Hi Caroline! I really appreciate your questioning of the historical context surrounding the slave trade and how that influenced Guaman Poma's writing/opinion in his text to the king. African Diaspora was nodded at in I think the Cobo section of the Lima Reader- and I feel like this is a huge historical chunk of Peru's history and colonization that we kind have been breezing over. I would also be curious as to Guaman Poma's positionality on this as well.
Hey girl! Although we know the African diaspora was present in colonial Peru I feel like we haven't really discussed it, and I liked how you brought it up. As much as Poma is discussing relations between the Incas and the Spaniards it's always important to acknowledge all the people who were present, especially given how it will affect the racial hierarchies that will govern Latin America. I also think your identification of tropes is valuable because they are frequently used to aid storytelling. Despite being racist and sexist, their use in Poma's writing can be though of as a narrative device to provide easily accessible context to his desired audience as he builds his story.
It is true that what Guamán Poma tells us has several undertones. Several of them may even seem shocking to us. Despite the author's biases and his informative limits, there are specific features that make it worth reading, since we find a variety of undertones that we do not hear in other sources. What elements does Guamán Poma provide us to discuss the un/making of indigeneity, in your opinion?
That's an insightful connection between witchcraft and Mama Waco! Particularly the fact that being in tune with nature is associated with demonic influence. This could contribute to an argument against vertically structured societies, although I'm not sure if Guaman Poma goes on to make such a criticism. He could plausibly be channelling this stereotype to criticise a subset of Incas to serve his own particular end as a Quechua noble. Either way, on your reading, Guaman Poma is very much a product of his time, and this added context is helpful.
Hi Caroline! I really appreciate your questioning of the historical context surrounding the slave trade and how that influenced Guaman Poma's writing/opinion in his text to the king. African Diaspora was nodded at in I think the Cobo section of the Lima Reader- and I feel like this is a huge historical chunk of Peru's history and colonization that we kind have been breezing over. I would also be curious as to Guaman Poma's positionality on this as well.
Hey girl! Although we know the African diaspora was present in colonial Peru I feel like we haven't really discussed it, and I liked how you brought it up. As much as Poma is discussing relations between the Incas and the Spaniards it's always important to acknowledge all the people who were present, especially given how it will affect the racial hierarchies that will govern Latin America. I also think your identification of tropes is valuable because they are frequently used to aid storytelling. Despite being racist and sexist, their use in Poma's writing can be though of as a narrative device to provide easily accessible context to his desired audience as he builds his story.
It is true that what Guamán Poma tells us has several undertones. Several of them may even seem shocking to us. Despite the author's biases and his informative limits, there are specific features that make it worth reading, since we find a variety of undertones that we do not hear in other sources. What elements does Guamán Poma provide us to discuss the un/making of indigeneity, in your opinion?
OK, let's say that Guaman Poma is both sexist and racist. What do we do with that?
Hi Caroline,
That's an insightful connection between witchcraft and Mama Waco! Particularly the fact that being in tune with nature is associated with demonic influence. This could contribute to an argument against vertically structured societies, although I'm not sure if Guaman Poma goes on to make such a criticism. He could plausibly be channelling this stereotype to criticise a subset of Incas to serve his own particular end as a Quechua noble. Either way, on your reading, Guaman Poma is very much a product of his time, and this added context is helpful.
Gabriel