Chacu Collective Hunting of Camelids and Pastoralism in the Peruvian Andes

Abstract

　In the ancient Inca Empire, the chacu, a kind of collective hunting of wild animals, was widely practiced. It was a system of use, control and preservation of wild animals. In particular, as the wool of the vicuña was so fine, when captured, vicuñas were not killed but released alive after the wool was cut. The chacu disappeared after the empire fell, but recently it has been revived. The purpose of this paper is to describe the ancient chacu, the process of its revival and factors in its revival. Also I will discuss some issues that studying the chacu raises, such as characteristics of Andean pastoralism, rethinking the dichotomy between hunting and pastoralism and the domestication of Andean camelids.