Salasaka

The salasakas or salasacas are one of the ethnic groups of the Kichwas indigenous nationality of the Sierra de Ecuador. Its main town is located in the Salasaca parish, Pelileo canton, Tungurahua province.

History

According to various sources, the Salasaka people would have originated from a group of Aymara settlers, sent by the Incas as mitimaes to the current province of Tungurahua during the Tahuantinsuyo, establishing themselves in the area of Pelileo, southeast of the city of Ambato, for more than five hundred years.

Its current population is approximately 12,000 inhabitants organized into 24 communities and the majority speak the Kichwa language. They are organized in ayllus, made up of the father, mother and her children and the political children. Children from an early age are active members in the duties of family production.

Culture

The customs and traditions of the people of the Salasaca culture are full of parties and dance celebrations. It is a town that among the inhabitants of its community, are usually very happy, although they are a bit closed with the other communities. It is common in this ethnic group to celebrate when the land bears good and abundant fruit. The birth of a new member of the community, marriage, and the solstice, which is highly respected, are also celebrated.

Clothing

The Salasaca woman has different outfits according to the occasion; daily and festive. As daily attire they wear a black blouse and anaco that reaches approximately 2 centimeters below the knee, fastened with a sash that reflects an Andean worldview, one or two cloths or scarves that cover the entire back and fastens in front with a tupo or bra, necklaces and earrings that are generally heirlooms from their ancestors, and a white hat. Men wear white pants, a white shirt, a black or white poncho, and a white hat.

Traditions

One of the cultural expressions that identifies the Salasacas is the weaving of tapestries and ponchos with different motifs and designs made on manual looms, which recount their experiences. The agricultural activity is for self-consumption and is carried out in two ecological floors, the upper and lower.

The social center for the Salasacas today is the central square, where the Catholic Church, the Museum, the Community House, the School, the College, the Craft Market and some craft stores, among others, are located.

However, the historic center of the Salasacas was the community of Chilcapamba, a place where some festivities are still held. The change between these two centers has been gradual, probably due to the construction of the highway between Ambato and Baños in 1934 and as evidence that the center of Salasaca had changed on June 11, 1989, the Octava Grande (Jatun Utava) festival was celebrated in the current center for the first time, a festival that took place in Chilcapamba.

Political organization

They are organized by communes and there are 17, which belong to the Governing Council of the Salasaca People, this in turn belongs to MIT (Indigenous Movement of Tungurahua) and therefore to ECUARUNARI-CONAIE, the work is carried out in minga and decisions are made democratically in the Assemblies called by the organization. A large part of the Salasaca communities are united in second-tier organizations such as the Union of Salasaca Indigenous Peoples (UNIS) and the Corporation of Peasant Organizations of Pelileo.