The Cultural Life of Coca by Alison Spedding was a very symbolic piece which offered me a different perception of “coca” which is the plant that consists of numerous meanings to different people. At first, before reading this, my understanding of the coca was quite basic; the ‘drug’ aspect of cocaine from the coca plant is the first idea that comes up to my mind. This was also described in the article as “The juice contains appreciable quantities of vitamin A as well as a variety of alkaloids, and calcium from the lejía ( a paste of vegetable ashes) which, in combination with saliva, releases the active principles of the leaf. ” (Spedding, p.590) The detailed description of how the coca is planted, taken care of, and revisited with either “surviving old and knotted plants known as awicha, or dead. After reading the piece, the factors such as spiritual approach in “Coca” was very interesting.
I enjoyed learning about the main symbolisms that were mentioned: I was able to make the connection between as to how a coca plant’s cycle resembles one lived by a working (low to medium class) woman. The first symbolism of coca as a woman can be seen as how a woman works hard throughout her life looking after baby cocas, and matures as a mit’ani; then after the woman devotes her effort into making the whole coca production boom and flourish, the aged coca or awicha (grandmother) is left on the fields. This was interesting in a way that a substance such as coca’s cycle of harvesting and replanting can be connected to how a married woman views her marriage as; Alison’s comprehension of the women’s suffering and myriad of consideration about life in general as to how they are living as married wives can be witnessed in the first section of the reading. Secondly, the spiritual stories of coca in relations to making sacrifices and ritual offerings was also fascinating; Matu, a useless part of coca for chewing, was used to store in a room of “where corpses lie in wake, and a person who has matu, like one whose relative has recently died, is obliged to stay home to dry it and cannot go to work.” (Spedding, p.590) But, I did not fully comprehend what the author meant by the sentence after the previous referenced quotation: “One young woman said… They ‘re holding a wake for the dead.” What does that mean? Why would a young woman say that to the mother and sister who were drying coca? Finally, cocas as a monetary use, a method of exchange, is the most realistic and common purpose that I knew of; however, I never realized that coca provides stamina, concentration, and much energy , and also used as a socially enjoyed substance such as coffee or tea. The use of coca, and the system of coca production includes diverse meanings that exercise bands of people and activities.Especially with the stereotypes that some may have about the word coca[ine] or cocaine, the story allowed for a wider interpretation of the plant and also lifecycle of a woman (wife) in Latin American culture.
Class question:
What did you personally think about ‘coca’ before encountering any of the reading this week?
Do you think that your impression of coca was affected by your ‘own’ cultural background or cultural roots?
What is Alison Spedding’s goal of her short piece on “the Cultural Life of Coca”? (maybe awareness of how working class women age in life)
‘“One young woman said… They ‘re holding a wake for the dead.” What does that mean? Why would a young woman say that to the mother and sister who were drying coca?’
I think the point is that she is saying this of her mother and sister. As with a wake, where one stays with the body of a dead person before burial, so these women have to stay with the dried coca, moreover in the same place where wakes for human bodies are held, so emphasizing again the overlaps between the ways in which the plant is seen and the ways in which humans are depicted. Once again, the plant is seen as in some sense animate, and so can be said to die, and be the object of some kind of mourning. Does that make sense?
I was also intrigued by the symbolism of women as coca and it makes complete sense. As for your question, I understood coca primarily as a plant used for drug trafficking as I had no other exposure to its cultural properties before. Spedding’s goal was probably trying to dispell those demonizing narratives by discussing the anthropological value of Coca has in the Andes.
Hey there!
In response to your second question I would say that yes, my idea of what coca is was influenced by my background prior to reading the article! Because our beliefs are shaped by our experiences, surroundings, and exposure to various perspectives throughout our lifespans, what we believe about things, especially substances labelled as “drugs” or “ingredients of drugs” is strongly related to our beliefs.