Central Highlands - Bolivia - page 448

TINKU - THE ART OF RITUAL MAYHEM
Native to the northern part of Potosí department, tinku (ritual fighting), which takes place on May 3, ranks as one
of the few Bolivian traditions that has yet to be commercialized. This bizarre practice lies deeply rooted in indi-
genous tradition and is thus often misunderstood by outsiders, who can make little sense of the violent and often
grisly spectacle.
Tinku may be best interpreted as a type of ritualized means of discharging tensions between different indigen-
ous communities. Festivities begin with singing and dancing, but participants eventually drink themselves into a
stupor. As a result, celebrations soon erupt into drunken mayhem and frequently violence, as alcohol-charged
emotions are unleashed in hostile encounters.
A tinku usually lasts two or three days, when men and women in brightly colored traditional dress hike in from
surrounding communities. The hats worn by the men strongly resemble those originally worn by the Spanish con-
quistadores, but are topped, Robin Hood-style, with one long iridescent feather.
On the first evening, the communities parade through town to the accompaniment of charangos and zampoñas
(a type of pan pipe). Periodically, the revelers halt and form two concentric circles, with women on the inside and
the men in the outer circle. The women begin singing a typically repetitious and cacophonous chant while the men
run in a circle around them. Suddenly, everyone stops and launches into a powerful stomping dance. Each group
is headed by at least one person - usually a man - who uses a whip to ensure slackers keep up with the rhythm
and the pace.
This routine may seem harmless enough, except that alcohol plays a significant and controlling role. Most
people carry bottles filled with puro (rubbing alcohol), which is the drink of choice, if the intent is to quickly be-
come totally plastered. By nightfall, each participating community retreats to a designated house to drink chicha
until they pass out.
This excessive imbibing inevitably results in social disorder and by the second day the drunk participants can
grow increasingly aggressive. Roaming the streets, individuals encounter people from other communities with
whom they may have some quarrel, either real or imagined, and may challenge them to fight.
The situation rapidly progresses past yelling and cursing to pushing and shoving, before it turns into an unusual
- almost choreographed - form of warfare. Seemingly rhythmically, men strike each other's heads and upper bod-
ies with extended arms. This has been immortalized in the tinku dance, which is frequently performed during
Carnaval in highly traditional Oruro. To augment the hand-to-hand combat, the fighters may also throw rocks at
their opponents, occasionally causing serious injury or death. Any fatalities, however, are considered a blood of-
fering to Pachamama in lieu of a llama sacrifice for the same purpose.
The best known and arguably most violent tinku takes place in the village of Macha during the first couple of
weeks of May, while the villages of Ocurí and Toracarí, among others, also host tinkus .
As you'd imagine, few foreigners aspire to witness this private and often violent tradition, which categorically
cannot be thought of as a tourist attraction; many people who have attended insist they'd never do it again. For the
terminally curious, however, Altiplano Tours in Potosí conducts culturally sensitive - and patently less-than-com-
fortable - visits to several of the main tinku festivities. Note, however, that if you do go it will be at your own risk.
Keep a safe distance from the participants and always remain on the side of the street to avoid being trapped in the
crowd. When walking around the village, maintain a low profile, speak in soft tones and ignore any taunting cries
of 'gringo'. Also, bear in mind that these traditional people most definitely do not want hordes of foreign tourists
gawking at them and snapping photos; avoid photographing individuals without their express permission and do
not participate.