Ecuadorian Music: Preservation in the Napo Province

 Zachary Rhines

I. Introduction

            Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once stated, 'Music is the universal language of mankind.' No matter where a person hails from, music can still be interpreted and felt by the listener. Music may be different from country to country, region to region, and person to person, but it still speaks to everyone and requires no translation. However, when one stifles a group's music, its very existence is put to the test, and more often than not, it slowly dies, and eventually becomes extinct.

            The extinction of indigenous music is occurring in the Napo Province of Ecuador. The indigenous music of this region is a very unique aspect of the country. There are many factors that are contributing to the extinction of the music, but there are existing musical ensembles who still want to promote and educate people about the music and their culture. These performing ensembles have realized that this is a very important issue because of the impact that it will have if lost forever; because of this issue, they have started efforts to preserve it.

            To counteract the road to extinction, Dr. Phillip Wilhelm, assistant professor of music education, from McKendree University along with a group of his students traveled to Ecuador from May 5 to May 27, 2009. These students included Zachary Rhines, Emily Thoman, Justin Titsworth, and Genevieve Strathman, and the goal of this trip was to trek into the field, the jungle of Ecuador, and start the preservation process. One part of this process included interviewing the musical ensembles and members of the community in order to figure out why this music was disappearing. The second part involved recording indigenous ensembles and dictating the songs to paper to ensure that their music will not be lost. (Rhines) This is a long and tedious process, but the trip started many steps that can lead to preservation.

II. Introduction to Ecuador

        As seen in figure 2.1, the country of Ecuador is divided into to four regions: the Galapagos Islands, the Coastal and Western Lowlands, the Highlands, and the Rainforest.

Figure 2.1 Regional Map of Ecuador

The Galapagos Islands are a set of islands that are 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador that are home to numerous animal species that Charles Darwin discovered when arrived on the islands. ('Ecuador Regions') The temperature is very dry and hot, which makes for some of the best scuba diving spots in the world. The Coastal and Western Lowlands are home to Guayaquil, the largest and economically the most important city in the country. The website, Ecuador.us, claims that it is very warm, which contributes to the many fruit and coffee plantations and to some of the world's best whitewater rafting routes. The next region is the Highlands, and it is home to the Andes Mountains and Cotopaxi, the world's highest active volcano. ('Ecuador Regions') The capital of Ecuador, Quito, is also found here. The last region is the Rainforest, which is the home of the Amazon. www.Ecuador.us also says that this region is covered almost entirely by dense tropical rain forest and is home to 4,500 species of orchids.  The Amazon accounts for little more than 5% of the total population, but here there are small communities of indigenous people such as the Huaorani, Cofan, Shuar, and Siona-Secoya who live in jungle villages and carry on with many of their ancient traditions. ('Ecuador Regions')

Ecuador has a long tradition of being conquered in its history. It is the result of blends from the influences of Spanish colonialism with the resilient traditions of pre-Columbian peoples. ('Ecuador: History and Culture') Incans also inhabited much of what Ecuador is today. The first Spaniards landed in Northern Ecuador in 1526, and Francisco Pizzaro landed in 1532. Atahaulpa was ambushed, held for ransom, 'tried,' and executed. As a result, the Incan empire was demolished. Quito was re-established in 1534 under the rule of the Spanish Colonists, and independence was finally won on May 24, 1882, by Sim'n Bol'var, but the forces were led by Antonio Jos' de Sucre. ('Ecuador: History and Culture') As time progressed, many battles ensued between Ecuador and Peru.

The politics of Ecuador is that of corruption and unsteadiness. Unlike many other countries, the people of Ecuador have much more power when choosing political leaders. The people can and have raided the National Assembly building to remove an official. The most recent removal was on January 21, 2000, when demonstrators stormed the National Assembly building and ordered a three person junta be in charge of the country. President Mahuad was forced to flee the palace for his own safety. ('Background Note: Ecuador') Also, the government of Ecuador passed Compulsory Voting legislation which stated that everyone is required to vote in elections unless one is over 65 or illiterate. ('Alternative Voting') However, for those persons it is optional. Because everyone is required to vote, politicians resort to 'dirty' tactics in order to win elections. This is very popular because the government officials are very wealthy and the majority of citizens are in poverty. As a result, Miguel Castanel stated that many officials on the night before an election host big parties with lots of liquor. The official who is up for election will thoroughly campaign and lead the crowd in chants. The parties last all night, so they stay intoxicated. The next day the official transports them to the poll places, and then the voter remembers all the cheering, and votes for that person. (Castanel)

