Meanings of Water for the Fakcha Llakta Indigenous Community of Otavalo, Ecuador

Abstract

Water is a multidimensional element for the indigenous communities of the Andean highlands. The Kichwa community Fakcha Llakta, of Otavalo, Ecuador has a close relationship with the existing water bodies in their territory. However, traditional knowledge associated with these resources is fading, giving way to new forms of use. The purpose of this research is to reveal the meanings of water for this indigenous community, in order to propose guidelines for sustainable resource management. It is an ethnographic study with a qualitative approach. The information was collected through in-depth interviews, participant observation by the research team, and the gathering of cultural objects. The findings were organized and sub-grouped according to four recurring elements: vital and sacred; diversity of use and value; a threatened natural resource; and the sustainability of water from the ancestral perspective.

Prácticas de manejo y aprovechamiento de recursos naturales en la microrregión de abejones, Oaxaca.

“…They take place especially in the rainy season and as an act of gratitude to the water's owner; each community performs offerings once per year. This result is similar to that found in the Province of Imbabura, Ecuador, since similar water rituals are conducted here as an act of gratitude, emphasizing respect towards this resource, where this act favors its care and equitable distribution (Trujillo et al, 2018). In relation to the ritual for the mountain, it was found that it is practiced in Abejones (18.2%), Yareni (16%) and it is no longer practiced in Analco.…”