HUICHOLES
Meet the Wixarika magical culture.
WHO ARE THE WIXARITARI?
The mountains of the Sierra Madre Occidental, north of the state of Jalisco, Mexico. Are inhabited by a beautiful and mystical culture in which enigmatic worlds are created constantly by it´s protagonists, moons, suns, tres, laberynths, spirals, mountains and cosmic oceans that untiringly appear constantly expressed in the art, religión and the Huichol costums. People that have remained unscathed of external influence through centuries.
If the origins of this fascinating culture is doubtful, what results indisputable is that during the time of the Conquest, many survivors of diverse indigenous groups, fled into the interior of the Sierra Madre Occidental to escape from the trails of destruction left by the Spanish fleats. The mountains being practically inaccessible, could not be conquered, achieving the protection of the people that established in it.
LOCATION
The wixaritari (pronounciation, uirraritari, the "x" is pronounced as an "r", in plural), wixarika (in singular). Known in spanish as huicholes, inhabit the central west part of Mexico in the Sierra Madre Occidental, mainly in the states of Jalisco, Nayarit, and parts of Durango and Zacatecas.
There are five communities where the traditional governments are installed: San Andrés Cohamiata (Tateikie), Santa Catarina Cuexcomatitian (Tuapurie), San Sebastian Teponahuaxtlan (Wautia) and Tuxpan de Bolaños (Tutsipa) in the state of Jalisco, and Guadalupe Ocotan (Xatsitsarie) in Nayarit.
LANGUAGE
The huichol is related with nahuatl (from the yuto-aztec linguistic family that is spoken mainly by nahuas in Mexico and Central America), also pima, yaqui, pueblo, cora and tepehuano form a part of the yuto-aztec family.
Cora and huichol form a subgroup within the sonorense group from the meridonial branch.
The huicholes use the expression tewi niukiyari, that means “words of the people”, to specify their own language.
Huichol contains important loans from nahuatl and spanish.
COSMOVISION
The myths are the model of all the actions that have sense in society. That´s why the huichol plants, hunts and participates in the same ceremonies of their ancestors. To them, the world has a sacred dimension that is considered of great power and only specialists like the mara’akame (shamans) can manipulate it entering through the dream world with the gods establishing a relationship between the sacred and the profane.
One of the main characteristics of their religion is the association given in between corn, deer and peyote. Their mythology in general makes reference to this elements, making their ritual, parties, material and temporal organization of life circle around this elements. Corn and deer represent the vital sustention, as for peyote, it is the most important medium to transcend the profane world and the material manifestation most obvious of the sacred.
The gods are considered as ancestors, as for the dead they can be semideified. In this way, death establishes one more link with the sacred.
PEYOTE (HIKURI)
Lophophora williamsii, commonly known as peyote, is a species belonging to the Cactacea family. It is endemic to Mexico and the southwest of Texas. Known for it´s psychoactive alkaloids, among them the mescaline, main substance responsible of it´s psychedelic effects. It has a long tradition of medicinal and ritual use between native americans and it is extended worldwide as an entheogen and complement of diverse practices among which meditation and psychedelic psychotherapy are included.
It is a small cactus (from 1 to 5 inches in diameter and about 2 inches in height) almost spheric, lower in the apex with the body divided in 5 to 13 sections in form of buttons, blue and greyish green color, this part, also called crown, is the one that´s cut so that the root, thick and in cone shape, can maintain it´s capacity to generate new buttons above the cut without it rotting. The flowers have a pale pink color and appear form the apex in between march and may.
CLOTHING
Traditional clothing is characterized by it´s striking and elaborate confection, specially the male outfit. All the designs have an important religious meaning.
The outfit of women consists in a short blouse of one color and a long colorful skirt, with a flowered mantle to cover the head and chaquira beaded necklaces and earings. Men wear white mantle pants and shirts the same material that have an opening in the inferior part of the sleeves, such garments are embroided with elaborate symmetric colorful designs.
The huicholes use palm hats decorated with chaquira or yarn balls, and a quadrangular cape folded in half that goes over the shoulders and chaquira bracelets. To tie the shirttails to the waist they use woolen belts. Every man carries with him several embroided pouches of vivid colors. Men and women both wear huarache (sandals made of leather and sole made of tractor wheel).
HANDCRAFT
The forms of the artistic expression of the huicholes reflect their religious feelings and are embodied in a great variety of traditional ritual objects, in the clothing designs and in the construction of temples and musical instruments.
Among the huichol handcrafts there are wooden boards covered with representative designs made from color yarns and chaquira, their products are listed in the markate with high prices due to the time they invest to make them. They are specially attractive and striking making geometrical drawings and fantastic figures, very related to the intake of peyote.
Their handcrafts are distinguished by their attractive colors and religious symbols, huicholes always try to reflect their cosmovision in the mayority of their pieces.
Yarn
It is woven from wool made with really long threads. It is frequent to see the huicholes bearing their colorful traditional costume made out of mantle with embroided vivid colors.
The kamirra (shirt), open from the sides and held to the waist with the juayame (wide belt), made of wool or yarn. On top of the belt they have many little pouches that they call kuihuame or huaikuri, united by a lace. Over their shoulders they carry one or more kuchurri or embroided and woven pouches.
Chaquira
Beads and shells used as decoration. It is unknown since when the chaquira appears in Mexico as an element of ornament in different clothing garments, such as jewelery or as a decorative complement of certain ceremonial objects.
Little glass beads, turquoise, and jade are used long ago to give a distinctive touch to blouses, capes, ceremonial bandanas, shirts, hats, earings, necklaces, bracelets, and ceremonial plates, a whole bright and colorful world in which it is clearly without a doubt huichol work, in the origin of every garment and the technic used in the application.
