The pingullo, also known as “the flute of the Andes”, is an ancestral musical instrument, essential in many indigenous festivals in the Sierra.
The pingullo, also known as “the flute of the Andes”, it is an ancient musical instrument, essential in many of the indigenous festivals of the northern Sierra of Ecuador, where it has once again resonated in the hands of Rosalino Bautista, who was known in his town as “the last pingullero of Píntag”.
And it is that Rosalino not only elaborates these small flutes, but that he sings the instrument as his ancestors did, with their three tunes that evoke the passing of time, the sun and the wind, along with drums made of sheep leather, which anticipate thunder and resistance.
Rosalino is happy to know that some of her grandchildren – she has six – will continue with their legacy and, therefore, she has lost the fear of being the “last pingullero” in her community.
In his house built on a large plot of land in the Rumiloma sector, in the Tolontag neighborhood, in the Píntag parish, a rural area in eastern Quito, he has a small workshop where he makes instruments.
The workshop also houses ears of corn that hang from the flat and the wall, as ornaments along with arts for the cultivation of its land, where it raises chickens, dogs, llamas and sheep.
Now, to continue dreaming about his past, he has defined some places on his land where he plans to build two museums, one dedicated to the head of the pre-Inca resistance of Quito and patron of his community, the chief Píntag, and another to evoke the pingullo and the history of your community.
As he told EFE, has found important archaeological pieces that will be part of the museums, in whose organization it has specialists (archaeologists, anthropologists and historians) sent by institutions of the provincial government, the Prefecture of Pichincha.
For him it is very important to recover the memory and rescue the culture, especially the music that springs from the pingullo, a task that he set himself from an early age and which, according to him, he will never give up.
Remember that the young people of Píntag, at first, avoided contact with this musical instrument, believing that it was for the exclusive use of the elderly, the “rucos” or old men.
“I never turned back and, you see, now I’m famous,” said Rosalino, whose art has received the backing of authorities willing to rescue the pingullo as part of the ancient culture of the Ecuadorian Andes.
Paola Pabón, the prefect of the province of Pichincha, whose capital is Quito, has chosen the parish of Píntag as one of the ten that will become the “destination of colors” of the jurisdiction.
Sponsored by the Bolivian Embassy in Ecuador, Píntag is undergoing a comprehensive intervention to rescue her cultural and natural legacy, she explained to EFE Pabón, who will also support Rosalino’s dream: to build the two museums in Píntag.
In addition, Pabón made a call for tourism to be interested in this parish, which houses cultural treasures such as the traditional parade and dance of the “rucos”, peasants dressed in typical costumes who dance in the Andean style, in a unique melodic choreography.
Rosalino, 72 years old, lives his dream together with Ofelia, his 69-year-old wife, together for 54 years, and at night he works in the workshop, where he makes penguins, drums and “acials” or whips to herd cattle.
The old musician, who learned the art of interpreting and making pingullos from his grandparents, stated that formerly these thin flutes were made with condor bones, but now strong tree branches from the area are chosen to make the instrument.
He proudly says that his land provides him with everything he needs, although to interpret the pingullo “you have to know” and keep it in sync, because it is played together with the drum that is hung on his chest to be able to wear it on long days of festivities. .
His knowledge of the instrument has allowed him to expand his fame as a pingullero to other countries such as Bolivia, Chile and Peru, where he met more indigenous artists.
His instruments, he said, must be perfect, and so he spends many hours in the workshop polishing them. With threads made of vegetable fibers, clean the three holes of the pingullo, listen to the tones and sand the instrument again “until it is perfect”.
When his hearing certifies it, he takes a drum, hangs it around his neck over the poncho that always accompanies him, and begins to sing ancient melodies that seem to have no end, but that combine a magical synchrony with nature and history. (I)
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
