PUERTO MISAHUALLI
Close to amazon Ecuador
What valued the fact that they had given me a residence in Ecuador and not anywhere else in the world, was what allowed me to get closer to two things that were going to add a more interesting and genuine touch to my research:
On the one hand, the fact of having an extraordinary nature and almost in its pure state, such as the lagoons of the mountains, or the waterfalls, exuberant vegetation and huge rivers of the jungle.
On the other hand, Ecuador still has indigenous nations which are in contact with nature and somehow maintain their culture linked to it.
So incorporating these two bases into my project: my initial work plan was to look for the origins of music in song and the human voice.
Something that I came to title ¨the call¨. Why? Well, because in one of my hypotheses language and music arise in some mammals from vocal sounds, if we go back to the existence of animals and the origins of man, we find that animals emit sounds in the jungle, what is called calls, both to warn of a danger, to attract a partner, or even to be able to be located by other members of the pack.
food stand
Puerto Misahualli, brimmed with street food stalls, where you could taste local food for a few dollars.
What I liked the most is that they used the leaves of a plant to wrap food, instead of the polystyrene and plastic gadgets, highly pollutants that are wasted in cities
Local Dish
When you interact with the locals, it is most likely that they will invite you to eat given their hospitality. It is said that refusing the food they offer you is a very serious offense, and I had some luck, I admit it, despite being a vegetarian I had to eat chicken, but I got rid of the delicacy of a type of worm that is very appreciated.
THE ROLE OF MUSIC
There are innumerable functions, and I say functional, because in my opinion music, like all arts, starts from a very clear function and is based on the survival of the species. Music, like all the arts in its beginnings, has a clear function and utility. And commenting with the Shaman of Chiripuno for example, when observing that he uses music for his rituals, communicating with spirits or healing. I ended up corroborating that we are not talking about something purely aesthetic and whimsical. Music and the arts are not distractions or hobbies or entertainment, but an essential part of the development of species, which allows them to evolve and fulfill multiple social and collective functions.
Quitchua women’s group, which manages the Chiripuno community. They use the dances and songs that they show to visitors as the axis of their activity. They are also in charge of organizing the tourist part and promoting the community. It’s funny how girls participate in their actions. They recover the tradition and revive the ancestral songs and dances.
Returning to the theme of the calls, they articulate a message but also reproduce a musicality, alternating intervals of frequencies, rhythms and others.
I also wanted to put aside the sound of birds or insects, species that are evolutionarily a little more distant from humans, but perhaps this difference led to greater complexity, so I will look at them but only anecdotally.
Music is a social glue, although it can also work the opposite when communities are divided.
But the most common is that the community congregates to the call of the drums, to dance, sing or tell stories.