The attitude towards the indigenous people of the Napo Province is not very favorable. Many non-indigenous people believe that the indigenous are not smart because they do not live up to the same standards and do not use the same skills. The also believe that they are less of a person because they are not so conformed to society's colonized standards. While in the field, many musical ensembles stated that many non-indigenous people do not have pleasant views about their music and their culture. (Rhines) Dr. Phillip Wilhelm stated that there is a lot of prejudice that goes on involving the indigenous people and the colonized people they live near. (Wilhelm) There is also some confusion in the matriarchal and patriarchal views. In the bigger cities and smaller villages, men typically are in charge of the family. They often make decisions and the women are submissive. 'When we stayed with a host family in Quito, the woman of the family had breakfast ready every morning when we, along with her husband, woke up. Also, she was always the one who would come and let us back into the apartment at night, while her husband would stay asleep in bed.' (Rhines) However, the eldest women of a tribe of indigenous people will have the same power as the patriarchal relationship. 'When we visited the Wayra Churis, the eldest female had just about the same amount of influence that the rest of the men did. She was always involved with discussions and any decisions that the group made.' (Rhines) The gender roles are also slightly altered in the indigenous people. Traditionally, men will do the hunting, farming, and handle the money. This is not always the case. While at the Wayra Churis, two of the younger men in the tribe were jewelry and crafters. Traditionally, this is seen as feminine chore. (Wayra Churis) Women will prepare for the company, but will never entertain. They merely sit in the background and cater to everyone's needs. They prepare everything and eat last after everyone is done. One exception in the field was at the Wayra Churis tribe. The eldest woman was very involved with the decisions and discussion. She also participated in the same activities that the woman traditionally do. (Rhines)

III. Information about Music in the Napo Province

            The music of the Napo Province is very unique to itself because it utilizes a few instruments that are native to the region. The first native instrument is the turumpa. It is a pole with a string tied from one end to the other. There is a hole drilled into one end that acts as a resonation cavity. The resonation hole is put in the mouth, and the string is then plucked and the mouth is used to change the pitch. It looks very much like a fishing pole. It is so similar to one that while in the field, a few people asked if it was a fishing pole. (Wilhelm)

Figure 3.1 Max Shiguango Teaches Justin Titsworth to Play the Turumpa

The next indigenous instrument is the llawata. It is a flute-like instrument that is made out of wood. It contains one hole to play into, and has only two finger holes. It is played like a modern day flute.

Figure 3.2 The Llawata

The last indigenous instrument is the pingullo. The instrument is a recorder-like instrument that is made out of wood. It contains an opening/mouthpiece to play into and has six finger holes. It is much smaller and thinner than a modern day recorder, even though is played like one.

Figure 3.3 The Pingullo

            There are several instruments that are used in the indigenous ensembles that are not indigenous to Ecuador. The first is the violin. The reason it is used is because it was brought over when the Spaniards invaded the territory that is now current day Ecuador. It is played like a current day violin, and more often than not, it is used to double the melodic line. Another instrument that was brought over by the Spaniards that they use is the guitar. It is played like a modern guitar, but is utilized for more chords rather than a melody line. They also use many percussion instruments including the guiro, maracas, drums, rain stick, and zurupangas, also known as bundles of leaves. The main purpose of these instruments is to add another depth to the texture of the songs, and they also keep the tempo steady. The last non-indigenous instrument they use is the voice. Some of the songs require a melodic line with lyrics to be sung.

            Modern indigenous music has come a long way. It originally started out with the three indigenous instruments. Musicians would compose songs with those three instruments only. However, as colonization progressed many other instruments permeated into the ensembles. Another reason it has seeped its way into the ensembles is that ensembles want to increase the appeal of the indigenous music by appealing more to popular culture. The ensembles want to increase the popularity of their music, so they have resorted to instruments that are in current popular music. That is why they utilize a lot of guitar and violin in their compositions of today.

