The Role of Oral Tradition in the Formation of Afro-Ecuadorians’ Cultural Identity in Adalberto Ortiz’s Juyungo

Abstract

Since their arrival in the Americas, oral narratives have served Afro-Ecuadorians and other Afro-diasporic societies as a tool to preserve their ancestral memory and learn about their ancestors and their cultural legacy, hence Afro-descendants are heirs to a rich oral tradition of vital importance in their daily lives. With this background, using some theoretical conceptions on oral tradition, collective memory and cultural identity, and the interaction between them, this article aims to concisely examine the novel Juyungo by the Esmeraldas born author Adalberto Ortiz, show the role of orality, including songs, poems, proverbs, sayings, rituals, folktales, legends and other oral manifestations, in the formation of the cultural identity of Afro-Ecuadorians in the province of Esmeraldas, the main ethnic and cultural center of Afro-descendants in Ecuador, within a predominantly mestizo society that has historically imposed its cultural patterns and way of life on the entire nation, thus marginalizing the cultures of other ethnic groups.