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Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

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  • Title: Back to the future: ethnodevelopment among the Jalq'a of Bolivia.
    Author: Healy K.
    Journal: Grassroots Dev; 1992; 16(2):22-34. PubMed ID: 12344837.
    Abstract:
    The story is told of how several Chilean anthropologists and Bolivian colleagues helped the Jalq'a people to revive their traditional handicrafts as a model for microregional development. The quest was initially undertaken to find out about "potolo" weavings. The Jalq'a people were found in numbers totaling 25,000 impoverished and with very high infant mortality rates, low incomes, and social disorganization. although the traditional woven dresses were still worn, the color combinations and motifs had lost their originality and precision. The story was told about how during the 1960s and 1970s the poor cash economy had forced people to sell their textiles to tourists and traders for lower than market value. Eventually it became apparent that there were no longer models of the traditional garments to inspire new generations. Upon the anthropologists arrival and inquiries, it was related that local interest to revive production of these native textiles was still there. The craft revival took root because of the interest in the people not just as artisans but as people, and rapport was established. The background of the anthropologists is related. A grassroots support organization (GSO) was formed to assist in economic development that was rooted in the life of the community. The pace was set by participants and a few women at first were trained in commercial production. A shaman was asked to conduct a ritual ceremony which involved calling upon the mountain deities, the Mallkus, to give them a sign. The Mallkus agreed the project was good and the Jalq'a must conserve their language and culture and textiles. New workshops were blessed in a similar way. In the first workshop the challenge was for the women to determine how to make the many strange animals that appeared in Jalq'a designs; a photographic archive was put together and the hand-dyed colors restored with some difficulty. The exhibit of the textiles after several years led to new respect for the Jalq'a and indigenous peoples and a means of recognition for further sales. Women's status and Irupampa socioeconomic status has improved; migration to urban areas has been slowed. The experiences of the Navajo in the US has been helpful in the Jalq'a efforts in international marketing. GSO has been able to provide guidance to others in learning about their spinning machines, quality control system, and marketing strategy.
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