            While in the field, most of the songs the ensembles played all contained the same characteristics. (Rhines) As far as style is concerned, it is indigenous meaning and is very simple. There are no dynamic changes, and nothing in the song really changes. The song is static the whole time. There is not much harmony in any of the songs. It is usually homophonic or monophonic meaning there is sometimes an accompanying line, but most of the time it is just a melodic line with a non-pitched percussive accompaniment. The introduction of the violin and guitar is what contributed to the development of homophony in the indigenous music. Melodic lines of the indigenous song are very simple, and really only utilize five notes that represent the pentascale of the key it is in. The melodies repeat over and over in the song, and most of the time quarter, eighth, and some sixteenth notes are used for rhythms in the songs. Therefore, the songs are fairly easy to learn and play. There really is not a form to the songs because the melody is played over and over again. It just changes who plays the melody. Sometimes the violin will start the song with the melody, and then it will switch to the voice, and then it will move back to the violin, and so forth. The texture/timbre of the instruments is the deciding factor as to why it sounds so indigenous. The instruments are usually out of tune and are not the best, so the quality of the sound is going to be very poor. The quality of the voice is also going to be poor. Most of the time the singers are not trained at all, and they all love to smoke cigarettes there. As a result, their voices are not going to be in the best of health, and that will have a direct effect on the sound. The ensembles are not really balanced at all. The drums are usually pounding away, and the singer has to sing loud so the audience can hear them. The guitar and other non-percussive instruments get lost in the mix of all the different instruments.

            Depending if there are words or not, then the meaning and purpose of the song will be told. If a song does not have lyrics, more than likely the song is used for a type of dance, ceremony, or celebration. The Dance of the Chicha is used to make and serve the alcoholic drink that is made with the fermented spit of the women of the tribe. (Castanel) Chicha is a common centerpiece for hosting. It is very appropriate and common for it to be served to guests. The Marriage Song is used to announce that a wedding is going to happen. When it is played, everyone in the village gathers because in the small communities, it is a very important celebration. Also, the song is also used to parade the couple to the ceremony location. If the song does have lyrics or words, then more often than not it is used to transfer knowledge. A song can tell a story, and at the end there will be a moral. One song heard in the field told the story about a man who was swallowed by an anaconda near the banks of a river. It told the story of how he became swallowed, and then warned the listeners of the perils of not being careful near a river. (Rhines) Another song heard in the field had to do with just telling the listeners the piece of advice of living each day as if it were the last. It never told a story just explained the advice given.

            The make up and purpose of the ensembles are very similar from group to group. A majority of the time it is men who play in the ensembles, and most of the time the men are related somehow. The reason why it tends to stay in the family is because the most of the music is passed down through oral tradition meaning that the child or younger sibling will listen to the music and learn it by ear. They will listen to it so much that sometimes they will sneak out with an instrument and go out into the forest and learn the songs. Then, one day when they are called upon to play, they will be able to do so. (Castanel) However, in some ensembles, such as the Wayra Churis, children and women are musicians and dancers. (Wayra Churis) Sometimes the group will put younger men and women in the ensemble to cover a part and to get them involved younger, so that they will develop an appreciation earlier. The main purpose of these groups is to play for ceremonies and celebrations. In Ecuador, music is used in almost every ceremony and celebration. The music is used as a way to get the community together. When in the field, the Kaliari Pacha were playing, and many people walked by and peeked in the window to see what was going on because to them, music means that there is a special occasion. (Rhines)

IV. Attitudes about the Indigenous Music

            Depending on the person being interviewed, the attitude about the indigenous music will vary because no one believes the same idea. Some community members believe that it is important for the music to be preserved while others did not even knew it existed. The same thing happened with the students at the Colegio San Jose. Some students did not like it because it was overly simple, or they just preferred to listen to the popular music on the radio.

            After interviewing many people who were on the con side for the indigenous music, there were three main reasons that people did not like indigenous music. Many 10^th grade students found the music to be boring because the melodies and rhythms repeated numerous times. The persons interviewed stated that the songs are overly simplistic because there is one melody. That melody is played on the same instrument every time. (10^th Grade Students) Lastly, the big reason many students do not like indigenous music is because they have been raised on reggaeton. As defined by dictionary.com, reggaeton is a style of popular dance music of Caribbean origin that combines elements of dancehall, hip-hop, and various Caribbean musical elements. It features lyrics that are rapped or sung in Spanish. Popular reggaeton artists include Daddy Yankee and Pit Bull. ('Reggaeton Artists') Most of these children are not exposed to the indigenous music at all, and the few who are, still prefer the reggaeton because it is popular and it is probably what their friends listen to. (10^th Grade Students)

