Ariruma Kowii, born Jacinto Conejo Maldonado (Otavalo, Imbabura, Ecuador, August 4, 1961) is considered one of the most important poets writing in the Quechua language. His debut poetry collection Mutsuctsurini (1988) was one of the first books to be written and published exclusively in Quechua. He is also a columist for the Quito newspaper Hoy. In 2007 he was appointed Undersecretary of Education for the Indigenous Peoples of Ecuador in the Ministry of Education, responsible for Intercultural Dialogue. He teaches Literature and Cultural Studies at the Simón Bolívar Andean University. He is the brother of the mayor of Otavalo, Mario Conejo Maldonado.
Education
Bachelor’s degree in Social and Political Sciences from the Central University of Ecuador.
Videos
Interview with Ariruma Kowii
Documentary in which Ariruma Kowii speaks about being proud of the Kichwa (Quechua) language.
Selected works
- Mutsuctsurini (Llactamanta Quillcac Tantanacushca, Quito, Ecuador, 1988)
- Tsaitsik : poemas para construir el futuro (Centro de Ediciones Culturales de Imbabura, Ibarra [Ecuador], 1993)
- Diccionario de nombres kichwas = Kichwa shutikunamanta shimiyuk panka (Corporación Editora Nacional, Quito, Ecuador, 1998)
- Estado de la cuestión de la obra de Guamán Poma de Ayala (Carrera de Literatura, Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación, UMSA, La Paz, Bolivia, ©1998)
- Sociedades diversas y educación (Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura, [Madrid], [2001?])
- Identidad lingüística de los pueblos indígenas de la región andina (ABYA YALA: Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, Sede Ecuador; Instituto Italo-Latino Americano, Quito, Roma, Italia, 2005)
- Interculturalidad y diversidad (Corporación Editora Nacional: Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, Quito, 2011)
- Poetas originarios de América (Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba, Ciudad de La Habana, 2011)
- (In)visibilización del Kichwa : políticas lingüísticas en Ecuador (Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar: ABYA YALA, Quito, 2017)
Name variations
- Wankar Ariruma Kowii
- Ariruma Kowii Maldonado
- Ariruma Kowii
- Wankar Ariruma Kowii Maldonado
- Jacinto Conejo Maldonado