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6. Social Marginalization among the Chiribaya: The Curandero of Yaral, Southern Peru
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85 6 d Social Marginalization among the Chiribaya The Curandero of Yaral, Southern Peru María Cecilia Lozada, Kelly J. Knudson, Rex C. Haydon, and Jane E. Buikstra Individual Profile Site: El Yaral Location: Osmore drainage of southern Peru Cultural Affiliation: Unknown Date: Four radiocarbon dates suggest that this site was occupied around A.D. 1000 Feature: Burial 213 Location of Grave: Cemetery 2, Trench 4 Burial and Grave Type: A single primary burial in an irregular and unlined shallow pit; placed on his left side and facing north, knees and right arm flexed, left arm internally rotated and slightly extended, hips extended, neck and head rotated over 90° Associated Materials: Ceramic vessel, wooden tablet, yarn of wool, wooden spoon, 2 textile bags, and wooden“comb” Preservation and Completeness: Excellent skeletal preservation; some soft tissue present Age at Death and Basis of Estimate: 35–40 years, based on pubic symphysis and auricular surface Sex and Basis of Determination: Male, based on pelvic morphology and femur dimensions Conditions Observed: Multiple fractures in the skull and mandible Specialized Analysis: Radiography, strontium isotopes from tooth enamel Excavated: 1990, Chiribaya Bioarchaeological Project, directed by Jane E. Buikstra, Arizona State University Archaeological Report: Lozada and Torres 1991 Current Disposition: Mallqui Center of Bioarchaeological Research, Ilo, Peru 86 · María Cecilia Lozada, Kelly J. Knudson, Rex C. Haydon, and Jane E. Buikstra Curanderos in the Andes Curanderos, or healers, represent essential components of Andean communities , both today as well as in the past. Guaman Poma de Ayala, a native Peruvian who documented many aspects of the preconquest Inka world, acknowledged their importance in his Nueva Corónica y Buen Gobierno [1613] (1987). Guaman Poma de Ayala classifies this specialized group, depicted as healers, according to their powers and/or curing techniques (Millones and Platt 1989). Other colonial accounts found in the Huarochiri manuscript, originally written in Quechua immediately after the conquest, portray the curandero as a charismatic and powerful male figure. The healer was an outsider whose main role was to restore health to individuals or even communities (Urioste 1981). Ethnographic studies of curanderos in contemporary Peru indicate that these Andean healers are community leaders who serve as mediators between perceived reality and the supernatural (Millones 1987). Furthermore, curanderos are charismatic and highly respected members of the community because of their healing powers as well as their role as spiritual guides. They are extremely knowledgeable about the environment, often traveling and collecting herbs and special items from diverse areas such as the jungle, highlands, and coast (Millones 1997). Although highly respected by the communities, curanderos are also characterized as loners whose social acceptance depended on the success of their powers. As such, their status in society is often variable and extremely fluid. Burials of curanderos are rarely encountered in archaeological sites. In his seminal work, Henry Wassén (1972) suggests that the Niño Korin excavated in northeastern Bolivia at an altitude of 3,500 m is one of the earliest archaeologically documented burials of a young curandero. The individual was buried with his working tools, including snuff trays, bamboo tubes, spoons, spatulas, baskets , and fur/skin pouches. Based on a stylistic examination of these artifacts, the burial dates to the Middle Horizon between A.D. 800 and 1,000 (Wassén 1972). Along the coast of northern Peru, Elera (1994) documented the presence of an itinerant curandero. This burial was found in Morro de Eten, dating to the Middle Formative period around 500–200 B.C. Similar to the Niño Korin, this coastal curandero was buried with his belongings such as stone mirrors, shells, and spatulas. Interestingly, he was buried with a rattle that had been implanted into his right leg and may have been used as part of rituals. Although these archaeological findings attest to the antiquity and widespread existence of “curanderismo” in the ancient Andes, many questions remain [54.226.126.38] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 22:04 GMT) The Curandero of Yaral, Southern Peru · 87 unanswered. For example, there is basic agreement in the ethnohistorical and ethnographic literature regarding the pivotal role of these specialists; however, their treatment at death may have depended on how they were perceived by the community in which they lived. Curanderos have often been broadly divided into those who used their powers to help individuals and communities through healing and divining and those who used their powers to harm (Giese 1989). The sickness and eventual death of a curandero would have been an extraordinary event...