The Flocks of the Wamani: A Study of Llama Herders on the Punas of Ayacucho, Peru

253 Pages·1989·42.631 MB·English

by  Kent V. Flannery, Robert G. Reynolds, Joyce Marcus

The Flocks
of the Wamani
Llamas at dawn in their corral, Pallqa, Ayacucho.
The Flocks
of the Wamani
A Study of Llama Herders on
the Punas of Ayacucho, Peru
Kent V. Flannery
Joyce Marcus
Robert G. Reynolds
Left
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Coast
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Replaces edition of this book produced by Emerald Group Publishing under
ISBN 978-0-12-259836-4 in 2007. Originally published by Academic Press in 1989.
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Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data available from the publisher.
ISBN: 1-59874-460-7
978-1-59874-460-6
Printed in the United States of America
@>TMThe paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American
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09 10 11 12 13 5 4 3 2 1
for our llamkaccmasi
RAMIRO MATOS
whose love of the puna, and all things Quechua,
been an inspiration

Contents
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xi
1. Introduction 1
2. Andean Nature 11
3. Andean Culture 25
4. The People of the Puna 39
5. The Guanaco and the Llama 89
6. Herd Dynamics I: The "Oliver Twist" Model 119
7. Herd Dynamics II: The "Santa Claus" Model 13 7
8. Chupa and Waytakuy 143
9. Herd Dynamics III: The "Surf City" Model 183
10. Herd Dynamics IV: Sufiay and Adaptation 193
11. Sufiay and Dual Inheritance Theory 205
12. Nature, Culture, and Practical Reason 211
References 219
Index 233
vii

Preface
One the most hotly debated subjects of the last two decades is the
underlying cause of human behavior. Sociobiologists have insisted
that its roots are to be found in evolutionary biology, arguing that much
of human behavior stems from the pursuit of fitness in the reproductive
sense. Many anthropologists have refused to assign so large a role to the
2elletlc component, but they do see the causes of social behavior as func,
For some, human behavior represents a kind of ecological adapta
tion to the environment, while for others it the application of
practical reason to economic or sociopolitical problems. A large number
of symbolic anthropologists reject both biology and practical reason, citing
the arbitrary nature of many cultural institutions and the apparent failure
of functional, ecological, and biological frameworks to explain them.
If ever there was a human group well suited to the testing all these
competing frameworks, it is the llama herders of Peru's Ayacucho high
lands. These Quechua-speaking Indians occupy a bleak tundra environ,
ment above 4000 meters, noted for its stressful high altitude and relentless
cold. Archaeological and ethnohistorical data indicate that herders have
occupied the zone for thousands of years, long enough to have undergone
both physical and cultural adaptation. With both their fertility and that
of their llamas depressed by the extreme environment, they should provide
raw material for anyone concerned with maximizing fitness. Yet the herd
ers of Ayacucho also live in a world rich in arbitrary symbolism and filled
with powerful supernaturals on whose whim the success of their herding
depends. The possibilities for biological adaptation, practical reason, and
arbitrary symbolic behavior are so great that rigorous testing and historical
reconstruction are needed to evaluate their respective roles.
ix