Hatun Kotama Flute School

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The Hatun Kotama Flute School is part of a larger cultural center in the community of Kotama in Otavalo, Ecuador. The purpose of the center is to educate others about the world view and cultural expression of the Kotama community. [1] Members of the school practice and teach traditional gaita music. The music is inspired by a deep connection with nature and the sounds that occur in everyday life, primarily utilizing the transverse flute, harmonica, and shells for instrumentation. [2]

Otavalo (city) Town and ethnic group

Otavalo, capital of Otavalo Canton, has a population largely made up of the Otavalo indigenous group. It is located in Imbabura Province of Ecuador. According to the 2010 census, the town has 39,354 inhabitants and has an elevation of 2,532 metres (8,307 ft). It is surrounded by the peaks of Imbabura, Cotacachi, and Mojanda volcanoes. Mario Conejo is the current mayor of the city of Otavalo.

Ecuador Republic in South America

Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Ecuador also includes the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific, about 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) west of the mainland. The capital city is Quito, which is also the largest city since 2018.

Contents

History

The school was founded in the early 2000s by Luis Enrique Cachiguango under the name "The Village of Kotama's First Native Indigenous Flute School." Later in August 2008 the school was reinitiated under the name Hatun Kotama Flute School. [3] During the yearly celebration of inti-Raymi, the music plays a prominent role in community rituals and celebrations.

As part of the One World Many Voices program, Hatun Kotama performed at the 2013 Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C. [4] [5] The performance also coincided with their second album ¡Así Kotama! The Flutes of Otavalo Ecuador released on Smithsonian Folkways. [6]

Smithsonian Folklife Festival Festival hosted by the Smithsonian on the National Mall in Washington D.C.

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival, launched in 1967, is an international exhibition of living cultural heritage presented annually in the summer in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is held on the National Mall for two weeks around the Fourth of July holiday. The Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage produces the Festival.

Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was founded in 1987 after the family of Moses Asch, founder of Folkways Records, donated the entire Folkways Records label to the Smithsonian. The donation was made on the condition that the Institution continue Asch's policy that each of the more than 2,000 albums of Folkways Records remain in print forever, regardless of sales. Since then, the label has expanded on Asch's vision of documenting the sounds of the world, adding six other record labels to the collection, as well as releasing over 300 new recordings. Some well-known artists have contributed to the Smithsonian Folkways collection, including Pete Seeger, Ella Jenkins, Woody Guthrie, and Lead Belly. Famous songs include "This Land Is Your Land", "Goodnight, Irene", and "Midnight Special." Due to the unique nature of its recordings, which include an extensive collection of traditional American music, children's music, and international music, Smithsonian Folkways has become an important collection to the musical community, especially to ethnomusicologists, who utilize the recordings of "people's music" from all over the world.

Discography

YearTitleRecord Label
2010Música Ritual del Hatun Puncha-Inti RaymiMinisterio de Cultura del Ecuador
2013Así Kotama! The Flutes of Otavalo, Ecuador Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

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References

  1. ↑ Lema, Tupac (16 July 2013). "Las flautas de Kotama sonaron en EEUU". El Norte. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  2. ↑ Cachiguango, Luis Enrique; Pontón, Julián (2010). Yaku-Mama: La Crianza del Agua; La Música Ritual del Hatun Puncha – Inti Raymi en Kotama, Otavalo. Quito: Ministerio de Cultura del Ecuador. p. 64. ISBN   9789942029317.
  3. ↑ M. Vallejo, Jessie. "Smithsonian Folkways Recordings" (PDF). ¡Así Kotama! The Flutes of Otavalo, Ecuador. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  4. ↑ "Friends of Ecuador". Friends of Ecuador. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  5. ↑ "Smithsonian Folklife Festival". Archived from the original on 19 July 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  6. ↑ "Smithsonian Folkways Recordings". Smithsonian Folkways. Retrieved 16 July 2013.

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