The Hatun Puncha of Cotacachi from it’s own oral tradition

Abstract

This research developed an exploratory study on the intangible heritage of the “Hatun Puncha” of Cotacachi
based on the oral tradition of the Kichwa communities of the canton, aimed at describing the Hatun Puncha from
the narratives of its custodians. Purpose carried out through the collection and articulation of the mythological
narratives that the community maintains in force about the Hatun Puncha and how such myths materialize in
various acts that make up the cultural manifestation studied. For this, methodologically, an exploratory qualitative
research was carried out, which, through a case study, compiled and processed the narratives of the oral tradition
of the high and low indigenous communities of Cotacachi, about the celebration they carry out of Hatun Puncha.
, seeking to make visible the narratives and concepts of the communities, which allow the preservation of social
memory and intangible heritage, and thereby establish the bases for the understanding and decoding of this
expression of the indigenous world of Cotacachi. For this purpose, the study aimed to collect the stories of the older
taytas who have been part of the Hatun Puncha in previous times, serving as: captains, flute players, ceremony
workers, curators, leaders and councils. All this with the purpose of providing new generations with the discourses
of their own culture for the conservation and strengthening of their intangible heritage.