Incaism During The Colonial Period

The term Incaism refers to the varying processes of self-identification as Inca or of having Inca origin and ancestry. This self-identification refers to a group addressing themselves as belonging to a particular culture or people as a whole. Incaism began to notably occur after the break up of the Inca Empire due to Spanish colonization mostly among groups that had no actual Inca origin. The concept of Incaism during the colonial period was predominantly an Indian “re-conceptualization of a past as Inca subjects”. Significantly Incaism has become a theme held by resistance movements since the colonial period, as well as cultural revitalization movements which are relatively “pro-indigenous.” Incaism has since
been manifested in the Andes throughout centuries as it relates to an “Andean utopia”, which refers to a longing for a former state where indigenous people weren’t oppressed by the Spaniards, as natives to the Andes felt “disadvantaged by the demands of Spanish expansion.” Due to this, it can be concluded that Incaism is the analysis of indigenous consciousness and interpretation in the Andes. This is because Incaism addresses how the Andean indigenous people recognize themselves to be of Inca decent. In order to self-identify as being of Inca decent, there has to be a common understanding of what being Inca entails, as well as common characteristics that are identified to be relevant to Inca origins. Therefore, studying Incaism is parallel to studying Andean historical understanding. However, there needs to be an agreement on what constitutes being an “Indian” or an “indigenous person”. It is recognized that the term Indian “is a colonial and relational category” and was mainly used during the Spanish colonization period, in which Indian was used to highlight the differences between the colonizers and the colonized. While the term indigenous person may refer to being a native to an area. These two terms are inter-mingled as the term “Indian” may also be used to differentiate a native from an invader. An ethnic group called the Cañari whose territory is Saraguro, Ecuador is a particular group of people who self-identified with the Inca.
The Cañari although had a hostile relationship with the Inca to the point they “established military and political relations with the Spaniards” , readily identified themselves as being of Inca decent. It was after Saraguro was incorporated into the Inca empire and the fall of the empire due to colonization that they identified themselves as Inca. This insinuates that Spanish colonial rule leads to “widespread recognition” of Inca origin. Although among the Saraguros, there has been a growing conversation whereby it is being discussed “what it means to be an indigenous person or a Saraguro”. Incaism comes into play in that the Saraguro people feel they are experiencing a “loss of traditional ways” this leading to a conclusion that to the Saraguros retaining their traditions is essential in being able to self-identify as an indigenous person. This further highlights that “the idea of a lost tradition, of abandoned indigenous ways of life is prevalent in Saraguro”. This is being rectified in that some communities are engaging their families to speak cultural languages and partaking in the activities done by their ancestors. A particular family speaks Kichwa at home and the parents teach the kids how to weave. This ensures that the family is “not pure, but still indigenous”. This once again emphasizes that to the Saraguros, there
is an importance of being able to self-identify as being indigenous. Also highlighting that they were originally indigenous and should remain that way. Due to this, it is concluded that with modernization comes the need to consciously work to preserve one’s identity. To the Saraguro, the loss of traditional ways threatens the “cultural purity that makes them proud to belong to the indigenous community”, meaning that maintaining traditions is important for staying as unaltered by the modernization of society in the present. This is embodied by the surfacing of cultural revitalization movements promoted by NGO and education professionals. Cultural revitalization movements encompass the need to be able to identify with a particular culture in a way that is inclusive of everyone involved. These movements, however, were promoted by “semi-urban” NGO professionals. This is interesting because these movements would attempt to include the more traditional and indigenous aspect of a culture. More modernized professionals doing this. Although these movements do not represent the opinions of the majority, because they are being backed by NGO’s they are taken into importance. Analyzing these cultural revitalization movements will assist in gaining insights on the discussions surrounding the topic of what it means to be an Indian and a Saraguro as well as, “a purified indigenous person”.