Last modified: 2006-02-25 by antonio martins
Keywords: inca | quechua | kechua | qhishwa | aymara | aimara | tawantisuyu | rainbow flag | sullpu | taru | tawantinsuyupa aucaruna | snake | snakes: 2 | turtle |
Links: FOTW homepage |
search |
disclaimer and copyright |
write us |
mirrors
"Pusinsuyo" (in Aymara) = "Tawantisuyu" (in Quechua).
It means "Four parts" and was the authonym of the
Inca Empire. Spelling variants range from "-nsuyo" to
"-suyu".
António Martins, 11 Jul 2004
Although sharing roughly the same territory —
the central south american highland —, Aymara however are based mainly
in Bolivia and Peru and extending shouthwards to Chile and Argentina, while
Quechua has a somewhat northern nucleous and spreads to the north, to Ecuador
and Colombia.
António Martins, 04 Jun 2000
The Indigenous banner is called huipala with the
seven colors of the rainbow
(symbolizing the unity of indigenous peoples before the conquest).
There are some basic versions of the whipala.
The whipala with stripes is called the Tawantinsuyo flag,
or the Inca flag, the inca nation flag, the quechua nation flag.
The original flag is the striped whipala,
which was the coat of arms of the Inca.
The Rainbow flag (Wipahla) belongs to the Native Andean people of
Tahuantinsuyu for more than 500 years. Each color and its place in
the flag as the rainbow, have an own indigenous significance.
(In Ecuador they have also some variants.)
Laila Holtet
(of tawantinsuyu.com),
09 Jul 2001
The Inca Empire do not exist as people anymore, but the flag is considered
by the Peruvians as Inca flag. Quechua was the language
of the Inca and is still the most spoken Indian language in Peru.
Jan Patrick Fischer, 10 Nov 2003
It was created out of the flag, the indians used in their
rebellion 1570/1571.
Jan Patrick Fischer, 15 Mar 2001
Most used rainbow flag in Peru is the 7-stripes-flag
with red - orange - yellow - green - light blue - dark blue - violet. I saw
this flag in Cuzco at a museum for peoples art, at
a wall painting in Cuzco about the peruvian history in the hand of a indian
fighting against spanish soldier and on an official building in Lima. My
Peruvian friend said, this flag is used by the indian population of Peru,
mainly Quechua (main people of the Inca empire) and some Aymara at lake
Titicaca (most of them are living in Bolivia).
Jan Patrick Fischer, 25 Oct 2003
I saw a reproduction of this flag in the museum of Fortress Real
Felipe in Callao. It was used by the leader of an Indian revolution in
18th century.
It is violet - light blue - dark blue - light green - yellow - orange -
dark red, with a symbol, two snakes and the writting "TAWANTINSUYUPA
AUCARUNA".
Jan Patrick Fischer, 25 Oct 2003
Seven horizontal stripes of purple - light blue - medium blue - green -
yellow - orange - red, with a large central emblem consisting of a turtle
shell (?), orange lined red, it’s ridges and grooves composing a human face
in the center, encicled by two snakes; black lettering on each side (over
the green, yellow and orange stripes), slanted (or curved?) reading in
upper case "Tawantinsuyupa" (hoist side) and "Aucaruna" (fly side). No info
about the reverse.
António Martins, 02 Sep 2001
The actual flag has darkened,
faded colors. Could the be the origin of wrongly
colored reports?
António Martins, 13 Aug 2004
On a postcard, showing the main square of Cuzco, I bought there, is
a six-stripes: flag red - yellow - green - light blue - dark blue. The
postcard seems to be older, maybe the former version?
Jan Patrick Fischer, 25 Oct 2003
The National Flag of Tawantinsuyu: seven
horizontal stripes: red, orange, yellow, white, green,
blue, and purple. The banner is called sullpu.
Jaume Ollé, 1997
The symbolism of the colors is red for earth, orange for society and
culture, yellow for energy, white for time, green for economy, blue for
space, and purple for policy.
Jaume Ollé, 06 Feb 2000
According to the Andean culture, the national flag
is flown as part of a pair. The pair of the national
flag is square and quartered red and green in the top,
and white and yellow in the bottom. Is called taru
and represents the equality of the four
territories.
Jaume Ollé, 1997
Are these are always used in pairs — carried by two persons (or on
both arms of the same person), or hoisted on two poles side-by-side? Or
two flags on the same pole? One above the other or at the same height?
What is the meaning of one of the flags if the pair used isolated? Are
both members of the pair of the same importance?
António Martins, 12 Feb 2000
We have heard that the Indigenous org. of Cuzco, Peru is thinking
about finding another flag to symbolize our native people, because
of the problem above of using the flag by the gays
community and the International Co-operative
Alliance [both using rainbow flags].
The gay community have not answered any email about this presented by
the United Indigenous Tribal Representatives, nor from
CONAIE, the indigenous leaders of
Cuzco or anyone else.
Laila Holtet
(of tawantinsuyu.com),
09 Jul 2001
There were also the black flags of Ruminahui (legendary
leader of the autonomous movement) and Atahualpa.
Laila Holtet
(of tawantinsuyu.com),
09 Jul 2001
