Accidental and Contrived Culture Creation in Bolivia
One of the most misguided conceptions of the modern day era is the belief that our own cultures and traditions have always been, and will always be, our own. Created by our ancestors and nurtured by countless generations, many people refuse to accept that their own culture may not have always belonged to them. Bolivia could not be more of a perfect example in both a light-hearted and sinister way.
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You can leave your hat on...
The current President of Bolivia comes from an indigenous background and has recently passed laws to prevent the discrimination against chuletas - the indigenous women of Bolivia - and as such, traditional dress has made a significant return. These beautifully dressed women have one extremely odd quirk in their unique and colourful fashion...the mini bowler hat. No self-respecting chuleta will ever be found without one (come rain or shine) and their hat-wearing is a very serious business. In one of the poorest countries in South America, women have been known to spend upwards of $1000 on a prestigious bowler.
Locals and travellers alike could be forgiven for thinking that such a vital fashion item is steeped in Bolivian history, stretching back for hundreds of years. However, this is simply not the case. Legend has it that in the early 20th century, when there were many European workers constructing railways across the country, Italian company Borsalino (the Top dog in the bowler hat world) sent over a huge shipment of hats to try and sell to the Bolivian market. Unfortunately for Italians, despite accounting for the short height of Bolivian men, they did not account for the fact that their heads continue to grow at an astonishing rate (and remain rather large!). So, with thousands of ill-fitting Bowler hats and no market to sell them, they came up with a cunning plan. They convinced the local indigenous women, flooding in from the surrounding countryside to La Paz (in search of their own distinctive identity), that the bowler hat was the most desirable fashion item for women in Europe.
After almost a century, a small section of the Borsalino company remains open almost solely to satisfy the Bolivian market, where the hats have never been more popular. Furthermore, the hats have developed their own added significance aside from remaining in vogue - balancing the small hat on the head has done wonders for posture, and even more importantly, the position of the hat now dictates marital status. Upright indicates that the chuleta is a taken woman, whereas a tilt to the left or the right can mean one of two things - widowed or single.
In addition to the bowler, other aspects of chuletas traditional dress are also fascinating. Back in the Western world, women are consistently and endlessly faced with a barrage of societal pressure to conform to unachievable bodily perfection. In Bolivia, a similar (albeit a lot more subtle) pressure to conform remains in a different way. There are certainly no size zeros amongst the indigenous women - they wear layers and layers of huge skirts to make their hips look as big as possible to attract males (bigger hips = more children = a bigger workforce) and in order to flirt, a chuleta will lift their skirt and slap a fat calf muscle to display their strength.
Catholic Conversion
If the Borsalino hat was an accidental quirk of tradition, the religious conversion of the indigenous people in Bolivia (and the rest of South America) was far more contrived. When the Spanish arrived on the continent they were not simply content with occupying the land, enforcing their language and colonising the people - they wanted to ensure that their religion overcame centuries of indigenous faith and belief.
The ancient people of the Andes believed that when you were sick, you lost a part of your soul. After arriving in La Paz, the Spanish preyed on this sacred belief when they constructed a Cathedral in the centre of the city. They placed mirrors on the alter, brought the indigenous people into the church and exclaimed, ´Look! There is the missing part of your soul!´ (they had never seen mirrors before!). The Spanish invaders instructed the locals to come back to the church every single day to pray in order for their souls to return. In addition, in numerous cities all over South America, catholic crosses were installed on the highest hills in the area, looking over the inhabitants. Now when the indigenous population wanted to pray to Pachamama (the goddess of Mother Earth) they had to bow to the crosses.
Ironically, the Cathedral in the centre of La Paz is now full of religious paintings by indigenous people who have replaced images of the Roman soldiers who crucified Jesus with Spanish soldiers - an accurate reflection of how their own God was killed. However, the Cathedral is now a unifying symbol of indigenous and catholic belief, with traditional Andean symbols (including Pachamama) carved into the outside of the building. The people of La Paz have given their prescribed catholic religion their own traditional twist.
............................................
