Biographies of Los Inkas Nativo

Segundo González

“Ever since I was a little child, I wanted to play the guitar and be a musician ; nevertheless, it was after I graduated from high school
that I had the opportunity to have my own guitar and learned how to play it. I loved to watch the elderly indigenous musicians play. I
have learned a lot from them and I am proud to be able to share our music with the new generations. I play the guitar, charango,
bandola, mandolin and do the vocals.”

Clemencia Quizhpe

“I am proud to be from Saraguro and part of this group. I always wanted to be involved in cultural activities. I am one of the dancers
in the group. I enjoy dancing and meeting new cultures during our performances. I am thankful to my parents for passing their
cultural values to me; especially the Kichwa language and the art of beadwork. I always encourage my children to keep our
traditional customs and to be proud of them overseas as well as in our home country. ”

Luis Miguel González

“I am the youngest player in the group. I like being on stage with the rest of the group. I play the drum, electronic synthesizer,
charango and I am learning to play the violin. I like to play soccer, and other things. I like to play music because it relaxes me and
takes my mind off things that are bothering me.”

Luis Alberto González

Our Representative in Ecuador
“Playing music has been one of my favorite hobbies. I learned to play the guitar, bandolin, and charango when I was a high school
student. I joined my brothers to start The “Rumiñahui” Cultural Group, but because of my Dentistry studies I had to discontinue
playing in the group until I finished my career. Currently, I am learning to play the keyboard synthesizer to encourage my children to
learn and value our traditional music.”

Marco González

“I was impressed by our traditional music since I was a child. I learned to play the rondador and the Andean flute when I was in 6th
grade. Years later, I had a passion for the violin and the vocals. The audience ovations during my early performances were the
reason to immerse myself in the Andean music. I was fortunate to meet elderly Indian Saraguro musicians rich in musical knowledge
that have shared their musical talents with me. Unfortunately some of them have already passed away. I play the violin, zampoña,
quena, rondador, flutes and do vocals.”

Marcita González

“I am a Saraguro Indian, native from Yacuambi in the Province of Zamora Chinchipe. I left my village when I was 17 to pursue a
college career in the city of Cuenca and I finished my career in Dietetics and Nutrition. One of my favorite hobbies has been music; I
took guitar lessons and vocals. I learned from the best professional guitar players who shared their talents with me. At the same
time, I met Marco González, who is now my husband. We share the same ideals and he has helped me to grow in music. Currently I
am part of this historic group as a dancer and guitar player. I am proud to transmit the Latin-American art across the borders
showing the world a different culture.”

Silvia González

I am the manager of Los Inkas Nativo Corporation. I started as a dancer in the early 1980s, with the Rumiñahui Group in my
community in order to promote and extend the knowledge and appreciation of Saraguro Andean music and dance. Ever since I was a
child my mother taught me the art of beading (necklaces, earrings, bracelets, etc) which now is one of the most important
components of our family business.

In the early 1990s I left my community and went to study Business Administration and Marketing at the University ofSan Francisco of
Quito. After getting my degree, I worked as Deputy Director of the Institute for Social Development and Scientific Research, INDESIC
in Quito Ecuador and I was in charge of Scholarship and Training Program for fellows and indigenous communities from all over the
country. Later on, I returned to my hometown, to work with the Saraguro Indigenous Federation and the Development Project
Saraguro -Yacuambi.

I always have been involved in activities related to the cultural development of our people. I worked for over a year in the
Ecuadorian Embassy in Washington D.C. Living in the United States has given me the opportunity to promote our culture overseas,
and together with my family, we formed Los Inkas Nativo Corporation.
I am proud of my indigenous heritage and I am happy to be able to share it with other people around the world through music, dance,
fine arts and the best Saraguro beadwork.

Lauro González

“My passion for Andean music began when I was a child, thanks to my parents who were the first ones to support and motivate all
their children to be proud of our cultural roots. Initially I learned to play the quena, zampoñas, rondador and the native drum. Years
later, I learned to play other flutes and the mandolin in order to diversify the sounds in our native musical style: chaspishca. I am
proud to be able to share our culture with the rest of the world and to teach my children to be proud indigenous Saraguro people .”

Enith Paqui

“I was born in Saraguro and my parents taught me about our cultural values. My father is one of the founders of the first Saraguro
Indian group of music and dance and as such he was a major influence on my cultural education. I want to contribute to this project
by keeping and sharing Saraguro’s cultural richness all over the world. Currently I am one of the dancers of the group and I do
beadwork. I am proud to be able to help spread the name of Saraguro through our performances and even more by teaching our
traditions to my children Andres and José because they will be the new forgers of this ideal.”

Jaime González

“I grew up beside my drum. I joined my brothers' musical group when I was in 5th grade. I played the drum for several years until I
learned to play the electric bass. I am proud of my parents who nurtured our culture in me and my brothers. Being a musician since
my early age, I have had good experiences; especially traveling and meeting new friends. Because of my studies, I had to take a
break in my musical career for a while, but now I am willing to try my best to make this group one of the main groups from Ecuador.
Besides being a player, I do all the sound engineering for the group.”

Fernando González

“I have loved music, dance and sports since I was a child. I started as a dancer in the “Rumiñahui” Group. I began to play the guitar
when I was 17, after I finished high school. I joined the group when I was 20 and I felt that music was one of the best things in the
world. I feel emotion when I see the new generations dance and enjoy our music and value their roots. I continue practicing and
learning about our music.”

Biography

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