While in Puno, a city on the shores of Lake Titicaca, we discovered our true cultural roots. Upon learning their traditions, we recognized our immediate kinship with the Aymara people who live on the floating islands of Lake Titicaca. I know it seems a bit far-fetched at first glance. What with my aversion to sea-faring, MScott´s height, our love of electricity and plumbing, how could we really be kindred Aymara?
But we dug deeper, and there we found our connection: After counting the nearly innumerable solar panels powering Taquile Island (Connection #1: we both love renemable energy!) and deciding, after much delibreation what our first electronic device would be, we learned about Aymara courtship.
The Aymara people believe marriage is for live, there is no divorce permitted, and as such it is not to be entered into lightly. In order to assure a couple´s success and prepare for the adult responsibilities of a home and children, Aymara couples live together for a period of two to five years before marriage in order to assure they ¨understand¨ one another. If all goes well, they spend that time building a home and preparing for children, which come after marriage. If all goes poorly, they separate and move-on, without tribal judgement. Ok, the similarities are uncanny! But we still had questions: namely, how are there not LOTS of Aymara bastard babies running around?
Enter the ¨Natiri¨. The Natiri is more important than ¨the teacher, the doctor, the parents, the priest¨. Why? Because when a couple first moves in together for their ¨understanding period¨ the Natiri comes over, reads the couple´s coca leaves to assess the match and future, and instructs the couple on how to embark on a life of parnership. In addition to couple´s counselling and sooth-saying, the Natiri also teaches the couple sex education: ¨what herbs to take before the sex, herbs to take after the sex, the pills, and the condoms¨. Wait, the pills and condoms?? Yep, the Natiri is hip to the times; thus, no bastard babies!
Just one question remained before we were ready for our Aymara initiation: who was our Natiri? Oddly enough, in under two seconds we silently came to the mutual decision that this honor goes to our favorite Alaskan. We don´t really remember any special nights reading coca leaves or having Dr. Ruth-style sex talks, but she does seem to be the fairy godmother of the relationship. We just hope we aren´t disappointing her by being on the longer end of the ¨understanding period¨ window.
And so, between the progressive energy soluntions and forward-thinking marriage policies, we left Taquile Island, crossed beautiful Lake Titicaca, and left Puno feeling very peaceful, having found our kindred tribe.
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2 comments:
And what a fairy godmother she is!
I am so honored by this. I can't remember giving you any kind of ceremonial blessing in the past, and Rach has always been pretty up-to-date on the condom stuff (thanks to Bonnie's bathroom basket), but I hear what you're saying, and I like it.
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