In Depth Notes on the Sadness of Jars

Standing on an Andean hillside, rain can fall at various angles depending on wind.
- Rain falling horizontally indicates a bad omen: "The rain is raki-raki"—someone is going to die.
Raki means separation; raki-raki is a small fern with diverging leaves, symbolizing separation.
- Inca ceramics often feature a fern motif reflecting this idea.
Oscar Nuñez del Prado suggested researching the link between raki-raki rain and death omens.

Rakiy: Divides a complex entity into smaller parts (as in braiding).
In Chinchero, a textile design called raki-raki shows separation through non-mixing color areas.
Comment from don Tomás: The raki-raki pattern evokes experiences of separation and sadness (e.g., husband in one land, wife in another).
In irrigation, water is split into flows called raki, necessary for crops (about [15 k] for 2 hours).
Raki also serves as a measurement unit for grains and refers to a ceramic pot used for storage.
Historical dictionary entries show raki's connection to separation and portions, maintaining consistency from past to present.

In Andean culture, death is a drawn-out process.
The life-death lifecycle is akin to plants transitioning from moist to dry states, reflecting growth and renewal.
Ch’uñu: Freeze-dried potatoes symbolize how the dead provide for the living; they can be stored and revived.
The process of closure and remembrance is significant; songs help convey emotions associated with loss and misfortune.

The concepts of animu (spirit) and alma (soul) highlight different aspects of identity in Andean beliefs.
Animu is viewed as an aura that dissipates over time, affecting the living's health when someone is near death.
Animu relates to mortality and embodiment, while alma correlates with moral character.
When death approaches, the loss of animu leads to a disconnect between body and soul, with souls seen wandering before death.

Mourning expresses loss and recalls the deceased's contributions to their communities and families.
Inca funeral practices involved calling out to the deceased, underscoring social bonds affected by death.
Lamentation highlights the economic and emotional impacts of a loved one's death on the community's structure.

Humans are part of a web of socio-ritual connections, where individuality is expressed through interdependence.
The duality-of-self principle: one has controllable and uncontrollable aspects of identity, reflecting a complex understanding of relationships.
Hampi akllay: A process in which kinship identities are established through embodied rituals.

After death, qayqa (a sickly atmosphere) manifests decomposition, leading to new states and rebalancing relationships.
The soul's journey after death involves rectifying past imbalances and is symbolically linked to the natural world (water, plants).
Afterlife beliefs suggest a cyclical nature, where the deceased blends with new generations, feeding the living.

Death as rectification: It re-establishes balance among relationships and absorbs contradictions.
Rakiy: The Kan variation of division process symbolizes breaking apart.
Separation induced by death emphasizes loss and the necessity of overcoming individuality for societal continuity.

Raki vessels and their function reflect a more profound sense of loss in Andean culture—every vessel represents a sacrifice of the original unit.
The process of creating and using these jars in rituals evokes notions of separation and death.
The Mortuary Economy: Urpis and Rakis play a significant role in community dynamics and expressions of reciprocity, linking economic and spiritual dimensions.