Wiphala flag: what it is, meaning and history

What is the meaning of the wiphala flag?

It is known as the wiphala flag, wiphala or wiphala emblem, the flag of the indigenous peoples of the Tahuantinsuyo ('four territories' in the Quechua language), ancient domains of the Inca Empire that today encompass the Andean area of ​​Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina. Each territory of the Tahuantinsuyo has a version: Collasuyu, Antisuyu, Chinchasuyu and Cuntisuyu.

These flags have in common a square surface with 49 squares, distributed in seven columns with seven squares, colored in diagonal stripes with the seven colors of the rainbow. The best known wiphala flag is that of Collasuyu, where the Aymara or Aymara culture is found.

The word wiphala comes from the Aymara culture. It is formed by the union of two terms: wiphai , which refers to an exclamation of triumph, and laphaqi , whose approximate translation is 'object that flutters in the wind'.

Meaning

The meaning of the wiphala is very complex, since it represents the cosmogony of the ethnic groups of the Tahuantinsuyo. It is associated with two fundamental values ​​of the Andean ethnic groups: the Pachakama , a principle of Universal order, and the Pachamama , which refers to Mother Earth, to the cosmos. Everything is linked in the values ​​of solidarity, brotherhood and community.

Some researchers argue that in pre-Columbian times, wiphala was related to daily or economic activities (agriculture, textiles, etc.), and was linked to the Inca calendar.

The wiphala is also a symbol of traditions and customs, of shared joys and sorrows. Thus, it is raised in community celebrations, solemn festivals, indigenous popular festivals, dances, etc.

Today, wiphala has also become a symbol of indigenous resistance against modern political-economic practices of domination. It is also a symbol of cultural diversity or, more specifically, of equality and unity in diversity.

Meaning of colors

The colors of the wiphala are taken from the rainbow, decomposition of sunlight that the Tahuantinsuyo cultures interpret as a reference to the ancestors. Each color has an attributed meaning, and in them the cosmogony of these peoples is expressed precisely.

• Blue: cosmic space and its influence on the earth world. Yellow: strength and energy, linked to moral principles and values ​​of solidarity. White: time and transformation process that brings intellectual and work growth. Also symbol of the Markas (counties) and Suyus (regions). Orange: symbol of culture and society, as well as the preservation of the species. Red: represents the planet. Green: economy, linked to land and territory. Violet: political and ideological order of the culture itself.

You may be interested in Quechua.

History

Left: Aboriginal fabric from the Tiwaunakota period, Brooklyn Museum.
Right: Attributed to the Master of Calamarca: Archangel Gabriel as a harquebusier , Church of Calamarca, Bolivia, s. XVIII.

The historical origin of wiphala is uncertain. It is known that the essential elements of the wiphala design existed from pre-Columbian times, but not as a flag but as a kind of emblem, since the flags were introduced to America by Europeans.

There are references in aboriginal art and in the art of the colony that show the existence of textiles and other implements where the basic form of wiphala appears.

The wiphala flag of the Aymara or Aymara people began to spread widely in the contemporary world thanks to the mobilizations and protests of the indigenous peasant unions, which took place in Bolivia in the 1970s.

In 1987 in Bolivia, a group of researchers set out to investigate the symbols of the Tahuantinsuyo cultures and the records that reveal the presence and evolution of wiphala. From this research, current versions of wiphala were built.

The Aymara wiphara or Collasuyu was constitutionally recognized as a symbol of the Bolivian State since 2008, during the administration of Evo Morales.