Takanakuy

Greetings friends,

It has been a busy time the past few weeks getting photo competition entries completed and working on grant applications as well as being out on the road for the project. I have a few days before it gets very busy again so I am catching up on editing photos and writing. There are a few recent things I want to share with you.

The first thing I want to share with you is the ritual of Takanakuy. It is quite a doozy so needs a bit of time to tell you about it. The event takes place on December 25th each year, a day that many think of as Christmas but that is secondary in the Chumbivilcas province of the Cusco region.

Takanakuy is a Quechua word that means ‘to hit each other.’ I have yet to find the reason it takes place on Christmas Day and its origins are unclear as some say it has taken place since the time of the Incas while others believe it began during Spanish occupation when clashes were commonplace.

Either way, it is a well-imbedded part of resolving conflict and grievances between community members in a place where there are only a few police officers and no courts to resolve issues. People who have a beef with someone over issues such as family, romantic, or territorial disputes agree to hold off until Takanakuy in an effort to maintain peace in the community.

So while most people were getting ready on December 24th to spend time with friends and family over the holidays, I was crammed into a minibus for a 7-hour ride on a bumpy, dusty, dirt road to the town of Santo Tomas, Chumbivilcas to witness and document this fascinating ritual.

The event and celebrations begin in the afternoon of the 24th with a procession through the main square of Santo Tomas. Like most events, festivities, and rituals here, Takanakuy is a syncretic festivity. The procession begins with different families carrying a shrine of Jesus’ nativity scene as they sing and dance through the streets and markets on their way to the church.

A church service takes place that evening and the festivity is reluctantly blessed. Not surprisingly, the Catholic Church frowns upon this ritual and the homily reflected this point of view. After the service, there is plenty more singing, dancing, and drinking throughout the night before another church service is held on Christmas morning at 6 am.

After the morning church service, food and drink are shared while people sing and dance. Much of the music throughout the celebration is called ‘Huaylia’ which carries a theme of freedom and resistance to colonialism.

In the afternoon people make their way to the fighting arena. In Santo Tomas, this takes place in a large arena that holds several thousand people. The ritual takes place all through the province and I wanted to see and experience a more authentic version of Takanakuy so I traveled to the small community of Yabina about an hour away.

In the center of the small pastoral and picturesque town people came from the surrounding areas and gathered to form a ring for the fights. They came dressed in their traditional clothing which is an important part of the event. The women were in their best and typical clothing of the region. The men come in clothing meant for fighting and intimidation.

The men typically wear decorated ski masks which originates from the people’s desire to remain anonymous to those they challenged and who may have held power over them in society such as a boss or landowner. Societal norms are dropped on the day of Takanakuy and anyone from any level of society can challenge another. The ski masks are now seen as a part of the attire and are not worn during the actual fighting.

Many of the men wear hats made of birds, goats, deer, cats, foxes, and other animals which are meant to intimidate and strike awe in their rivals. People are tough here as they have to be to survive in the elements and live as they do. There is a cowboy culture so chaps and leather coats are also part of the clothing.

Once a challenge has been made and the reason for it has been given, the challenge must be accepted. Then the combatants wrap their hands in cloth ribbons and a knitted belt is worn to identify them as participants. People of all ages from teenagers to the elderly take part in the fights and in recent years women have also begun to take part.

Kicking, punching, and slapping are permitted but biting, hair-pulling, and grabbing onto your opponent are not. It is also not permitted to strike anyone on the ground and the fight is over if someone is knocked down.

There are judges brandishing whips that oversee the contests and maintain order during the event. They deem when the fight is over and wield their whips to push the crowd back and maintain order among the spectators and combatants. And, yes, I did have to endure the sting of the whip a few times to hold my photographic position.

Once the fight is over, combatants are meant to embrace and announce publicly that the dispute is resolved. It is meant for disputes to be let go of and for the new year to start fresh.

Once grievances have been resolved and amends are made then drink, dance, and song are shared and go all through the night. It is a celebration after all.

Although there have been deviations from Takanakuy’s true intentions and pushback from city people calling it barbaric as well as the Catholic Church saying it is not in the Christmas spirit, the tradition endures and is entwined in the culture of Chumbivilcas.

Until the next update… be well.

MB