            However, some of the children and people interviewed liked the indigenous music. These persons enjoy the music because it gives them a sense of pride because it is a part of their culture. They are proud because it is a piece of who they are, and where they have come from. Another reason why the people like the music is because of the interesting rhythms. (10^th Grade Students) The indigenous music is very rhythm based meaning that the percussive lines are the driving force behind moving the song forward. The percussion lines are not easy in the least bit, so the people realize this and acknowledge it, which is why they like the music. For a few of the people interviewed, this is also a way of life. Some people have been raised with the music and have been constantly exposed to it. They do not know any better, so thus, they enjoy and like it.

V. Indigenous Ecuadorian Musical Ensembles

            While in the field, three ensembles agreed to be recorded and interviewed for the project. During the interview, one group talked about how there used to be numerous musical groups in the area, but as the decline of popularity happened, the jobs grew fewer and fewer and the musicians had to find other jobs.

The first group was the Kaliari Pacha, and they were from Rucu Llacta. They are first group that was recorded in the field. They consisted mostly of family members. This group has been together for two and a half years, but Max Shiguango has been playing since 1980, and has been moving from group to group since then. (Kaliari Pacha) The musical ensemble consists of five musicians whose names, occupations, ages, ethnicity, and instrument(s) played are listed in table 4.1. (Kaliari Pacha) When looking at the last names, one can tell that most of the musicians are related to each other. However, the one last name that does not match with the rest of the group is related to Max's wife. The interesting thing about this group was they offered two turumpas as gifts and a tour to a sacred shaman waterfall. Miguel Castanel said this was extremely rare because the waterfall is used for natures' inspiration, and for him to receive his powers. (Castanel) The place was considered very holy, and the main reason the tour was offered was because the ensemble saw the good that the project was doing or going to do.

Table 4.1 Kaliari Pacha Musicians' Basic Information

            Kaliari Pacha was the first group in the field that played traditional Quichua songs. The songs that this group played ranged from a variety of topics and ceremonies. The first song performed was Amazonas Warmi 2. Max Shiguango was the composer which is re-assuring for the music because that means that even if some of the indigenous music is lost, there are still some musicians that are still composing new pieces. The piece was composed for violin, guitar, drums, and guiro. The second piece performed was the Dance of the Chicha. This is a traditional Quichua song, and the piece was written for the pingullo and drums. The purpose of this song is to invite other members of the community to come and participate in the sharing of the chicha with visitors. The next song they performed was the song for making the chicha. Again, Max was the composer and it was written for the turumpa. The song is used to make chicha so that it can be used for other ceremonies and celebrations. The group then performed the marriage song, and it is a traditional Quichua song, which is written for a violin, guitar, and maraca. This song is used by a man that is going to ask a woman for marriage. He will hire the ensemble, and then they will parade to the woman's house, so that he can ask for her hand in marriage. The last song they performed was Iluku Mama. The composer is unknown, but it was written for a drum, guiro, violin, and guitar. The song tells the story of a Quichua man who married his sister and had children with her. (Kaliari Pacha)

            The next group that performed in the field was the Wayra Churis. The name of the group literally translates to, 'Sons of the Wind.' The members of this group are all in the same family. However, some of them have married in and are not blood related. The group has played since 1995, and has legally been recognized as an indigenous ensemble by the government for seven years. The basic information of the group's musicians is displayed in table 4.2. (Wayra Churis)

Table 4.2 Wayra Churis Musician's Basic Information

Of all the groups recorded and interviewed in the field, this group was the most interesting. The reason why is they were the closest to being as indigenous as possible in their everyday lives. They had the first woman musician, and a few of their songs were written down. They wore the traditional clothing which consisted of navy blue cloth that has been sewn into dresses, shirts, and capri pants. Most of the community members lived in semi-traditional shelters made from wood, leaves, and cement. The men of the group will go out and hunt and farm food for the community to eat. They will go and hunt jaguar and snakes, catch fish, and will gather vegetables to be served. The last interesting thing about the group was they had a woman play in the group. This was the first group seen in the field saw that had a woman play in it. Being a musician was mainly seen as a male's role, so women were not expected to play. Women are allowed to dance, but not play in the ensembles. From an observation, she had just about as much power as the men did of the tribe. (Rhines) Also, Anita who was a dancer composed two pieces that the group performed, which just shows how this group values equality of the sexes more than the big city communities. This was also the first and only time that a system of written notation was seen in the field. Benacio who is the leader of the group had the words written down in a notebook. When asked why the words are written down, he answered, 'I can't remember all the words. I have to have them written down, so I do not forget them.' (Wayra Churis) This was definitely a good discovery for preservation, even though it was not for that specific reason.

