep on Tuesdays or Fridays, as it is believed that these are the days of the devil, and killing animals on those days denies them a natural death. For the same reason, Tarabuqueños also believe that you shouldn't wash your hair on Tuesday or Fridays, because otherwise you will be afflicted with a headache(!).
The Pujllay (carnival)
The dance is commemorating to the battle of Jumbati, in which the tarabuqueños defeated the Spanish ranks (March 12th 1816). Celebrated on the third sunday of March, the carnival or festival Pujllay is one of the most important festivities in the Tarabuco region. Pukara which is a central cultural element, a kind of altar made for those who have died. It is adorned with a variety of offerings: food, drink, maize leaves and chicha. Around the pukara dressed in a highly ornamented ritual garb the Pujllay dance is performed to such instruments like the wind instrument pututu.
The textile patters of yampara are telling very detailed how a pullay would been celebrated. The preparation of the party (chopping wood, tree decorating, to slaughter a bull, to dance, to drink. But also to get drunk, people fighting or other funny things.
Chicha is an alcoholic drink, invented in the pre-Columbian age. The chief drink at every fiesta and ritual, chicha is often depicted in Yampara weavings, shown as small cups, or being made in large vats. Relatively simple to brew, it is prepared by firstly dissolving maize flour in the mouth, mixing it with saliva until it has formed a paste called "muku".
Children's stories
Many Yampara weavings depict scenes from traditional children's stories, tales which are passed down parent to child, for many years. The stories use common, everyday animals which are found in the majority of the weavings, such as condors and foxes.
A fox was walking down a path one day, when he met a partridge whistling contentedly. Intrigued by the beautiful sound, the Fox asked the Partridge how he could whistle thus. Amused by the Fox's question;
P: "Why, to make a tune, I simply close my beak together, as if it were sown, and whistle like this".
Surprised by such a simple solution;
F: "Oh, so if I also sowed my mouth shut, so l will be able to whistle like you!"
P: "If you were to sow your mouth shut, you would always be able to whistle!"
On hearing this, the Fox got even more excited, and immediately went to sow his mouth shut. With his handwork complete, the Fox started to continue down the path, whistling away. However, the Partridge suddenly flew in front of the Fox, fluttering his wings, frightening the Fox so much that his mouth fell open from shock, breaking all of his careful needlework in the process.
F: "Why did you do that? I'm so angry that you caused me to ruin my careful sewing l'm going to eat you in revenge."
P: "Oh no, please friend, I shouldn't have frightened you!"
On spying the Partridge's children playing nearby, it occurred to the Fox that a worse punishment would be to eat the baby partridges instead. Deciding to trick the Partridge, with an air of innocence the Fox then asked the bird;
F:"Partridge, why are your children so beautiful and so brown?"
However, the Partridge was far smarter than the Fox, and had seen his sneaky glances towards the playing children.
P: "Why, my children are so beautiful and brown because I put them in the oven".
F: "Are you telling me the truth, Partridge?" he demanded suspiciously.
P: "Why of course! If your children were to go into the oven as well, they too would be as beautiful and brown as my children".
Believing what the Partridge had told him, the Fox went away to prepare a very hot oven, into which he put his children, thinking it would make them as beautiful and brown as the baby partridges.
However, the oven was so hot, that instead of being toasted as the Partridge had tricked the Fox into believing, all of the baby foxes died from the heat. On opening the oven, and discovering that his children were dead, the Fox went in search of the bird in a fit of rage.
P: "Oh, Mr Fox, if you want to eat me now, vou need red pepper powder first, it will make me taste much more delicious".
With the gullible Fox believing the bird yet again, he hurried back to fetch some red pepper powder; however when he returned, the Partridge blew so hard that the powder was blown into the hurrying Fox's eyes, burning them so badly that the Fox was unable to stop the Partridge flying away.
Having been tricked yet again, the Fox was even more furious, and even more determined to kill the Partridge. Going in search of the Partridge yet again, the Fox found the bird asleep under a large rock.
F: "Now I am definitely going to eat you!" cried the Fox, "In return for all the tricks you've played on me."
P: "Oh no, dear friend" the Partridge responded, "This huge rock's about to fall any second! Forget your anger for a moment, and help me support it, because if it falls it’s big enough to bury the both of us!”
The Fox didn't believe the Partridge, but the bird repeated his plea so woefully, and with so much emotion, that the foolish Fox decided that maybe the bird was finally telling the truth, and so hurried over to help the bird hold the rock up. As soon as the Fox was holding the rock, the Partridge ran off, telling the Fox that he would find a large stick to support the rock, if the Fox could just hold it up by himself for a little while.
Hours and hours passed without the Partridge's return. Deciding that the Partridge has simply left him there to hold the rock forever, the Fox determined to simply to release his hold, and run away quickly before the rock could fall on top of him. It was only when the rock stayed where it was, that the Fox released that he had been tricked by the Partridge a third time.
The Fox was very tired from all the tricks that the Partridge had played on him, but still he went off in search yet again of the bird, determined that this time he would eat him. The Fox found the Partridge gathered up wood and straw; however, on spying the fox yet again;P: "Friend, I must warn you, it's about to rain very heavily, we must seek shelter somewhere right away."
Frightened, the Fox yet again asked the Partridge is he was telling the truth, to which the Partridge of course replied he was. With the stupid Fox yet again convinced, the two of them worked together to dig a large hollow, from which they might shelter from the rain. However, once they both climbed inside the hollow, the Partridge told the Fox that he needed to climb out again, just to answer the call of nature. Of course, once outside the Partridge quickly threw in all the wood and straw that he had collected, setting fire to the hollow, and killing the Fox, who was trapped inside. With this final trick, and his enemy dead, the Partridge contentedly continued along his way, once more whistling away.