The traditional houses of the Kichwa villages of the Napo River have a square structure and dirt floor. They are raised on pillars of 1.5 to 2 meters high, to ensure protection snakes. They have a woven roof with leaves locata palm or royal palm and straw toquilla and the lizan. The edges have a height above ground of one meter, while in the center it is of five to six meters. The fabric of the roof of the house is made with much dedication and is as elaborate as the basketwork of their baskets. Next to the house there is usually a farm with basic crops for subsistence.
Nowadays, the families of the Añangu community have different construction styles and have used different materials in their houses; they live scattered along the banks of the Napo River, separated from each other at an average distance of 200 meters. The constructions of their houses are mixed because they use materials from the sector (guadua cane, vines, palms, woods), combined with industrialized materials such as zinc cover or "duratecho". As Jiovanny ivadeneira explains, part of the process that the community is going through today involves a change in this structure, the satellite community is being planned.
"Knowing that all the Kichwas who live around the Napo River drink from its water, the idea is to bring a source of clean water to the houses, organizing a center that has western and ancestral medicine, alternative energy, quality education, work for all. This is a dream that began three years ago, in 2010, and is expected to culminate in about three years."
This new planning proposal arose in conjunction with the creation of the Napo Cultural Center Hotel and is part of the same project, the "Millennium Community". The idea is that the new constructions are very ecological and maintain traditional characteristics. It has been planned to make a center where the houses are closer, that they are made with materials from the region. This would use the palm leaf and toquilla straw for the roof, tied with veraquilla, which is the bark of a tree. For the structure will be used chontapambil, bamboo, and round sticks. For these constructions the traditional wisdom is remembered, because none of these materials can be cut in the tender moon, because the moth eats everything. At the same time, the most modern technology is used in the area of renewable energies, since for the functioning of the new community, energy sources such as biogas and solar panels are expected to be available.
Nowadays, the families of the Añangu community have different construction styles and have used different materials in their houses; they live scattered along the banks of the Napo River, separated from each other at an average distance of 200 meters. The constructions of their houses are mixed because they use materials from the sector (guadua cane, vines, palms, woods), combined with industrialized materials such as zinc cover or "duratecho". As Jiovanny ivadeneira explains, part of the process that the community is going through today involves a change in this structure, the satellite community is being planned.
"Knowing that all the Kichwas who live around the Napo River drink from its water, the idea is to bring a source of clean water to the houses, organizing a center that has western and ancestral medicine, alternative energy, quality education, work for all. This is a dream that began three years ago, in 2010, and is expected to culminate in about three years."
This new planning proposal arose in conjunction with the creation of the Napo Cultural Center Hotel and is part of the same project, the "Millennium Community". The idea is that the new constructions are very ecological and maintain traditional characteristics. It has been planned to make a center where the houses are closer, that they are made with materials from the region. This would use the palm leaf and toquilla straw for the roof, tied with veraquilla, which is the bark of a tree. For the structure will be used chontapambil, bamboo, and round sticks. For these constructions the traditional wisdom is remembered, because none of these materials can be cut in the tender moon, because the moth eats everything. At the same time, the most modern technology is used in the area of renewable energies, since for the functioning of the new community, energy sources such as biogas and solar panels are expected to be available.
