Quijos-Quichua

The Quijos-Quichua (Napo-Quichua) are a Lowland Quechua (Runa Shimi) people, living in the basins of the Napo, Aguarico, San Miguel, and Putumayo river basins of Ecuador and Peru.

Traditional Medicine

Traditional medicine making use of local plants and trees is an important part of Quijos culture. 29% of tree species are used for medicinal purposes. Examples of plants used in Quijos tradtitional medicine are tobacco, chilli pepper and wayusa, which is typically brewed into an infusion.

• 
  Wayusa leaves

Traditional Food

Traditionally in these communities, the women went out to work in the chacras and the men went to hunt and fish. Their days would start by drinking chicha. Traditional cuisine from these communities (Kichwa - Quijos) do not use salt. They replace salt with ash from certain plants. Some food products in their diet include: sweet potato, plantain (and/or banana), yuca, corn (maize), rice, beans, chonta, heart of palm , chili, honey, meat and fish. They also cultivated granadillas, logmas, barbasco, ayahuasca and tobacco.

Chacra - Household Gardens

Household gardens, or chacra, remain important in the lowland Kichwa (Quijos) communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Chacra production is not only central to household food security but also its symbolic importance to Kichwa (Quijos) cultural identity.

Hunting and Fishing

Quijos capture dantas, monkeys, and other wild animals with an instrument made with wood called bodoquera. Bodoquera is known as blowgun and it contains small arrows with herbs and poison which will put the preys asleep instantly when they get in touch with the instrument.

A traditional ritual they do before hunting is to smoke marijuana in order to see their preys clearly. They capture birds with a trap called toclla. For fishing, they will use traps and barbasco. Barbasco is a plant that contains poisonous chemical compounds that have been used for fishing by indigenous populations of the Americas.

.

External Links

Gutierrez, W. (2002). Baeza, la ciudad de los Quijos.