Featured Country August 2007:
Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands

This largely Roman Catholic country primarily speaks Spanish with Amerindian languages (especially Quechua) also spoken. Unemployment rates in the country are 10.6% with underemployment of and additional 47%, resulting in 38.5% of the country living below the poverty line.

Ecuador is one of seventeen mega-diverse countries in the world according to Conservation International, with 1600 bird species (some 15% of the world's known bird species) in the continental area, and 38 more endemic to the Galápagos. There are also 25,000 recorded species of plants and has 106 endemic reptiles, 138 endemic amphibians, as well as 6,000 species of butterflies. The Galápagos Islands are very well known as a region of distinct fauna, famous as the place of birth of Darwin'sTheory of Evolution, and as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Despite being on the UNESCO list, the Galapagos have become endangered by many different situations which now threaten the existence of this exotic ecosystem.

* Population: 13,744,680

* Capital: Quito
* Area:272,045 sq. km. (105,037 sq. miles) slightly smaller than nevada
* Major languages: Spanish, indigenous languages
* Major religion: Christianity (Roman Catholic)
* Life expectancy: 71 years (men), 77 years (women) (UN)
* Monetary unit: US dollar
* Main exports: Petroleum, bananas, shrimp, coffee, cocoa, cut flowers, fish
* GNI per capita: US$2,630 (World Bank, 2006)
* Internet domain: .ec
* International dialing code: +593

ARTIST COOPERATIVE PROFIL:
Tiendas Campesinas Camari
The Tiendas Campesinas Camari (Camari Peasant Shops), which were organized in 1981, grew out of the work of an organization called the Ecuadorian Popular Progressive Fund (FEPP) which was started by the Ecuadorian Catholic Bishops to organize community development projects among the rural poor in Ecuador. Camari means" gift" in the Quechua Indian language. The peasant shops can be seen as a "gift" to peasant artisans, offering them direct marketing outlets and fair recompense in place of the outrageously low prices paid previously by unscrupulous middlemen. Today, Camari Shops in Quito, Latacunga, Riobamba, Quevedo, Esmeraldas, and Francisco de Orellana offer handcrafts and agricultural products produced by 6500 peasant families. Ecuadorian artisans are renowned for their painted and varnished bread dough ornaments & nativity sets, straw figures, balsa wood products, tagua nut carvings  and textiles.

ARTISAN STORY: BERTHA SUAREZ

With the help of her family, Bertha Swuarez, has been selling bread dough handicrafts for 30 years. Bertha lives in a second story home and uses the rooftop for her small one-room workshop. Her niece, Narcisa, and her niece’s friend, Monica, are employed by Bertha. Narcisa is recently married and is very content and satisfied with her work. She says that some day she would like to have her own workshop. Bertha says she has taught her everything she knows, with the hope of passing on the business to her niece when she is tired out. Bertha says that with the money they make from their work she is able to put her children through school. After paying for school and paying the family and employees that help out with production (there are four workers usually, and six when the orders are larger), Bertha says they can also keep a little bit of money for themselves. “We do not lack anything,” she says with a smile.

PRODUCT INFO:MASAPAN   The bread dough folk art from Ecuador has its origins in Roman Catholic and Indian traditions. For the Day of the Dead in early November, families honor deceased relatives by placing simple masapan (bread dough) figurines by their grave sites. In some regions, figures are also made for the Procession of the Christ Child, a Christmas festival, and Godparents Day before Lent. Originally the bread dough was edible. Consisting only of flour, salt, leavening and water, it required four days to dry and broke easily. The process has improved technically in recent years; glues are now added to the dough. This tradition has given rise to a thriving cottage industry. Ornaments are shaped by hand or pressed into small molds then painted, varnished and baked.

Product care: Although the bread dough includes glue for durability, the ornaments need to be handled with care. Wipe with a damp cloth to clean.

TAGUA NUT

Tagua is the fruit, nut or seed of the South American palm "Phytelephas Macrocarpa". A native of the Andes region, tagua nuts have long been prized for their hard, white, close-grained ivory meat. Formerly a mainstay of the button industry, tagua was machined, turned, embossed and dyed into an amazing array of shapes, colors and styles. For close to eighty years the ivory nut was a commodity of global importance and factories on three continents used to manufacture articles of utility and luxury. The coming of synthetics killed the world ivory nut market.

Tagua nuts fall to the ground when they are mature. After harvesting and drying they are ready for carving. After carving, the artisans polish them to bring out the natural shine. The grain is close and very hard. It resembles the finest ivory in texture and color but is more dense and resilient. The nut is not toxic. There is renewed interest in the tagua nut because of the slaughter and near extinction of mammal ivory, e.g., elephant, whales and walrus. The harvesting of tagua nuts is a sustainable activity, helping to preserve the rainforest. The harvesting does not damage the trees from which the nut is taken.