The songs performed were a group decision, and they even let a few songs that were not as prepared be performed, so that other group members could gain experience. The first song they played was Rucu Yaya Causoi, which Benacio composed for pingullo, drums, turtle shell, rain stick, leaf bundles, maracas, and voice. The song tells the story of how everyone in the past was together as a family. The next song performed told the story of the life of a son without his father. It was entitled, Wayra Churis Kousoi, and was written by Benacio for a pingullo, two drums, rain stick, turtle shell, and conch shell. Also, Ruku Llacta Uma Llacta was a piece that they ensemble performed. Benacio composed the piece, so that there would be a maraca, pingullo, leaf bundles, turtle shell, two drums, and a voice. The song tells how the Wayra Churis is a group that lives in the headquarters of the rivers. Next, the group performed Ayawaskata Upiasha Takina. This song was written for a turumpa, pingullo, drum, voice, and leaf bundles. Shamans use this piece when they drink haya waska, which is a hallucinogenic drink that allows them to see 'clearly.' (Castanel) Another song they performed was Lilliumbaki Bariza, and this song tells the story of how monkeys used to be little people. Benacio composed this song for two drums, pingullo, shakers, turtle shell, and leaf bundles. Sumaco Urku was the song that Juan Carlos composed with the help from the group. This was one of his first compositions, and it is a story about a man who was swallowed by an anaconda. He wrote the piece for two drums, panpipe, shakers, and turtle shell. Anita Salazar along with help from the group wrote two songs that the group performed. The first was Tuna Raymi Manta which was written for a turtle shell, two drums, and a shaker. The song recalls the ancestors of Tena and remembers them. Pasu Supi Mama was the second. The purpose behind the song is unknown, but it was written for a turtle shell, two drums, and a shaker. (Wayra Churis)

The last group recorded in the field was Los Jilgueros. Judging from table 4.3, the ensemble is a blood-related group, and everyone is related to Santiago Greta, who is the leader of the group. He has his son, daughters, and grandchildren play in the ensemble. This is also the oldest and most popular ensemble that is still playing for the community. The ensemble has been playing for thirty-eight years, and has played for thousands of people including Pope John Paul II. (Los Jilgueros)

Table 4.3 Los Jilgueros Musician's Basic Information

            The majority of the songs performed were the traditional Quichua songs, but this group was the first one to perform a song that was in Spanish. The first song the ensemble performed was Sumai Sumai. Sanitago was the composer and the piece was written for guitar, violin, two drums, voice, guiro, and leaf bundles. The song is used as a cleansing, so that the bad spirits keep away. The next song they performed was Asuamanga Tinja, which is a song about the chicha. Again, Santiago was the composer, and it was written for a guitar, violin, voice, two drums, and a guiro. Santiago's Capchani Cayapani is a song that is used by a man to get a woman's attention and to get her to accept his affections. The song utilizes a guitar, voice, violin, two drums, and a guiro. Los Jilgueros then performed Papita Maivira, which is used to honor Santiago's dead father. Santiago composed it for a guitar, two drums, voice, and a guiro. The next song performed was the only song heard in the field that was in Spanish, and not Quichua. It was called Now You're Here, Tomorrow as Well. Santiago composed it for a guitar, voice, two drums, and a guiro, and the purpose of the song is to teach the lesson to live life to fullest because one may not be here tomorrow. Then, the ensemble performed Let's Go Dancing, Pila, Pila, which is the song that teaches about their culture because one gets up out of their seat and dances with the dancers. Santiago composed it so that a guitar, violin, drum, voice, and guiro would be performed. Santiago's Song of the Spiders tells the story of a house that is filled with spiders that eat mosquitoes and save the inhabitants of the house from malaria. The song utilizes a guitar, voice, drum, and guiro. The last song the ensemble performed was Tapia Pischeu. Santiago composed the piece so that a guitar, two drums, voice, and guiro could perform the song. The song is about a little bird that sings when one is alive. (Los Jilgueros)

