Biography - Humazapas

Humazapas is a traditional Kichwa music and dance group that was created by young indigenous people from the communities of Cotacachi County, which is located in Ecuador's northern province of Imbabura. Their story began in 2010 when 12 teenagers from the Kichwa community of Turuku became interested in rescuing their community's traditional music and dance forms known as Yumbo and Abago. They began conducting their research directly with their Taytas and Mamas (elder men and women of their communities), and by participating in the ritual festivals of the Andean calendar.

This introduction to community and ritual music served as a form of artistic school that trained this group of young men and women to carry on their cultural legacy, which at the time was in the process of disappearing. Since 2013, Humazapas has focused its artistic efforts on preserving Kichwa rhythms and rituals such as Inti Raymi, Kichwa Holy Week [Easter] traditions, as well as participating in marriage ceremonies, wakes, and other community events. Their instruments include the harp, reed flutes, rondín [panpipe flutes], violins and guitars. The group preserves the dances that have survived in their indigenous communities, such as the Fandango, Chimbapura, Inti Raymi, Banda de Pueblo, and others.

Kichwa music and dance come from a worldview where myths, legends, and ancestral wisdom intersect. Humazapas shares that magical context of Kichwa art in a show that integrates music, dance, and audiovisuals to represent the experiences of their communities. Currently, the group has 12 artists: 8 musicians and 4 dancers, in addition to frequently inviting renowned Ecuadorian musicians and visual artists to complement their presentations.

The members of Humazapas also serve as community musicians who contribute to the traditions of Kichwa community and family life involving harvests, the festival of the new grains, weddings, and wakes. They also participate in ritual festivals that take place on specific dates of the year.

As a culmination of their first 10 years of researching and creating traditional music and dance, in 2023 Humazapas released its first album, SARA MAMA, an avante guard fusion of Kichwa music and contemporary structures that manifest the continuity of indigenous art in our present-day generations. With this work, Humazapas has turned Kichwa community music into an expression of music for the world.

Ongoing Community Projects

• For Humazapas, supporting the continuity of Kichwa art is a priority. Since 2013, the group has run the Waruntzy School of the Arts, which teaches children and youth skills in music, instrument building, dance, and community cinema, among other activities. 
• The Turu Uku Festival was born from the need to invite well-known bands from Ecuador and other countries to a community space to present an annual show that brings together world music. The festival has been held since 2015.
• The Ura Urku Flautists: Humazapas has trained a group of community flutists, and has taught their students the art of constructing wind instruments using cane reeds that are native to the area.

Early Accomplishments:  

• First Place in the Andean Music Contest "Pawcar Raymi 2012" – Peguche, Otavalo 2015
• First Place in the National Dance Contest "Quito Danzario", organized by the vice-presidency of the Casa d la Cultura Ecuatoriana (CCE - the House of Ecuadorian Culture, a government-run institution) - Quito 2015
• Presentation of the Work "Allichu Imacha" at the National Theater of the CCE (this presentation resulted from the group having won the Quito Danzario competition) - Quito 2015  
• First place in the "Pugllana" theatrical competition to rescue the Kichwa language - organized by the Imbabura Factory and the Ecuadorian Ministry of Culture and Heritage - Atuntaqui 2016. (The play was presented completely in the Kichwa language.)
• Winners of a 2016-2017 funding competition - sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Heritage - for cultural artistic projects, with the project proposal, "Kutacachi" (research and compilation of the traditional songs of the 43 indigenous communities of the Cotacachi County) - 2016