A month ago we talked about the resistance of the Afro-Emerald sisters and in the middle of it we touched on fear on several occasions. With this debt to fellow travelers and many others, I went in search of the keepers of ancestral knowledge, who can teach us to take care of the fear within. For this reason, in May, the month of requests, I am in the Shutichina ritual accompanied by Mama Anita Farinango Guandinango, 78, a traditional midwife from the Kichwa community in San Pedro, which belongs to the Cotacachi canton. In this community, the Kuri Pakcha Waterfall was inaugurated at the Tukunawa House Museum, a living space for the integration of art, traditional music, textiles, ancestral medicine and its rituals.

At the center are the midwife mothers who guard earth, wind, water and fire, presiding over the Shutichin or naming ritual. A traditional renewal celebration where people voluntarily take a name in Kichwa to (re)name themselves and/or (re)name their new cycle. This celebration has no age limit or limitation, but is a loving, conscious act of justification and inner transformation. Previously, this celebration was worked out in detail by the family of Mama Anita, the manager of this knowledge space.

She tells me about her long journey in midwifery. His daughter Carmen Guandinango and his granddaughter Dayana Sánchez also follow this practice. They resist ancestral medicine, they believe in collective medicine with comprehensive health. Part of this struggle is the Shutichiy or naming ritual, an ancient practice that was lost and they and their ayllu have researched it, and perform it in a ritual to commemorate it. Ritual is a comprehensive celebration in which not only mental health is sought, but also spiritual, emotional and physical health. It is very important for them to live the practice of ancestral medicine every day with comprehensive care. In the current context, after the global pandemic, in the political, economic, social and security crisis, Mama Anita tells us that fear can be the biggest emotion that accompanies us, and that traditional medicine can solve fear and transform the heart. strong as a rock; such as the treatment with egg and various ingredients, as well as the sacred/loving rituals of Wayra Pichan, Shunkuchin, Shutichin, which enable the maintenance of a person in a holistic way.

Mental health is part of integral medicine promoted by midwives in the community…

His daughter Carmen comments that the fear we can have is not just an immediate result, but a collection of fears and emotions stored from every stage of being human. And that in each of them it is important to recognize them, take them over and give us space to rest. We must empty the emotions that do not serve us. Their accumulation results in stress or various implications on the physiological, mental-emotional, spiritual and physical levels.

Mental health is part of integral medicine promoted by midwives in the community, and in these times it is important to make it part of everyday life. Treat fear with great respect and with the accompaniment of the guardians of knowledge in ancestral medicine. (OR)

Kichwa version

hampipa wilkaykun

Punta killapimi yana warmi ñañakunamanta rimanahurkanchik, imashalla paykunaka manllaywanpash sinchiyashpa katinahukta. Chaymi kunanka imashallak manllayta hampina kanchik yashpa tapunkapak rirkani yachak hampik mamakunata. Chaymi Cotacachimanta San Pedro ayllullaktapi kani, mama Anita Farinango Guandinangotami kunpahuni, paymi 78 watata charin, shinallatak unkuchik midwife mama kapan. Kaypimi Museo Tukunawa wasi kan, maypi taki yachak mashikuna paypa takikunata uyachiyta ushan, shinallatak awashkakutana rikuchita usharin, hampiytapash ushankapak wasi. Chay wasi manyakupimi Kuri Pakchatapash aliman shutichinahurka shuk hatun Shutichina Raymipi.

Chaypimi midwife mamakuna shayanahurka Shutichina Raymita rurarashpa, paykunaka mayhan mushuk shutita runa shimipi churarinkapak munakpika allpaman, wayratami yakuman, ninaman minkachishpa shutichinahurka. Kay Shutichina willkay raymika musukyarinkapakmi karka, punta mana mutsurishka kawsayta ninaman karashpa kutin musuk muskuy kawsaykunaman chayankapak. Shutirinkapakka mayhan munakpash ruranallami karka.

Mama Anitaka paypa yachaykunwanka ashtakatami purimushka paypa ushi Carmen Guandinangoman, paypa hatun ushi Dayana Sánchezmanpash yachachishpa kay ñantallatak pushahun. Paykunaka hampina yachaykunata ayllukunaman kunpitashpa, pakta yachahuspami alli kawsarinka nishpa riman. Shinami Shutichiy raymitaka paypura rimarishpak sinchiyachishpa shamushka. Kashna willkay raymikunaka tukuy shunku yachay, yuyay, samaykunata hampinkapak ruraykunami nin. Shinallatak kunanpi imasha hatun unkuy covidtapash yallimushkanchik, kunanpi mamallaktapash hatun llakikunapi uyarin, chaymi manllaykunapash ashtakata kunpay ushan. Chay manllayta hampinkapakka ñukanchik runa yachay ukukunapika tawka hampikunatami charinchik shunkuta rumiyachinkapak nin mama Anitaka. Chaykunami kan, lulunwan shuk hampikinawan churashpa rumishna tikrarinkapak nin, shinallatak Wayra Pichanawan, Shunkuchinawan, Shutichinawan tukuy ñukanchik aycha kaytapash hampirinallami kanchik nin.

Shinallatak mama Carmen ninmi, manllayka mana shuk ratupi wiñarishkallaka kanchu nin, ashtawan karin, uchillamanta payayankakamanmi shuk shuk manllaykuna shamun, chaytami alli yaypi hapishpa hampirina kanchik nin. Chay manllayta rikushpa, anchuchishpa, samashpa kawsana kanchik nin. Chayta mana rurakpimi stress nishka llakikuna shamun, shinallatak shuk shuk unkuykuna rikurimun nin.

Ñukanchik shunku, samay hampikunataka tukuy ima kaypa hampimi kan. Chay hampika runa aylllullakta ukupillatami tiyan, chaytaka alliman kuyashpa charina kanchik, hampirina kanchik. Shinallatak manllayta hampirinkapakka shuk yachak mamakunawanmi pakta kunpatukushpa yachahushpa hampirinaman chayana kanchik. (OR)