Intercultural Negotiation

Ecuador has an ethnically and culturally diverse population, with 25% indigenous people, 65% of mixed indigenous and European descent, and 10% afro-Ecuadorians. Even in a metropolitan city like Quito, indigenous cultures have a considerable influence on local customs. My family is catholic, but they practice Quichua traditions such as rubbing herbs on the body to induce healing or putting an egg to your head to soak up negative thoughts. To a westerner, this seems like nonsense. However to many people in Ecuador, it is part of their culture. It is part of their worldview.

            My first encounter of with these cultural differences was during orientation. Our program invited a shaman from a nearby Andean Quichua community. He led us through a ritual to celebrate the start of our program. He spread out blankets in the grass and created an alter-like arrangement with flowers, flower petals, candles, and fruits. He described the significance of the ritual, explaining how it honors la Pacha Mama (Quichua for Mother Nature). He chanted prayers, played music with a zampona (pan flute), and put flower petals on our heads. The ceremony was truly beautiful and moving. It was a wonderful way to be introduced to the rich and diverse cultures of Ecuador.

            We often talk about the concept of a worldview in my classes here. This is an especially important topic in Ecuador because of its great cultural diversity. The problem that many indigenous communities in this country face is that, historically, their ideas and values have not been respected by the mestizo community. Recently, there has been a shift in both society and the government towards the incorporation of indigenous knowledge and viewpoints. On a personal level, the acceptance of others viewpoints that differ drastically from one’s own can be immensely challenging. By practicing what Hybels calls “transpection,” or trying to see the world through other’s cultures, individuals and communities can begin to break down stereotypes.

            I have faced a number of challenges regarding these cultural differences. The ritual during orientation was just one of many customs and values that have been difficult to adjust to. Some common foods in Quito include guinea pig, soup with chicken feet, goat, and cow intestines to name a few. As westerners, we have a tendency to devalue anything that doesn’t correspond with our customs, our worldview, and western science. In doing so, however, we ignore immense bases of wisdom and the potential for cooperation and innovation. Among many other aspects, I am deeply moved by the way in which many indigenous communities treat the environment. Unlike Western capitalism, which exploits resources for human use, local Ecuadorian tribes see the human being as part of nature meant to coexist alongside it. The influence of indigenous views of the environment is evident in Ecuador’s new Constitution of 2008, which is the first Constitution in the world to give rights to nature itself.

            My first few weeks in Ecuador have truly altered my perspective on cultures dissimilar to mine. There is an important difference between accepting others worldviews and truly respecting and valuing them. This is what I am currently working on. When I experience a foreign custom or strange food, I try to remove myself from my own stereotypes and assumptions and recognize the value of the situation from a different worldview.