SPEAKER_00: Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan, and this is Womanica. This month we're highlighting indigenous women from around the globe. This episode has depictions of violence. If you're listening with young children, you may want to sit this one out. Today we're featuring a woman who became a symbol for the Latin American anti-colonial movement of the 18th century. She led several uprisings against Spanish rule. Please welcome Bartolina Cisa. Bartolina Cisa was likely born on August 24, 1753. She came from a well-off Aymara family that traded coca leaves. The Aymara are an indigenous people from the central Andes in Peru and Bolivia. Their language is also called Aymara. Bartolina was from the imperial province of La Paz. Back then, La Paz was considered upper Peru. Today, it's part of Bolivia.
SPEAKER_00: La Paz was founded by a Spanish colonizer or conquistador in 1548 on the site of an Incan village. Soon after the Spanish conquest, much of the indigenous population of what's now Bolivia was forced to labor in mines by the Spaniards. Some cities, including La Paz, supplied the food and other necessities for this labor. The Spanish invasion introduced violence and exploitation to the continent. It was under the suppression that Bartolina grew up. She set out to fight back and organize grassroots battalions against the Spanish empire with the help of other women and her partner, Tupac Qatari. Tupac was an insurgent leader and the Inca king of the Aymara's and vice-king of the Incan empire. Bartolina was responsible for recruiting fighters, organizing supply logistics and controlling movement around the rebel territory. In 1781, she took part in the first siege of La Paz. She organized camps in other towns and parts of the capital. On March 13, the group set up in the eastern part of El Alto, a city adjacent to La Paz, and closed off all access to the capital. They maintained their occupation until June, when the army intervened. Some sources say that Bartolina was tortured and brutally interrogated, but that she didn't divulge any information to her Spanish captors. There are also reports that say that her fellow organizers hosted a party of sorts for her birthday. They made noise outside the prison where she was being held to demonstrate solidarity and offer strength. Bartolina's husband tried to rescue her and may have offered himself in exchange for her freedom. He was unsuccessful and was captured and sentenced by Spanish forces. On November 14, while Bartolina was still in prison, she was forced to watch the public dismemberment of her partner, Tupac Katari. The Aymara tradition credits him with speaking these words before his death. They will only kill me, but tomorrow I shall return and I will be millions. While the uprisings of 1781 were difficult to maintain and were challenged with suppression and violence, it's clear they played a key role in the fight for independence. According to an investigation by historian Pilar Mendieta, who looked into the journals of a judge and member of the local elite, he was surprised by how indigenous women played a primary role in political actions usually regarded as valid only in the male realm, as they fought side by side with their husbands, throwing stones and even leading armies. Indigenous women were taking action outside the walls of the city under siege. Bartolina Cisa was brutally murdered on September 5, 1782. While her death was used to instill fear, her legacy lives on and continues to inspire. September 5 marks International Indigenous Women's Day. In 2005, Bartolina was declared a national Aymara heroine by the Bolivian Congress. Many anti-imperialist and anti-colonial indigenous groups bear her name to this day. All month we're honoring the legacies of indigenous women. For more information, check out our Facebook and Instagram, at Wamanaka Podcast. Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator. Talk to you tomorrow. Tomorrow I shall return and I will be millions. While the uprisings of 1781 were difficult to maintain and were challenged with suppression and violence, it's clear they played a key role in the fight for independence. According to an investigation by historian Pilar Mendieta, who looked into the journals of a judge and member of the local elite, he was surprised by how indigenous women played a primary role in political actions usually regarded as valid only in the male realm, as they fought side by side with their husbands, throwing stones and even leading armies. Indigenous women were taking action outside the walls of the city under siege. Bartolina Sisa was brutally murdered on September 5, 1782. While her death was used to instill fear, her legacy lives on and continues to inspire. September 5 marks International Indigenous Women's Day. In 2005, Bartolina was declared a national Aymara heroine by the Bolivian Congress. Many anti-imperialist and anti-colonial indigenous groups bear her name to this day. All month we're honoring the legacies of indigenous women. For more information, check out our Facebook and Instagram at Wamanaka Podcast. Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator. Talk to you tomorrow.
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