            Despite having all his children and grandchildren playing in the ensemble, most of the musicians clearly do not enjoy performing the music. Santiago strongly believes in performing and promoting his culture so much, but he does not know or refuses to believe that most of the musicians in the ensemble do not feel the same way as he does. He made the group dress in their traditional clothing that consisted of grass skirts and bras, for the women. When, they came out, they seemed embarrassed that they were in those clothes and clearly did not like wearing them at all. Also, at the end of the performance, all the members minus Santiago ran off and were in their street clothes in minutes. The older women who were the dancers often messed up the words and dance moves, would look at each other, and laugh to each other. If one has respect for the music and culture, then all of these things would be non-existent because of the pride that is being shown. Santiago will not be happy once the ensemble members grow up because judging from their behavior, they will not continue to play in the group, and thus possibility of extinction will greatly grow. Extinction is only possible if no one does anything about, but there are many options and means that one can go try to preserve the indigenous music. 

VI. Preservation of the Indigenous Music

            Many indigenous and non-indigenous believe that this music is important for many reasons. However, not all people feel strongly about it. The music is being lost at an alarming rate. There is normally no notation utilized by the ensembles because they use oral tradition. They pass it down from one generation to another, and sometimes there are certain events and situations that will prevent the music from being passed down, and then part of the culture is gone. The decline in popularity of the indigenous music is also an ongoing problem that deters from some groups from playing in the community.

The preservation of this music can lead to the education of people all over the world. Not only will it educate people across the globe, but it will inform people who are living in the surrounding communities. If the people of those communities learn about the indigenous people, then there is a great chance that the stereotypes and poor attitudes associated with them will be demolished, and the people will live in peace and have respect for each other. Also, this indigenous music is a great teaching tool for not only music teachers, but for teachers in all subject areas. The means in order to get the music publicized are numerous, but while in the field, there were a few that work really well given the country's financial situation.

The ultimate goal behind this project is to preserve the indigenous music, and publish it, so that it is available for people all over the world to see and hear. Many people do not even know that this culture even exists, so making it available on the internet or printing a book of the music can vastly change the attitude and accessibility of the music. Another possible benefit is one may spark an interest in the Napo Province's music and become a crusader for a different culture's music. If that is the case, then not only will the music of the Napo Province be preserved, but other cultures that require help will be preserved also. There is also a chance that if the parents and elders in the group are promoting their ensembles as much as they can, their children may join the cause and further progress till the extinction of the group is no longer a problem. If their children's musical experience is a positive one, then there is a much greater chance that their children will continue in their steps.

            Many teachers would be surprised at how simple this music is not only to teach, but to incorporate so that he or she is teaching across the curriculum. The songs consist of very simple rhythms and melodic lines. The melodic line consists of a few measures, and never usually utilizes anything other than quarter, eighth, and sometimes sixteenth notes. Once a student learns the small phrase, then he or she can play the whole song because it usually repeats a few times. Also, there are usually only five notes needed in order to play the song, so the teacher can introduce the song early on in the recorder unit, and the students can feel like they are accomplishing an exotic song. Teaching of these also brings about a way to involve all the other subject areas. As most people know, the teaching of music can involve all the other subject areas. If one were to teach one of these indigenous songs, then one can teach about the history of the song, the meaning behind it, counting of the rhythms, etc.

            Not only will the world benefit from the exposure of this music, but the musicians themselves will clearly benefit. More often than not, if a person does not understand or know a person he or she will make an uneducated judgment about that person. Most of the time, the judgment is wrong, and may be harmful to the opposing person. If the musicians get their information out, then the stereotypes associated with them will break down. Ultimately, with learning comes understanding. Before one can understand anything, one must learn about it, and experience it first hand. One cannot not force the culture aspect on another person; one must have some time to digest it, or it is possible that they will completely shut down and not be receptive of it at all. It is more than likely an aspect of society that he or she has never experienced. Therefore, one must take it slow because the results in the end clearly out weigh the long and rough journey to preservation.

            In order to preserve and rally support for the indigenous music, one must present the music so that people can become educated. It can range from being as simple as the indigenous people wearing the traditional clothing, teaching the music and culture in class, or giving/attending an indigenous concert. Another possibility isf giving a presentation on the culture and music, using the media, and publishing it to the internet. Having the indigenous people wear their traditional clothing will show the outsiders that they are not uncivilized and that they do not run around naked. Teaching about the music and culture in the classroom is a great and simple way to educate and correct the misconceptions about the indigenous people. Taking children or having one's students perform a concert of indigenous music is a great opportunity to teach not only the students in class, but to educate the parents, guardians, and community members who are sitting in the audience.

