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Kawsaypaq means “for life” in Quechua
SOCIAL PROJECTS
Fielding and Roman, as the founders of Kawsaypaq, together with their team, directly support the cultural work that promotes the celebration and preservation of traditional Andean culture in danger through projects of the non-profit Association Kusi Kawsay. Roman and Fielding are founders and active members of the Kusi Kawsay Association and are directly involved in the projects in Peru:
KUSI KAWSAY ASSOCIATION
Kusi Kawsay Andean School
Kusi Kawsay (happy life in Quechua) is an officially registered and accredited K-7 grades school. The school is rooted in the Andean tradition and focuses on the empowerment of the indigenous children of the city of Pisac and the surrounding communities.
Kusi Kawsay offers an alternative and comprehensive education through traditional Andean culture accompanied by elements of Waldorf Pedagogy, complying with the requirements of the Ministry of Education. Kusi Kawsay’s ecological ethics is a social ethics, in which we are all related, interrelated and interdependent in this existence. The school’s infrastructure has been created with environmentally friendly sustainable materials that provide a nutritious and safe place for children, while demonstrating awareness and respect for the local land and ancestral culture.
The school honors and protects the wonder of childhood. As a principle of the Andean philosophy, reciprocity, Ayni is integrated as an educational approach of Kusi Kawsay. Kusi Kawsay accompanies the students to be ambassadors of positive change in their society with the deep commitment to live responsibly with values and moral courage with a deep joy for taking care of the Pachamama – Mother Universe. Moderna Kusi Kawsay’s academic curriculum incorporates ancestral songs, music and dance linked to the Andean calendar, agrarian customs and ecological rhythms, exposing students to coexist in the modern world without separating from traditional identity. The Andean Legacy serves as the foundation that honors the traditional culture of the community by teaching music, dance, art, weaving and practicing environmental awareness through agriculture and education to preserve and celebrate the Andean indigenous identity.
Visit the Kusi Kawsay website for more information and details on how to be involved and support this valuable work. www.kusikawsay.org / info@kusikawsay.org
Ayni Scholarship Fund: https://kusikawsay.org/publications/ayni-scholarship/
Organic Farm Kusi Ñan
Kusi Ñan was born from the first class of the Andina Kusi Kawsay School in 2012. With a vision of growing and selling organic products and the practice of its ancestral Andean heritage, Kusi Ñan has become a sustainable farm with a community space, a traditional Andean music group, as well as a youth movement to face social and environmental problems.
The first graduating class of Andina Kusi Kawsay College faced a tough challenge. In Peru, discrimination and lack of financial resources determine the fate of many young people. They faced this challenge of limited options that lead to a survival economy. They decided to stay in their community instead of migrating to the city in search of employment. They were motivated to revitalize and recover their culture by contributing to their community as agents of change. The Kusi Ñan organic agriculture project became a source of employment and provided creative solutions. They are learning the ancient Andean ways of cultivation, composting practices, in addition to providing organic products to the local market. They share this knowledge with the students of Kusi Kawsay through permaculture classes and with their peers during after-school workshops, enriched by a series of personal development and cultural identity workshops open to the youth of Pisac and the surrounding communities.
Kusi Ñan is led autonomously by young people with the support of the Kusi Kawsay Association. For more information about the farm, music and workshops, visit the following Facebook link:: fb.me/KusiNanProductosOrganicos
Nawpa Ñan Cultural Programs
Nawpa Ñan (Ancient Way in Quechua) protects and preserves the celebrations, culture and traditions of the Andean Ancestral Calendar. This cultural movement, strongly rooted in traditional music, dance and ceremonial practices, began in 1993 through grassroots community work and serves as a foundation to the Kusi Kawsay Association. Each month is dedicated to connecting communities with the earth and the cosmos by activating ancestral celebrations. Ñawpa Ñan actively participates in documenting the disappearance of songs, dances, music and language so vital to the existence of the Quechua nation. This project also brings together indigenous communities from all over the world by activating a large network. In addition, Ñawpa Ñan opens a path to guide youth towards the pride of their cultural identity, forming strong communities of reciprocity and gratitude.
“It is through the practice of the Andean calendar that we understand traditional knowledge based on human integration with natural cosmic cycles, and with it a deep understanding of life in balance. These celebrations, activities and events take place in cultural centers, sacred archaeological sites, among various places, and are the essence of all our cultural renewal work. The intergenerational participation of adults, youth, children and babies celebrates the essence of the Andean ancestral social structures of inclusion and community. Cultural centers are made by local people, for local people, providing spaces to practice and celebrate their traditional way of life and values.”
The promotion of indigenous meetings for the Solstices, Equinoxes or other important astronomical dates, creates an international network among the participants who share their traditions, customs, stories, art, dances, songs, achievements, problems, solutions and hopes. These events reinforce cultural identity and personal self-esteem, and inspire participants to continue working with the same goals in their communities to promote, protect and practice their ancestral values. Inti Raymi (June solstice), is the main event we organize annually. It is a five-day international meeting of Indigenous Peoples of the Americas, with about 200 participants representing more than 9 Nations. Youth cultural exchanges are also promoted.
