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Hands Around the World |
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Hands Around the World |
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Indian Cultures from Around the World
The Uros Indians of Peru and Bolivia are a very interesting people. They live high in the Peruvian and Bolivian Andes and on Lake Titicaca on floating islands. They were forced onto the lake as the Incan Indians pushed further and further into their territory. The Uros Islands are made of reeds which grow naturally on the banks of Lake Titicaca. The reeds are matted down and added to as they disintegrate at the bottom. The islands float on the surface of the lake. The make their homes, their furniture and their boats out of the reeds. They also eat the tender bottoms of the reeds. The Uros Indians are known for their beautiful and intricate handwork, weaving, spinning, and embroidery.
There are more than 40 floating islands, the largest being Huacavacani, Toranipata, and Santa Maria. During the rainy season, from November to February, the islands often float on the surface of the lake. The reeds used to make their island, homes, boats, etc. are called tortora reeds. Life on the islands is hard. Many have moved to the mainland leaving only a few hundred on the islands. The islands rot from the bottom very quickly so that new reeds must constantly be added to the top. The surface is spongy and sometimes difficult to walk on. They also have to travel a distance to find fresh water. Legend says that the full-blooded Uros Indians had black blood that protected them from the frigid temperatures on the water and also from drowning. The Uros were pushed back onto the lake when the Incas took over the region. The Incas considered the Uros Indians to be so poor that the only tax they required of them was a section of hollow cane filled with rice. After a drought worsened their poverty, most Uros left the islands and intermarried with the Ayamara and Quechua-speaking Indians. The last full-blooded Uro was a woman who died in 1959. The Uros who moved back to the islands are actually a mix of Uros, Ayamaras and Incas, though they follow the ways of the Uros. After the Incas and Spaniards quit exerting their influence, the Uros once again became proud fishermen who survive by living off the tortora reeds as well as hunting, fishing, and selling their beautiful handicrafts.
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Photos property of Hands Around the World
Made from the reeds on the Uros Islands, these hand made boats feature tiny clothed figures in the traditionally shaped reed boats.
Additional Information
Puno - The islands are inhabited by the Uros Indians and the flow of Indians departing to live on the mainland has been stemmed by the onslaught of tourism.
CULTUREFOCUS: Peru photos. Pictures from Lake Titicaca.
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market for baskets, pottery, and other hand made crafts
Hands Around the World
111 E. Main, Jonesborough, Tennessee 37659
Phone: (423) 753-8177 Fax: (423) 913-2489
