The Uros Indians of
Peru and Bolivia are a very interesting people. They live high in the
Peruvian and Bolivian Andes and on Lake Titicaca on floating islands. They were forced onto the lake as the Incan
Indians pushed further and further into their territory. The Uros Islands are
made of reeds which grow naturally on the banks of Lake Titicaca. The reeds are
matted down and added to as they disintegrate at the bottom. The islands float
on the surface of the lake. The make their homes, their furniture and their
boats out of the reeds. They also eat the tender bottoms of the reeds. The Uros
Indians are known for their beautiful and intricate handwork, weaving, spinning,
and embroidery.
There are more
than 40 floating islands, the largest being Huacavacani, Toranipata, and Santa
Maria. During the rainy season, from November to February, the islands often
float on the surface of the lake. The reeds used to make their island, homes,
boats, etc. are called tortora reeds. Life on the islands is hard. Many have
moved to the mainland leaving only a few hundred on the islands. The islands rot
from the bottom very quickly so that new reeds must constantly be added to the
top. The surface is spongy and sometimes difficult to walk on. They also have to
travel a distance to find fresh water. Legend says that the full-blooded Uros
Indians had black blood that protected them from the frigid temperatures on the
water and also from drowning. The Uros were pushed back onto the lake when the
Incas took over the region. The Incas considered the Uros Indians to be so poor
that the only tax they required of them was a section of hollow cane filled with
rice. After a drought worsened their poverty, most Uros left the islands and
intermarried with the Ayamara and Quechua-speaking Indians. The last
full-blooded Uro was a woman who died in 1959. The Uros who moved back to the
islands are actually a mix of Uros, Ayamaras and Incas, though they follow the
ways of the Uros. After the Incas and Spaniards quit exerting their influence,
the Uros once again became proud fishermen who survive by living off the tortora
reeds as well as hunting, fishing, and selling their beautiful handicrafts.
Click on the thumbnail for a full-size picture, then click the top-left
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Photos property of Hands Around the World
Made from the reeds on
the Uros Islands, these hand made boats feature tiny clothed figures
in the traditionally shaped reed boats.
Additional Information
Puno - The islands are inhabited by the Uros Indians and the flow of Indians departing
to live on the mainland has been stemmed by the onslaught of tourism.
CULTUREFOCUS: Peru photos. Pictures from Lake Titicaca.
Lake Titicaca
Puno, Gateway to Lake Titicaca
Puno, Titicaca lake: travel to Bolivia and Peru
