Taita Imbabura: Reverence and Mirth in Mountain Worship

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Date

2019

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Folklor Edebiyat

Abstract

With family roots in the Rocky Mountains of Montana, I have always sought the fresh air and vistas of the high places, and this quest led me, eventually, to the high Andes Mountains on the South American continent. In the Andes region of South America, for many a century people have followed the rivers to their highland sources and walked to the edge of the glaciers, to carry out rituals connecting themselves and their communities to the sources of spiritual power. Tied to these beliefs and practices is a rich Andean mythology of mountain spirits. In this paper, I venture into the Andean highlands to explore mythic narratives tied to beliefs and practices associated with Volcán Imbabura, an imposing volcano of northern Ecuador rising to an elevation of 4,630 meters above sea level and towering over the populated corridor running from Ibarra at the north to Otavalo at the south. The purpose of this venture is to explore apparently contradictory tendencies in mountain worship, and by extension, to further complicate facile notions of spiritual or religious experience.

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McDowell, John H. “Taita Imbabura: Reverence and Mirth in Mountain Worship.” Folklor Edebiyat (Folklore & Literature): Prof. Dr. İhan Başgöz 100th Special Issue, (2019) pages 759-769.

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Article