Inka-Riy: University of Life and Peace

THE SCHOOL OF THE SUN’S DAUGHTERS

The Inca ancient and precious knowledge, founding fathers of a huge, prosperous and happy Empire, it could come back to life on the Andes through the University of Life and Peace.

The University of Life and Peace will be built in Colca Canyon, in the south of Peru’
but we need support and financial help.
Send us an e-mail to ask for information.

Remnant traces of an enchanting culture, lost for an aggressive population of invaders, still survives in a region of the Andes. It is the Inca culture, ancient civilization, that was seeded about 16.000 years ago, but that reached its greater splendor between the XV and the XVI century and was brutally destroyed by the Spanish, who’s commander was Francisco Pizzarro in 1533.

The local populations, today, still preserve the precious teachings of their ancestors, which risk to be wiped out by the dominant culture. Respect for Nature, the concept that working isn’t an obligation but a right and a favor that we do to ourselves and to the world, the concept that a word of honor is stronger than a written contract and a great appreciation for women’s roles (it is often said that who honors women honors God and that what God wants is what women want, therefore in order to understand God, men have to learn to understand women. Children are little Gods, women are almost Goddesses and men are men). Their religion hinges on the concept of Nature as the Goddess also called Pachamama.

It is difficult but very important to save this heritage. Before we find out how, lets have a look at this miraculous welfare that belonged to the pre-Columbian civility.

During the Inca’s golden time, there was an organization of sacred women, called Mamakuna, who were the creators of a fully developed type of socio-economic organization, called Tawantinsuyo, which meant the Government of the Four Regions. The object of this organization was to maintain peace and to defend life in all its’ aspects: human beings, animals, plants, the environment and so on and we are all worthy of respect. Tawantinsuyo was based on three main points: Love, search for the truth and respect for living things.

With those three principals, the Inca formed a civilization that became the biggest of all South America that, with the arrival of the Spanish, the Inca’s land was what today is the land that includes six Republics: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru’, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina and it also has an influence on Venezuela, Panama, Uruguay and Paraguay (usually the acquisition of new lands would occur in a peaceful and diplomatic way, thanks to the luring effect of the country that was also able to offer welfare and would always welcome new visitors).

The Incas were the leaders and the leading elite Inca-Kuna, which mean children of the sun. The form of Government was democracy, where the leader wasn’t elected by his hereditary rights but was elected by a council of wise men.
Their civilization was harmonious: economic and demographic growth were perfectly balanced. Starvation had been wiped out through out the whole territory and welfare was spreading everywhere thanks to an astonishing agronomic and technologic knowledge (today some engineers believe that by using the Inca’s techniques, we would be able to nourish ten billiard people without polluting the atmosphere!). They all had a roof on their heads, clothes, food, education, peace, teachings that would increase the value of men. Private property didn’t exist and the economy was attentively planned. The Incas had a great knowledge of mathematics (they used four different calculation systems) and hydraulics (their network of canales had been able to turn a very arid land into a green, fertile fields). They also knew about genetic engineering connected with agriculture and had created new species of seeds and plants, perfectly adaptable to the local ecosystem and able to survive from zero up to four thousand meters (for example the potatoes). They had an extraordinary seed bank in fact they had 800 varieties of seeds!

What today strikes us the most is the role of women, who were economically independent, they could be priestess, war or government leaders or they would become professionals in various fields. Housekeeping was recognized as a job therefore it was paid for the sake of collectivity. During the elections, their Government had power of veto: it would need just one woman’s negative answer to stop a nomination. All this was part of a particular educational method. There was a men’s institute, called Yachaywasi, where the youngsters would learn science and technology in order to solve the outer world’s problems. They would study agriculture, war art, cattle-breeding, hydraulics, mathematics, techniques to build roads and bridges and so on. On the other hand there was also a women’s institution, called Akllawasi, where they would be taught “the arts of within” like emotions, art, nutrition, pedagogy, creativity, ethics, religion, development of intuition and how to defend nature. Both institutions were at a very high level. They were complementary and well thought out for the sex differences. Nonetheless, women and men, according to their natural inclinations, could choose to either go to the women’s or men’s school.

Unfortunately this so developed and peaceful culture fell in the hands of populations that were highly specialized on technologies of war, but completely ignorant on humans. The virulence of the attacks and the repressive actions truly surprised us. According to some experts the main reason for such aggression was the religion: the Roman Church wanted the total destruction of a culture that believed that a woman was the first creature to appear on this planet. The catholic religion (but also Hebraic and Muslim) gives God muscular attributes. Incas instead talked about a Mother Goddess, Father God and Children Gods. When the Incas came in touch with different religions, they would respect them because they thought that they would all be a possible routes towards truthfulness. Not equal care had been used towards them…It is also possible to assume that the Spanish culture, highly chauvinistic, didn’t want such uniformed culture to reach Europe.

What has survived of this magnificent empire? An important quantity of knowledge was destroyed: In order to justify such vandalistic behavior, it was said that the Inca were ignorant and wild population but this historical lie is finally coming into light: In the last fifty years, researchers, thanks to the development of sociolinguistic disciplines and to the refinement of technological instruments, used for archeological researches (infrared films, magnetic resonance imaging, computer and so on…), are demonstrating that there had been an intentional distortion of the truth. Today we have only 30% of the Incas’ ancient knowledge that was handed down from generations.
The Indians who belong to tribes still respect women but in the cities we often hear of women’s exploitation, which reminds us of aspects subject to deterioration of such contemporary world. There is a conflict between a mass education that tries to dominate the other and the Andean one that is trying its’ best to survive. What will happen now, during this century of information and global traveling? On one hand, we find the TV, the radio and the newspapers that help orient one’s conscience and therefore it goes in a general direction, on the other hand, the computer it could also be an instrument of freedom. It could help the information of ancient culture to widespread again but this time without unnecessary distortions and judgments and perhaps it would favor the communication between the Andes’ populations and history and archeological researchers. What politics will the government use and will the students be very enthusiastic? Today, 12% of the population is white and they took over the reins of the government and its’ economics but something seems to be changing. Some Andeans are managing to gather enough money and power in order to become part of the ruling class and also influence their decisions.

Perhaps tomorrow we will have an extra tool to help us on our intents: some people are committed to let a dream come true, which is the one where, in Peru’, women will be highly recognized again. It will all be done through the opening of a University of Life and Peace, with a strong woman’s imprint: descendent of the mythical Akllawasi that would mould Mamakuna. An institute of the kind would help men and women respect each other again, reduce ignorance, moral troubles, materials that are the cause of women’s exploitation. It would create financial independence and it would avoid migration from the countryside to the city. Most of all, life would be given back and also a knowledge full of love, while training professionals for peace that would be able to defend life.

Written by Emma Chiaia
Pictures taken from: Los Incas el reino del sol, edictiones Anaya, S.A. 1988