| Description: | This arpillera was made in one of the well known workshops of Lima. It was brought back to England about 20 years ago. Roberta Bacic, curator of many arpillera exhibitions, found it at the house of a librarian friend in Cambridge in October 2008. In this arpillera, we are shown the traditional folk dance Baile Puneño which is danced in Puno and other places around the country.
The city of Puno is located in the southeast corner of Peru, on the shores of the magnificent Lake Titicaca and only 126km from the border with Bolivia. At an altitude of 3,827m, Puno is a melting pot of Indian cultures, including the Aymara from the south and the Quechua from the north. This has earned Puno the title of Folklore Capital of Peru, famous for its huge number and variety of traditional fiestas, dances and music.
The scene is focused on the dancers who are wearing festival clothes and hats, similar to those worn in Bolivia. Baile Puneño is danced at the time of the La Candelaria festivities, a religious Catholic celebration marked by carnival. The couples dance in pairs on stage or in a specially prepared arena reserved for dancers and players. Everyone else stands behind a fence, watching and cheering on the performers.
Indigenous people in Peru, as well as many other Peruvians, keep their traditions alive as a way of strengthening community bonds and asserting their identity, an identity often threatened by state policies of repression.
Estimates of the number of indigenous Peruvians vary widely. Out of a national population of 29 million, an estimated 31% (8.7 million) are indigenous, according to Perus Commission for Truth and Reconciliation. Many of these indigenous communities, are involved in an ongoing struggle to protect their natural resources in the face of increasing pressure by industry and government to penetrate the remote areas in their quest for yet more energy resources. During 17 days of protests in the southern region of Arequipa early 2011, hundreds were injured and three people died as police opened fire on locals trying to stop Southern Peru Copper Corporation opening a new mine. In the end, the protestors won and the government, which had approved the scheme, withdrew permission.
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