Mother Tongues of the High Andes - 9780816555635

University of Arizona Press

Mother Tongues of the High AndesGender, Language, and Indigenous Difference in Peru\nAuthor(s): Sandhya Krittika Narayanan\nFormat: Hardback\nPublisher: University of Arizona Press, United States\nImprint: University of Arizona Press\nISBN-13: 9780816555635, 978-0816555635\nSynopsis\nThe Peruvian altiplano, a high plateau around Lake Titicaca, is known for its breathtaking landscapes and the cultivation of commodities like quinoa and alpaca wool. The region also stands out for its history of inter-Indigenous language contact and multilingualism between Quechua- and Aymara-speaking communities. This linguistic ecology predates the Spanish conquest and persists today, making the altiplano, with its capital, Puno, a unique space where Indigenous multiplicity is recognized and celebrated. Yet this celebration is accompanied by additional ideological challenges around defining Quechua and Aymara as distinct Indigenous languages and ethnic groups.\n\nAnthropologist Sandhya Krittika Narayan.