The Cultural Center of Taray hosts the local Karate League – Rumi Maki Dojo. Its main mission is to offer the opportunity to practice this beautiful discipline with children from this rural area who would never have access to such an experience otherwise, mainly due to limited economic factors. We believe that the Karate League helps the formation of youth based on inner strength, discipline and respect. This art promotes better school performance, and helps to form qualities for future leaders. These karate classes are open to the general public two days a week.
To read about the various events of the Andean Ancestral Calendar and to know more about Ñawpa Ñan visit: www.pachamamaspath.org
APU RUNAWANA ASSOCIATION OF AMARU
Kawsaypaq has an important role and impact in guiding and promoting the development of Apu Runawana, its products, programs and events. The founders of Kawsaypaq began their commitment to the local cultural identity through participation in Amaru when they arrived in Pisac.
The members of the Apu Runawana Association of the Amaru community on the heights of Pisac, practice their traditional way of life, being the heart of cultural preservation and celebration. Its cultural center provides a space for this traditionalist group to practice their weaving, their traditional way of life and for cultural exchanges between indigenous nations and with tourists. This group practices and honors the teachings inherited over thousands of years, which are manifested in agriculture, music, social organization, sacred geometry in their textiles and above all reflected in community life full of respect and harmony with our natural environment.
Each textile is unique, dyed naturally with plants, using sheep alpaca wool, yarn and hand-woven. Every textile that is purchased supports to reinforce and empower the ancestral traditions, balancing the effects of the modernization that threatens this ancient heritage. Kawsaypaq educates visitors to appreciate the value of each textile, and to pay fair prices. Kawsaypaq’s decoration has exclusive designs by Apu Runawana, offers a space outside its establishment in Pisac Square for the sale of its pieces, and sells its textiles in its store. Kawsaypaq supports Apu Runawana to develop its logo, brochure, interviews, and documentation of ancestral knowledge. Together they have developed a cultural immersion experience, and a walk visiting the sacred lakes of the community. These programs are the first to be developed, where guests participate in agricultural activities, eat natural products of the farms, watching spinning and weaving demonstrations, dance to the rhythms of traditional music, and participate in a beautiful cultural exchange that changes and enriches the lives of all the participants involved. Kawsaypaq has managed the installation of a solar shower and the implementation of the cultural center, and is donating furniture for the rooms. Kawsaypaq also provides guidance on how to develop its sustainable tourism programs, products and services, while maintaining the essence of its traditional lifestyle and its commitment to its values and traditions.
The participation in the calendar of activities of Kusi Kawsay and Kusi Ñan, and the joint activation of the Andean ritual calendar and the intercultural events organized by Ñawpa Ñan ensure a true connection with the essence of their culture and are the inspiration of the heart of Kusi Kawsay:
Inspiring words from the Kusi Kawsay Weaving teacher, Lucia Ccana, from the Apu Runawana of the Amaru community: “I am teaching the children our ancient textiles that our ancestors left us. Creativity and concentration are what children do best. This is not like any other class where it is only about learning to read or write, this fabric that I reach, enters her mind and transforms the boy or girl so that she weaves her own life, it is like weaving our lives, how we live, how we are, how we should be. I also talk to them about nature, plants, Apus (mountains) and respect for their elders. We don’t choose what we knit randomly – they come through our dreams. For example (showing her skirt) here are the stars; they also exist in the sky, as on earth. We also represent the Ayni or reciprocity to practice means of Ayni, you give to me, I give to you. It could be that something happens and you’re not well, and then tomorrow it might not be well. So, we have to practice Ayni: When you are sad I should give you joy, and when I am sad, you should give me joy. That’s part of what’s in our fabric. Our Grandmothers and Grandfathers lived like this and left this to pass from generation to generation, that’s what we want.”
ÑAWPA ÑAN – Traditional Music Group
Kawsaypaq also promotes Ñawpa Ñan, a group of local families that perform traditional Andean music, songs, dance and music. Through song and dance, all living beings of nature participate in a harmonious reflection of the natural order of the Universe. Ñawpa Ñan is composed of founding fathers, teachers, students and alumni of Kusi Kawsay.
Ñawpa Ñan cultivates the most authentic of traditional Andean music, the cultural heritage of its ancestors, covering many musical genres, musical instruments and instrumental formations of the Andean world. Through the practice of collectivism and reciprocity, Ñawpa Ñan shares his knowledge through various broadcasts of musical productions, artistic presentations and active participation in Andean ancestral celebrations.
PACHAMAMA’S PATH – 501c3 in the United States
Roman and Fielding are founders and active members of Pachamama’s Path that supports the projects of the Kusi Kawsay Association in Peru. Kawsaypaq provides cultural immersion experiences to the allies of Pachamama’s Path, changing lives during their visit to Peru, sharing the authentic ancestral culture. Kawsaypaq helps to unite worlds and provides opportunities for genuine cultural exchanges that enrich the lives of everyone involved. Kawsaypaq becomes the storyteller, the facilitator, the bridge, the cultivator of human relationships that connects and creates a network of positive change based on ancestral Andean values.
If you would like to learn more about this important work and be involved, let us know.