EL LUGAR DE LA CULTURA Y LA CULTURA DEL LUGAR: PRÁCTICAS Y CONOCIMIENTOS DE LOS CRIADORES DE CAMÉLIDOS EN EL SUR PERUANO

Abstract

In order to analyze the importance of local culture in the processes of modernization and local development, we researched the knowledge and practices that typify the breeding and commercialization process employed by breeders of camelids in Caylloma province, Peru, through five case studies, one for each town or district. Our results indicate that breeding of domestic camelids is a rotational and migratory activity, as well as a holistic process which brings together the community, nature and even the supernatural, which is manifested in beliefs, practices and rituals that are usually overlooked in development processes. The breeding of camelids and the commercialization of their fiber involve the participation of the entire family, often with the collaboration of neighbours of the grazing territory, and openly conducted under the leadership of the women. Among the systems of commercialization used by breeders, we observed: the individual through intermediaries, and partnership through storage centers. The partnership system is a model based on family cooperation and principles of strategic collaboration as carried out in the local culture, which involve participating in collective strategies. This demonstrates that the practices and local knowledge are viable and essential for processes of local modernization, the sustainability of which is based on cultural and ecological diversity.