Un enigma etnográfico en los Andes septentrionales del Perú. Notas sobre un aerófono indígena tocado sólo por mujeres

Abstract

In this text, I will offer a preliminary study of a musical instrument of local manufacture in the north of Peru, in a still poorly explored cultural area that includes the Lambayeque highlands. The instrument in question is a transverse flute played only by indigenous women. After briefly presenting the area under study, I will describe the morphology, the manufacture, the use, the geographical distribution, the evolution and the local perception of this aerophone known as kinran pinkullu. This instrument is in danger of extinction; not only is it unique, but – on account of its morphology and the fact that it is played only by women – it is also an anomaly in the Amerindian world.