So, when we see people complaining about Britain´s immigration policy and the multiculturalism that is supposedly destroying our own history and culture...remember that tradition and culture can come from anyone and anywhere (there are no tea plantations in England are there?). We have a global culture and that is what we should truly preserve.
............................................
You can leave your hat on...
The current President of Bolivia comes from an indigenous background and has recently passed laws to prevent the discrimination against chuletas - the indigenous women of Bolivia - and as such, traditional dress has made a significant return. These beautifully dressed women have one extremely odd quirk in their unique and colourful fashion...the mini bowler hat. No self-respecting chuleta will ever be found without one (come rain or shine) and their hat-wearing is a very serious business. In one of the poorest countries in South America, women have been known to spend upwards of $1000 on a prestigious bowler.
Locals and travellers alike could be forgiven for thinking that such a vital fashion item is steeped in Bolivian history, stretching back for hundreds of years. However, this is simply not the case. Legend has it that in the early 20th century, when there were many European workers constructing railways across the country, Italian company Borsalino (the Top dog in the bowler hat world) sent over a huge shipment of hats to try and sell to the Bolivian market. Unfortunately for Italians, despite accounting for the short height of Bolivian men, they did not account for the fact that their heads continue to grow at an astonishing rate (and remain rather large!). So, with thousands of ill-fitting Bowler hats and no market to sell them, they came up with a cunning plan. They convinced the local indigenous women, flooding in from the surrounding countryside to La Paz (in search of their own distinctive identity), that the bowler hat was the most desirable fashion item for women in Europe.
After almost a century, a small section of the Borsalino company remains open almost solely to satisfy the Bolivian market, where the hats have never been more popular. Furthermore, the hats have developed their own added significance aside from remaining in vogue - balancing the small hat on the head has done wonders for posture, and even more importantly, the position of the hat now dictates marital status. Upright indicates that the chuleta is a taken woman, whereas a tilt to the left or the right can mean one of two things - widowed or single.
In addition to the bowler, other aspects of chuletas traditional dress are also fascinating. Back in the Western world, women are consistently and endlessly faced with a barrage of societal pressure to conform to unachievable bodily perfection. In Bolivia, a similar (albeit a lot more subtle) pressure to conform remains in a different way. There are certainly no size zeros amongst the indigenous women - they wear layers and layers of huge skirts to make their hips look as big as possible to attract males (bigger hips = more children = a bigger workforce) and in order to flirt, a chuleta will lift their skirt and slap a fat calf muscle to display their strength.
Catholic Conversion
If the Borsalino hat was an accidental quirk of tradition, the religious conversion of the indigenous people in Bolivia (and the rest of South America) was far more contrived. When the Spanish arrived on the continent they were not simply content with occupying the land, enforcing their language and colonising the people - they wanted to ensure that their religion overcame centuries of indigenous faith and belief.
The ancient people of the Andes believed that when you were sick, you lost a part of your soul. After arriving in La Paz, the Spanish preyed on this sacred belief when they constructed a Cathedral in the centre of the city. They placed mirrors on the alter, brought the indigenous people into the church and exclaimed, ´Look! There is the missing part of your soul!´ (they had never seen mirrors before!). The Spanish invaders instructed the locals to come back to the church every single day to pray in order for their souls to return. In addition, in numerous cities all over South America, catholic crosses were installed on the highest hills in the area, looking over the inhabitants. Now when the indigenous population wanted to pray to Pachamama (the goddess of Mother Earth) they had to bow to the crosses.
Ironically, the Cathedral in the centre of La Paz is now full of religious paintings by indigenous people who have replaced images of the Roman soldiers who crucified Jesus with Spanish soldiers - an accurate reflection of how their own God was killed. However, the Cathedral is now a unifying symbol of indigenous and catholic belief, with traditional Andean symbols (including Pachamama) carved into the outside of the building. The people of La Paz have given their prescribed catholic religion their own traditional twist.
............................................
So, when we see people complaining about Britain´s immigration policy and the multiculturalism that is supposedly destroying our own history and culture...remember that tradition and culture can come from anyone and anywhere (there are no tea plantations in England are there?). We have a global culture and that is what we should truly preserve.
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