Yaykuykamuychik Quechua Tikuyman / Welcome to Quechua Tinkuy

Quechua Tinkuy was established in 2015 by Quechua scholars who began teaching the Quechua language at the University of Delaware in the United States in 2018. The initiative aimed to form a network of Andean Indigenous scholars and to highlight the endeavors of Quechua individuals dedicated to promoting and revitalizing their language and culture, both within their communities and internationally.

Quechua Tinkuy has organized di erent events, such as international academic panels and workshops, in alliance with activists and academic institutions in the United States and Peru. The organization has also implemented six collaborative community-based projects to promote the use of the Quechua in Apurimac and Cusco, in partnership with the communidades of Puca Puca and Qquehuar, Club de Madres Santa Teresita and Onoccora, Micaela Bastidas and José María Arguedas Universities, Ccochacunca basic school, Cultural and Education O ce of the United States Embassy in Peru and the Fulbright Commission of Peru.

¿Pikunam kayku? / Meet the Team

We are Quechua scholars researching and teaching about the Quechua peoples.

Co-founder

Katherin P. Tairo-Quispe

Katherin P. Tairo-Quispe is a Quechua activist and scholar, born and raised in Sicuani, Cusco, in southern Peru. She is a PhD Candidate in Latin American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in Native American and Indigenous Studies, as well as Women and Gender Studies. As a co-founder of the Quechua Tinkuy organization, Katherin actively engages in initiatives aimed at empowering girls and women living in Quechua communities in Cusco and Apurimac regions. Her research focuses on cconchas (earthen ovens) in Peru, closely examining the Quechua yachay, ontologies and epistemologies they embody, and their potential to reshape the so-called “green development.” Throughout her doctoral studies, Katherin places significant emphasis on Indigenous peoples, gender dynamics, and traditional ecological knowledges. Beyond academia, she is involved in socially and environmentally engaged projects in Indigenous territories in the Andes. Her activism has led her to participate in international platforms, including the United Nations Sixteenth Session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) and the UN Indigenous Caucus in July 2023 in Geneva. These engagements not only enhance Indigenous stewardship but also facilitate crucial dialogues on Indigenous autonomy and agency on a global scale.

She worked in the public sector and was a consultant for nonprofit organizations, which motivated her to pursue and complete a master’s degree in Public Policy and Development from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (2019), and a master’s degree in Management of Social Enterprises from Universidad EAFIT Colombia (2019). Katherin completed her undergraduate degree in Journalism from the Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco (2012).

Interests: Critical Indigenous Studies; Women and Gender Studies; Land politics; Indigenous culinary practices; Environment and Ecology.

Katherin Tairo-Quispe CV

Co-founder

Jermani Ojeda Ludena

Jermani is a Quechua scholar, broadcaster, and a member of a land-based Quechua community in the Curahuasi district, located in the Apurimac region of Peru. His community, Puca Puca, translates to Red Red in Quechua. Currently pursuing a PhD in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Texas at Austin, Jermani's research focuses on what he terms the Quechua Radio Praxis and the Territorialities of the Quechua Voice. His academic work studies the experiences of Quechua people broadcasting through radio stations in the Andes. He is affiliated with the Native American and Indigenous Studies Program at UT Austin. Throughout his academic journey, Jermani has received significant scholarships and fellowships, including the Fulbright and ACLS Mellon awards. His work has been published in different media outlets and academic journals in Peru, Mexico, and the United States of America. Additionally, Jermani is the co-founder of the Quechua Tinkuy organization. He completed his undergraduate studies in journalism at the Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad in Cusco City, Peru. Furthermore, he holds two master's degrees, one in Public Policy from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Peru, and another in Iberian and Latin American Literatures, Languages, and Cultures from the University of Texas at Austin.

Interests: Critical Indigenous Studies, Indigenous Media, Voice Studies, Quechua language pedagogy and linguistic revitalization, State and community development politics, Indigenous politics, Indigenous education.

Jermani Ojeda Ludena CV