Otavalo Globalized -- There's a fair chance you'll have seen them on the streets or public plazas of cities around the world: a group of Otavaleños performing traditional Andean music and selling woven textile goods and other handicrafts. Known by both the Incas and Spanish conquistadores as talented weavers, Otavaleños are an indigenous group who live throughout much of Imbabura province, but who are named after the town with the world-famous Saturday textile market. They have woven their way into the history books, and their enduring culture stands out as a unique success story in a time of globalization and reduced ethnic identity.
With an official government seal of approval, Otavaleños and their craftsmanship were promoted -- beginning in the 1950s -- as part of a nascent tourism drive. Dutch artist Jan Schreuder, an Ecuadorian resident at the time, searched out pre-Columbian designs to incorporate into their rugs, hangings, and ponchos, and he is also, bizarrely, responsible for the Escher knock-offs and more modern motifs that are still seen today.
Things took off in the 1970s with increased international tourism. Peace Corps assistance helped hone styles and colors to suit "foreign" tastes, and the Otavalo market became a must-do for everyone visiting Ecuador. With typical enterprise, Otavaleño weavers have embraced market trends and set forth: to Colombia, the United States, Europe, and as far away as Asia and Australia. With a strong independent streak and plenty of business acumen, they use no middle men; the traditionally dressed couple sitting on an international flight to Amsterdam will have financed their flights, woven and bartered for their merchandise, and in turn, will keep all the profits from sales.
Otavaleños proudly display their culture; in fact, this is part of their successful "brand image." Quichua is their first language, although most also speak Spanish and many master other tongues as well. The men's long, braided hair is such a strong cultural symbol that Otavaleño men are not required to cut it off when they enter the Ecuadorian armed forces. Women wear embroidered white blouses, wool skirts, and many necklaces made of gold or red beads; the size, color, and quantity of the beads all carry cultural significance.
Many Otavaleño youngsters travel abroad -- a rite of passage into the globalized world. The majority return home and add their experience and earnings to one of the world's most prominent indigenous groups.
