Llamas, Alpacas, & Vicunas

Rebecca Robertson - 2002

When we think of camels, what probably comes to mind is a mental picture of either the one-humped creature of the Arabian deserts or the two-humped creature of the Mongolian deserts. Well there are other members of the camel family who reside in Peru, among other places. These camelids, as members of the camel family are known, are of the genus llama, which includes the llama and alpaca, and the vicuna, in its own genus. Surprisingly, fossils found in CA indicate that the camel family probably originated in North America, and migrated to SA and then across the Bering land bridge to the deserts of the East.
Camelids have two toed feet, and they walk on a leathery pad, which gives them great traction in rough terrain. This pad on the foot also is "environment-friendly," if you will, because it allows them to navigate even delicate woodlands without damaging the vegetation. These llamas, alpacas, and vicunas have 3 stomaches!
The llama and the alpaca have always been domesticated animals. Adult llamas are usually between 300 and 450 pounds, standing 5-6 feet tall. The llama is primarily used in the Andes and in Peru as a pack animal or for meat. The word "jerky" that we use today to refer to beef jerky, is one of the few words in our language originating from the Quechua language. "Ch'arki" is the name of the llama meat which was salted and sun-dried.
The hair feels coarse, and the fibers from its coat have been used for weaving and knitting of blankets, wall-hangings, rugs, sweaters, hats, gloves, and ponchos. The ponchos worn by the residents of the Peruvian mountains, or those that are purchased by tourists to the Andes, may take women 3-6 months to make. To shear the llama, spin, dye, prepare warp for the loom, and to weave the poncho would be enough work to obtain an asking price of $1300-$1600 USD, if American minimum wages were applied.
The llama has historically been a sacred animal for the people of the Andes, and it has often been a part of Andean folklore. For instance, there is a story in the book by Carol Cumes and Romulo Valencia called "the Farmer, the Lllama, and the Condor." The llama nawikuna, or "eyes of the llama," is a constellation that can be seen during the rainy season. It refers to the 2 bright stars that appear during the llama birthing period.
The llama has also been used as an offering to Andean deities in sacrifices. The "sullu" is a fetus of a llama, sometimes offered with coca leaves, which is one of the most sacred offerings that a man or woman can extend to the supernatural beings. It can represent a reproducing animal and symbolically assists the earth to produce a bountiful harvest. "Untu," fat of the llama and alpaca, is also appreciated in offerings.
The alpaca is considerably smaller than the llama, with adults weighing in at about 120-175 pounds. They have a life span of about 18 years. Today there are about 3.5 million in the Andean highlands, most of which can be found in Peru. The alpaca, like the llama, has always been a domesticated animal, but unlike the llama, it is usually raised for its luxurious fine fiber. It is more profitable than the llama due to its better wool and tastier meat.
The wool can be found in 22 distinct, natural colors from white, to brown, to black. An alpaca can produce enough wool to make 6 or 8 warm sweaters. When compared to sheep wool, which only has a clean fiber yield of 43-76% after processing, the alpaca gives 87-95% usuable fiber. Another advantage of alpaca wool over sheep is that it does not require chemicals to be scoured and cleaned due to a much lower grease (lanolin) content. This makes it better for Pachamama, and also less expensive to process. Alpacas can be raised at very high altitudes, and so have developed more thermal capacity than almost any other animal.
Ancient petroglyphs in Peru dated at over 4,000 years old show herds of alpacas being tended by Peruvian herders. Alpacas are thought to have been created about 6,000 years ago through selective breeding of the vicuna, because there are similarities in size, fiber, and teeth between the alpaca and vicuna.
The vicuna is the smallest of all camelids, weighing only about 90 pounds, and standing just under 3 feet at the shoulder. Although very small, it survives well as it can travel very fast and for great distances. Its keen eyesight also allows for early detection for flights to safety. The vicuna is adapted to high altitudes, like the alpaca and llama, and can endure drought and freezing nights. This entirely wild creature has managed to survive all predators given these characteristics, but the human predator almost wiped it out. The alpaca was almost hunted to extinction, in the early 1970's, when in 1974 less than 8,000 of them survived in all the Andes.
The reason for this drastic overhunting was the fact the the vicuna's hair is so silky and luxurious that it is the world's most valuable natural fiber. One pound on the open market is worth $225 USD today.
Thankfully, the vicuna was declared endangered, and trading it or shaving it was outlawed before it became completely extinct. The vicuna did a dramatic comeback due to these conservation efforts. There are now about 103,000 vicunas in Peru. This comeback was in spite of the impoverished environment, where the average villager was hard pressed to put food on the table, let alone worry about supporting a conservation program. Maybe this can be attributed to the spirit of respect for nature that reverberates in the Andes of Peru. Would this comeback have been so successful in poor areas of the U.S., Mexico, or China?? Now the challenge is to manage the cash crop of the fleece in the hands of locals, without it playing into the hands of commercial poachers, who nearly caused the vicuna's demise in the first place.
The communal effort of catching large groups of vicunas is known as "chacu." This method where great herds of vicunas and scores of people are grouped to trap them, shear them, and return them to the wild dates back to the Incas. The Incas saw the fleece as so valuable that only the Inca ruler and his court were allowed to wear garments made from it. Any commoner caught wearing vicuna fleece was executed!
Today, the person who makes management decisions for the policies affecting the South American camelids residing in Peru and other Andean countries is not an Incan ruler, but a man named Alfonso Martinez. Martinez says that "Vicunas represent the Andes, the ancient cultures and grace of all wild creatures. The world would not be the same without the beauty of vicunas."
Animals are very special for Andean people. They provide food, clothing, housing, protection, teaching, and even insight in dreams and healing ceremonies. The apukuna, devine lords of the mountain, are seen as the owners of the animals. Even the Waynukuna, or Andean songs, portray how nature, people and animals, "exist together and are seen as friends, sharing their love, joy, and sorrow." (Cumes, p. 145)

Rebecca Robertson - 2002