At the end of June, the Andean world celebrates Inti Raymi, with special significance in the province of Imbabura. July 1st is the last day of dancing for the Cotacachi communities, which is known as Warmi Puncha or “Women’s Day”. Its beginnings are unclear. My grandfather, who is more than 80 years old, remembers that in his dancing days there was already a Women’s Day. It is not modern at all. In both Otavalo and Cotacachi there was a dance day, usually the last, on which men dressed as women. This practice was called “Warmi Tukushka”, which means “becoming a woman”. Women would then be in charge of closing the ritual season.

Over the years the Warmi Punch of Cotacachi has gained in importance, especially as the women of Cotacachi began to organize themselves to have a greater presence, ranging from elegant outings in uniform to learning traditional instruments, such as flutes and rondino, which gives a certain mystique, elegance and originality.

However, as the day grew in popularity, people from other cities became interested in participating. And although groups of women are organized, with their instruments and their clothes, other groups take advantage of this day as the last day of dancing, not necessarily composed of women, or where they are not particularly prominent. Which in the last year has caused discomfort among the women of the Cotacachi communities, because as one of their captains said it is “their day and their park”. They claim that the groups that come do not follow the logic of the Inti Raymi ritual dance. In Cotacachi, communities enter Plaza Matriz through a corner, stay a few minutes, then move on to the next intersection, until they complete two or three laps around the square. Visiting groups do not use corners, nor do they wander around the space. In addition, some groups use instruments such as the Peruvian box, saxophone and cymbals, which end up overshadowing the sound of traditional instruments such as the flute, rondín and churo, which are typical of Cotacachi. In addition to all that, there was also the presence of elements completely unrelated to Inti Raymi.

The existing dispute creates a lack of coordination and disharmony; a ritual has order and rules, that’s why it’s a ritual.

What is happening? In principle, there is a dispute between practices of a ritual nature (music and dance) and practices of a solemn tone. In Otavalo, the inclusion of new musical elements is not new, however, it was a long process through which it enabled their adaptation to ritual practice. However, disagreements between different ways of dancing and singing began to take place, especially with the “copla” of the Cayambeño character. While every people should be free to express their culture as they wish, it is inevitable that these kinds of tensions happen. How will they be solved? One participant, seeing that the women of Turucu organized themselves to forcefully enter the square again, to conquer the space with their dance and music, along with the gestures and practices of the present force and “struggle”, pointed out: “It’s already time for someone to introduce order.”

The existing dispute creates a lack of coordination and disharmony; a ritual has order and rules, that’s why it’s a ritual. Only the women of Cotacachi who use the practices that ritualize Inti Rayami, and beyond what some local academics postulate, about the “awareness of the true essence” of Inti Raymi, will be able to restore “order” and resolve the dispute over their space. (OR)