Judy Blankenship's Cañar Culture

The Indigenous people of the Andean mountains are known as the Cañar. Extreme poverty is atypical and it is a battle to provide essentials for life. Despite these conditions, the Cañar are spiritual and adaptable. Cañar culture is entrenched with deep spiritual beliefs and family values. The Cañar are determined to keep their culture alive and enable it to be passed down for future generations. Judy Blankenship’s Cañar: A Year in the Highlands of Ecuador will be used to demonstrate Cañar culture is shared, learned, based on symbols and integrated. Culture consists of a group who share the same abstract of values, beliefs, and perceptions of the world. Perceptions of the world lie behind people’s behavior and are reflected in their demeanor.

Incense and other herbs are used in teas, ceremonies, and used during births as depicted. A fire is lit and the expecting mother is to jump over the flames and then be rolled in a blanket. The smoke from the fire is said to “llamar al niño”, call the child from the mother’s womb. (Blankenship:179). The expectant mother is then rolled back and forth in a blanket. A santé, a porcelain doll Jesus along with drinking of the 80-proof liquor Zhumir is part of a home birth ritual. At one point Mariana puts on a pair of latex gloves and administers an injection for pain. “Don’t film this part, Judicita, it’s not native medicine.” (Blankenship:178) She is adamant that Blankenship not film this as it is not native medicine. Although western medicine is used she only wants the traditional culture to be passed on. A Limpieza, a ritual cleansing is performed after life events such as a death or moving. Cleaning the house and purging of all things unnecessary on the concluding day of each year to promote a good next year are important to the Cañari culture. Alcohol, mainly Zhumir and Chicha, a homemade corn beer is a staple at all celebrations. The men encourage an excess at all such consequences and it is rude to turn away. This custom or tradition has led unfortunately to a lot of alcoholism and deaths for the