One of the most important trends to develop in both anthropology and archaeology during the latter half of the 20th century was the inclusion of indigenous peoples into the larger social science discourse (beyond simply being “subjects” or “objects”). In some countries and in some areas of investigation this inclusive process began at an earlier time then in others. For example, in North America the collaborative process between anthropologists and Native Americans began as early as 1941 (Jones and Stapp, 2008). In other places, such as in South America, the process of including indigenous voices and knowledge in social science research and theoretical discussion did not begin until much later. Despite these differences in time, it has generally been acknowledged that including indigenous peoples in the anthropological and archaeological research process has greatly expanded our knowledge base, data sets, and overall understanding of the human condition. A contemporary example of this is the current collaborative process taking place in the Central Andean region of South America between archaeologists and local indigenous people.
The Yungas of the Central Andes
In the yungas (hot valleys in Quechuan) of the eastern cordillera Montana along the eastern face of the Central Andes archaeologists are working with indigenous peoples in several endeavors (see the work of Christian Isendahl and Daryl Stump for example). The Montana plays a decisive ecological role at both the continental and global scales – forcing the moist easterly air masses of the South Atlantic anticyclone to ascend and release precipitation that feeds the Amazonian drainage with nutrient-rich, sediment-laden water. The Montana provides an important variable for Amazonian rain forest ecology, structure, and distribution and played an important role in the growth of indigenous peoples’ prehistoric complex societies in the lowland Neotropics, as well as contemporary indigenous groups and cultures. But the Montana physiography is not a homogenous slope landscape; it forms a complex mosaic of landforms that house considerable ecological variation principally based on differences in altitude, precipitation level, and slope gradient.
The yungas is a term denoting a composite type of landscape and forms an important component of the Montana. A mosaic distribution of a wide gamut of ecological zones, regional hyper-humidity, and geographical location at the boundary between the extensive Neotropical lowland forests and savannas to the east and the highland Andes to the west combine to make the eastern cordillera Montana a very complex environment of high biodiversity. Despite the biodiversity of the Montana and the agricultural production potential of the yungas – both prehistoric and contemporary – archaeological investigations in this ecological mosaic have been few and fragmentary, and prehispanic settlement and land-use patterns of the yungas are poorly known.
In an attempt to remedy this data gap, and to bring contemporary indigenous peoples into the investigatory process, the project
Cultivating the Past was envisioned.
Cultivating the Past is a field-based research project in archaeology active in the yungas of Tablas Monte. The project picks up on the results from an important archaeological research initiative in the yungas of Cochabamba over the last few years (Sanchez 2008). This research has unearthed a complex agro-archaeological landscape at Rasupampa, at an altitude of 1850-1900 m, near the settlement of Tablas Monte. Survey and preliminary mapping of portions of the agro-archaeological landscape over several field seasons in 2002-2005 have revealed evidence of a complex local prehispanic agrosystem including a range of agro-technological solutions to slope and water management that have not been reported in a similar configuration from elsewhere in the Central Andes.
Indigenous farming in the yungas
Drawing on the documentation, restoration, and testing of the prehispanic agrosystem, the ultimate ambition of
Cultivating the Past is to contribute to sustainable alternatives to the local indigenous livelihood. Disseminating research results among smallholders and indigenous communities in local schools, in exhibitions, and by distributing informative brochures in Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara the protection of the unique cultural heritage of the yungas hopefully will be preserved for current and future generations.
In the Andean region, the position that rural development needs to be founded on indigenous agronomic knowledge that draws on the long-term experience of cultivation in local landscapes is not only real for small-holders, farming cooperatives, and indigenous rural grass-root movements, but it is also gaining acceptance in local and national government bodies, NGOs, and among scientists. The increasingly important role given to locally managed, sustainable agrosystems with low external input in rural development programs is directly the result of listening to local indigenous peoples, and including their voices and concerns into the development process.
Similarly, to be successful, anthropology and archaeology must be firmly anchored locally, and to a significant extent build on the exchange of knowledge between the specialist competencies of the social scientist and the knowledge systems of indigenous peoples based in the life-long engagement with a landscape, with the benefits of understanding that comes from locally “being in the world.”
Cultivating the Past is one such example, and hopefully many more will follow.
