AYNI, Photography Series, on going
Q'ero natives are a tribe living in one of the most remote places in the very high Peruvian Andes. When the Spanish arrived and killed the lnkarri, they went high into the remote mountains to hide and remain free. Because no one else could chase them or survive long at that high altitude, they eventually were forgotten. Q'ero had almost zero contact with the modern world and Catholic European culture for the last 500 years. This is why they are considered some of the most authentic and traditional Andean wisdom keepers today. They still use the language of the Inca and live in six different villages with an altitude between 3000 and 5000 meters in the Cusco region of Peru.
One of the more striking aspects of their lives is the way in which they interact with their geography. They live in balance and respect for all living things, through ‘Ayni’ (reciprocity, mutualism). It is based on the idea of constantly exchanging energy and the more you connect with and give to the world around you, the more you will receive. Within their nature-based wisdom tradition, Ayni is practiced with the spirit world and this puts one into the right relationship and harmony with all living things, including nature, the environment and the spirit world.