AHS22

Tarpuna means ‘to sow’ in Kichwa, the ancestral language of the Andes. In the Corn episode of this documentary series, guardians from the highlands of Ecuador share their skills and traditions to preserve, exchange and reproduce their most sacred seed. The episode is a window into the most important indigenous ceremonial rituals centered around the sowing and harvest seasons in September and April-June. Viewers experience a typical day in the celebration of “la Sopalata”, with dancing and gatherings to honor the “abuelos” or sages during the day, and corn-based food and drink preparations and offerings at night. Traditional healers and cooks in the Saraguro, Loja and Cotacachi regions demonstrate the preparation of corn-based cooking recipes that have ritual and medicinal uses. Viewers take away a practical guide detailing the types, cultural meanings and methods of cooking, preservation, cultivation and honoring of corn in Ecuador.