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Mauricio
Ushiña
- THE MYTH OF THE DANCE
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(What the images and the choreography of the dancers explore)
To think and to question oneself and one's surrounding world seems to be an
inherent human quality. Ushiña does it through photography. To me, it appears
that the vantage point of art from the street has permitted him to be close to
people, to speak of himself through the things that happen, to suggest whether
he is for or against something, but in a clear, agreeable and conversational
tone. All themes are important and vital to him. He brings them into focus with
a sharpness and skill that is both accurate and passionate. Photography - his
photography - becomes a reflective antidote, full of warmth, battling pedantry
and dogmatic intimidation.
 —
Fabián Guerrero Obando
“My roots come from the indigenous village of Kita Kara. I wish to capture, to
recover our historical memory through photography. My real work is to record in
images the identity of nationalities and the traditions of the indigenous
peoples of Ecuador.”
This is a (non folkloric) dance ritual in existence for thousands of years in
which one sees the relationship that the indigenous Kañari communities of the
kichwa nationality (seated in el Chinchaysuyu or wrongly named Ecuador) live in
harmony with la Pachamama (mother earth) and the cosmos.
It is a way of expressing el "AYNI" or Reciprocity, a law in
existence for thousands of years and still accepted presently in the Andean
world and in many indigenous communities of the continent.
In this dance the wisdom of the grandparents has been passed down from
generation to generation. It is a traditional, magical and religious celebration
in which the "Tayta Carnaval" (or the father spirit of the land) participates: a
character that wears a dressing of various Andean symbols, among them the
Condor, the most representative.
This father spirit goes with another spirit "Jarkay" that
represents Hunger. This combination of spirits travels from community to
community, house to house, singing together with the traditional instruments
like el Pingüino (a kind of flute) and drums.
They
sing songs that show their appreciation for the agricultural cycle and other
vital cycles in nature.
Those who have received the carnival spirit with a table full of foods from
their area will have a good harvest and those who don't do it, will be visited
by hunger.
The dancer that concentrates the most energy in his song and his dance will be
best attended to.
Mauricio
Ushiña A. is an indigenous KITA KARA self-taught photographer. He began
photographing in 1995 and since then has had various individual and collective
exhibitions in his country and abroad (Cuzco - Peru / New York - USA / Madrid -
Spain).
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