Irma Poma Canchumani (

Junín Province Junín Province is a province in northwestern Junín Region, in the central highlands of Peru. Its capital is the city of Junín. Geography The territory of the province is mountainous and it includes Lake Junin which is the largest lake entire ...

, August 12, 1969) is a traditional Peruvian artist of

mate burilado Mate burilado are calabash or gourd fruit decorated by hand with a technique called burilado using the carving instrument called or burin. This Peruvian folk art form is found in the Mantaro Valley, as well as in the provinces of Lambayeque and ...

and an environmental defender. She received the "Meritorious Personality of Culture" award from the Peruvian Ministry of Culture and the "Recognition of Excellence for Handicrafts in the Andean Region" award from

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

Biography

Irma Luz Poma Canchumani is the daughter of Agustín Poma and Angélica Canchumani, promoters of the collective memory of the

Mantaro Valley The Mantaro Valley, also known as Jauja Valley, is a fluvial inter-Andean valley of Junin region, east of Lima, the capital of Peru. The Mantaro River flows through the fertile valley which produces potatoes, maize, and vegetables among othe ...

in Cochas Grande, a town located a few kilometers from

Huancayo Huancayo (; in qu, label=Wanka Quechua, Wankayuq , '(place) with a (sacred) rock') is the capital of Junín Region, in the central highlands of Peru. Location Huancayo is located in Huancayo Province, of which it is also the capital. Si ...

that has maintained the tradition of carved art since the beginning of the 20th century. Her parents,

Calabash Calabash (; ''Lagenaria siceraria''), also known as bottle gourd, white-flowered gourd, long melon, birdhouse gourd, New Guinea bean, Tasmania bean, and opo squash, is a vine grown for its fruit. It can be either harvested young to be consumed ...

carvers and engravers with different tendencies and techniques, recreated sequences of spiraling visual narratives, which are read as the piece is slowly rotated. The themes addressed focused on customs such as the (Andean natural medicine cleansing procedure), marriage, house construction, textile practices, sowing, births, or illnesses. In this way, Pome has been linked to mate burilado since her childhood, showing a great interest in mythical, festive, and historical themes through her tracing, while preserving the family style, but also conducting her own research. Every year, Poma has set out to create a new theme for her gourds. For example, in 2005, on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of

Don Quixote de la Mancha is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of Western ...

, Poma won first place in a contest organized by the (Ministry of Education) and the

Museo de la Nación The Museo de la Nación (English: ''Museum of the Nation'') is one of two major museums of Peruvian history in Lima, Peru. It is much larger than the other main museum in Lima, the Peruvian National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology, and H ...

, for which she had to read

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelists. He is best know ...

's book more than five times to understand its meanings and be able to make the drawings. Poma affirms that the carved mate is her life because through it, she can transmit the existence of her community. She points out that culture should not be lost: "with my pieces, I perpetuate the culture of my country, and I want the whole world to know where we live, where we eat". As an environmentalist, Poma has participated in international forums and is part of the working team of the indigenous-led multimedia initiative ''Conversations with the Earth : Indigenous Voices on Climate Change''. As part of her collaboration with this organization, in 2012, Poma exhibited her works in the exhibition ''Conversations with the Earth : Indigenous Voices on Climate Change'' at the

National Museum of the American Indian The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum in the United States devoted to the culture of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution group of museums and research centers. The museum has three ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Her work is distributed in collections in the United States, England, Switzerland, Sweden, India, Japan, and South Africa.

Awards and honours

At the age of 14, she won her first award in a contest organized by the

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

Minka are vernacular houses constructed in any one of several traditional Japanese building styles. In the context of the four divisions of society, were the dwellings of farmers, artisans, and merchants (i.e., the three non-samurai castes). This c ...

de Huancayo, with a gourd depicting the sowing and harvesting of wheat. In 2005, she won first place in a contest organized by the Ministry of Education and the Museo de la Nación on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of Don Quixote de la Mancha. Likewise, she has been decorated as "Meritorious Personality of Culture" by the Ministry of Culture in 2012, and received the UNESCO Recognition of Excellence for Crafts of the Andean Region in 2014. She also won a Smithsonian Institution contest, with a tribute to the

pachamama Pachamama is a goddess revered by the indigenous peoples of the Andes. In Inca mythology she is an "Earth Mother" type goddess, Dransart, Penny. (1992) "Pachamama: The Inka Earth Mother of the Long Sweeping Garment." ''Dress and Gender: Making ...

Selected works

* "Nuestra Ave Fénix" (Our Phoenix Bird), a piece exhibited at the

Metropolitan Municipality of Lima The Metropolitan Municipality of Lima ( es, Municipalidad Metropolitana de Lima) is the local government entity of the Lima Province and Lima District. It is the only provincial municipality of special regime with faculties of regional government. I ...

in 2017. * Carved matte that summarizes in 38 scenes the first 54 chapters of ''Don Quixote de la Mancha'', winner of the contest organized by the Ministry of Education and the Museum of the Nation of Peru for the quadricentennial of the emblematic work in 2005.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poma Canchumani, Irma 1969 births Living people Peruvian artists Indigenous activists of the Americas Women in craft Peruvian women artists Women engravers 20th-century engravers 21st-century engravers Folk artists