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They will kill me alone, but tomorrow I’ll be back and we will be millio
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Sunkmanitu tanka Isnala Najin
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Nov 21, 2003 11:18 PST
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FWD from Ivan Ignacio & CANO:
222 years after the execution of our Aymara Chief
TUPAJ KATARI (1750-1781)
by Ivan Ignacio*
Abya-Yala Marka, 13/11/2003 - Tupaj Katari, name adopted by Julian Apaza
in memory of the dauntless Tupaj Amaru (José Gabriel Condorkanqui) and
the fearless Tomás Katari, has been one of our greatest martyrs in the
Aymara people’s history, an indomitable leader and a great military
strategist for the Andean Aboriginal army; he has been the uncontested
chief of the aboriginal rebellion during the sieges of La Paz.
He was born in 1750 in the Sicasica community, an important agricultural
center, at 4000 meters above sea level. Married to Aymara chief
Bartolina Sisa, he shared Tupaj Amaru’s plans of liberation and
emancipation of our aboriginal peoples, keeping constant constact for
many years with the « Lord of Tungasuca ».
Despite some tactical conflicts regarding the future siege and taking of
La Paz with Tupaj Amaru’s family, Tupaj Katari will initiate the first
siege which will last for 109 days, in March of 1871, with 40 000 men
at his side. He will undertake a second siege for 64 days. Consequently
to these two events the Spanish army, composed of Spaniards, Creoles and
Metis, will lose 10 000 of its 23 000 men.
A fresh supply of troops provided to the Spanish army will give them an
opportunity to break the siege in July 1st 1781; and it is without much
human loss that Tupaj Katari’s army will retreat. Nevertheless, the
hostilities will not stop, taking the form of permanent guerrillas, and
in the beginning of August , this time supported José Gabriel’s brother
Andrés Tupaj Amaru, another siege will be imposed to the city of La Paz.
Andrés’ plan was to flood the city using an intricate hydrolic
installation on Choqueyapu river. But another arrival of new supplies
to General Reseguín’s troops will cause our allies’ defeat on October
17th , in the municipality of El Alto.
Tupaj Katari was planifying another attack and gathering a new army on
the borders of Lake Titikaka when he’s been the victim of his
collaborator Tomás Inca Lipe’s perfidious treason. Unscrupulous, Lipe
will lead his chief directly into the royalist troop’s hands in the
locality of Chinchaya. Prisoneer of the Spaniards, our brother will
share the same atrocious destiny that his predecessor Tupaj Amaru .
On November 13th of 1781, the Chief Tupaj Katari will be sentenced to
death, his body to be quartered on the public place in the aboriginal
community of Peñas (Q’arq’a Marka) also known as Nuestra Señora de las
Peñas, situated in the altiplanic region of the actual Republic of
Bolivia. Some chronicles report that the execution took place on the
same day, others claim it was effective two days later, on November 15th
of 1781.
«... A mi solo me matarán, pero mañana volveré y seremos millones **»
will claim Tupaj Katari to his oppressors at the moment of his dramatic
capture. He will pass the last moments preceding his execution circled
by representents of the colonial oppression : the parish, the military
delegate, the municipal officer, the « notable » Creoles, and its
corrupted guardians, all symbolising the european mediocrity that came
for the destruction of the life and harmony of our institutions and our
social, economical, political, spiritual and cultural ways of
organizing.
Tupaj Katari’s sentence will be executed, but before he’ll have to
endure abominable tortures. After cutting his long hair, a symbol of the
Aymara chief’s rebellion and energy, his tongue will be taken off alive,
so to demonstrate the Spaniards’ intention to shut off his voice and his
message of rebellion. Then they proceeded to the execution, quartering
Tupaj Katari with the force of 4 horses tied to his legs and arms.
The order had been given, and a powerful, disturbing and atrocious shout
echoed way throuth the mythical Andes, breaking the silence that has
installed itself up to the fatidic moment, up to this moment when 4
horses tore up in pieces Julian Apaza, Aymara Warrior Chief, to the 4
horizons. The multitude’s muted shout of indignation will answer his
voice.
As Tupaj Amaru’s, Tupaj Katari’s body, dimembered and cutted into
pieces, will be exposed and travelled in all the territory of Qullasuyu,
in a way to « scare the Indian Rebels ». His head will be exposed on
K’ili K’ili Peak, (La Paz); his right arm in Ayo Ayo, his left in
Achacacho; his right leg in Chulumani, his left in Caquiaviri.
On September 5th of 1782, his wife Bartolina Sisa will be executed by
the same oppressors that had killed him , her supplice including horrid
details of torture. The same destiny will be reserved to Tupaj Katari’s
sister, Gregoria Apaza; in 1783, Tupaj Katari’s and Bartolina Sisa’s ten
years old son will be kidnapped and never again seen.
Never there had been such colonial horror as the spilling of so much
hatred on our Land. Never there had been massacres and murders as bloody
and shameless as those commited against our peoples and its populations,
never had existed so much barbarism and brutality against the Andean
Native communities than in these deadly ages.
VICTORIOUS FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS !!!
JALLALLA JILATA TUPAJ KATARI !!!!
Note from the author : Special thanks to CSUTCB’s and CANO ’s websites1
* Ivan Ignacio is President of CANO-Toronto and National Coordinator
in Canada
** « They will kill me alone, but tomorrow I’ll be back and we will be
millions ! »
1 © 2003 CANO Press Commission
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