            The more varied information, the more people can be reached and educated. Giving a presentation to a group of people would be a great way to inform them. While in the field, there was a music and cultural presentation given at a school in Tena. All the groups recorded came and performed a few songs for the school. Each group performed in their traditional clothing, and they were paid for their services, so it was a great way for the information to get out and for the groups to make some money. Also, the media was very generous in Ecuador. While in the field, the project was on a television show in Tena where the work being done was talked about. The television producer talked about how there used to be a radio show that was dedicated to going out in the community to record and play the indigenous music. (Television Producer) However, funding was cut, and the show fell through. Now, they do short segments on the television show to promote the local indigenous music. Lastly, with Youtube as popular as it is currently, that would be a great resource to put the videos for the whole world to see. The site is free and simply requires a video recorder to record the music, and then anyone in the world can watch and learn about a culture thousands of miles from in the confines of their own home.

VII. Conclusion

            From an outsider's perspective, one may think that Ecuador's indigenous culture is not important because many other cultures around the world are in the same situation. That is true, but these people cannot save the music by themselves because they simply do not have the resources or the means to do so. They do not always have access to the internet and they all live in poverty, and therefore use money on the necessities in order to survive. There has to be a desire to change from the musicians and outsiders who enjoy and want to preserve their music. If the musicians do not see the problem, then there is an even bigger problem. However, all musicians recorded in the field acknowledged that they want their music to reach more people, and the main reason why is to educate people about their culture. (Kaliari Pacha, Wayra Churis, Los Jilgueros)

            Finally, there are always going to be obstacles in the path to preservation. Whether it is outsiders making recordings and stealing the music or people becoming extremely deterred because the results are not visible, the crusaders must never lose hope because the change starts within the hearts of those who think that this an important issue. One must realize that this will not be a quick fix. The preservation of this indigenous music is going to take a lot of time in order to ensure its preservation. There is already a lot of work that has been done, so there is definitely some progress. However, one cannot not rely on others to do all of the work. If one wants to save this country's music, one must actively participate. It is never going to get done by simply watching; one must be proactive and make difference for people who cannot otherwise do so.

Bibliography

10^th Grade Students. Personal Interview. 19 May 2009.

Castanel, Miguel. Personal Interview. 13 May 2009.

Alternative Voting Methods. Electoral Reform Society. 21 Jan. 2010 < http://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/article.php?id=46>.

Background Note: Ecuador. Oct. 2009. U.S. Department of State. 14 Sept. 2009 <http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35761.htm>.

Ecuador: History and Culture. interKnowledge Corp. 15 Jan. 2010 <http://www.geographia.com/ecuador/history.htm>.

Ecuador Regions Ecotourism Provinces. Ecuador.us. 21 Jan. 2010 <http://www.ecuador.us/regions.htm>.

Kaliari Pacha. Personal Interview. 11 and 12 May 2009.

The Llawata. Personal photograph by Zachary Rhines. 4 Apr. 2010.

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Quotes. Think Exist. 21 Jan. 2010 <http://thinkexist.com/quotation/music_is_the_universal_language_of/164194.html>.

Los Jilgueros. Personal Interview. 18 May 2009.

Max Shiguango Teaches Justin Titsworth to Play the Turumpa. Personal photograph by Emily Thoman. 12 May 2009.

The Pingullo. Personal photography by Zachary Rhines. 4 Apr. 2010

Reggaeton. Dictionary.com. 21 Jan. 2010 < http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/reggaeton>.

Reggaeton Artists. Reggaeton Online. 21 Jan. 2010 < http://www.reggaetonline.net/reggaeton-artists.php>.

'Regional Map of Ecuador.' Map. Virtual Ecuador. 2010. 21 Jan. 2010 <http://www.virtualamericas.net/ecuador/maps/regions.shtml>.

Rhines, Zachary. Field Notes. Ecuador Trip. Tena, Ecudor. May 2009.

Television Producer. Personal Interview. 19 May 2009.

Wayra Churis. Personal Interview. 13 May 2009.

Wilhelm, Dr. Phillip. Personal Interview. 10 May 2009.