pinkillu
Illustration — The pinquillo is a wind instrument used in Peruvian culture, especially in the Andes. A pinkillu, pinkuyllu or pinqullu (Quechua or Aymara, Hispanicized spellings pincollo, pincuyllo, pingullo, pinquillo, also pinkillo, pinkiyo, pinkullo, pinkuyo) is a flute found throughout the Andes, used primarily in Argentina northwest, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru. It is usually played with one hand, leaving the other one free to accompany oneself on a drum like the tinya.
Also recorded as pinkillo · pinkuyllu · pinqullu
pinkillu
Julian Grillo · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Field
- open flute with external duct with fingerholes
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Illustration — The pinquillo is a wind instrument used in Peruvian culture, especially in the Andes. A pinkillu, pinkuyllu or pinqullu (Quechua or Aymara, Hispanicized spellings pincollo, pincuyllo, pingullo, pinquillo, also pinkillo, pinkiyo, pinkullo, pinkuyo) is a flute found throughout the Andes, used primarily in Argentina northwest, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru. It is usually played with one hand, leaving the other one free to accompany oneself on a drum like the tinya.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for pinkillu. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q2372035
In this article
Construction and materials
Construction and materials
It is used in a variety of public festivals and other kinds of communal ceremonies.
The pinkillu can measure in length up to 1 meter 20 cm, and has six finger holes. It is most commonly made out of cane, but can be made out of bamboo, bone, or tree branches as well. In Peru and Bolivia, sheep and llama nerves are used to tie the instrument together. Among the different kinds there are ch'aka pinkillu (bone flute), qina qina pinkillu (cane flute) and tupa pinkillu (made out of thicker tuquru cane).
Cultural uses and significance
Cultural uses and significance
The pinkillu has great cultural significance. In the Andes the instrument is played during the early rainy season to celebrate cattle and farming. The pinkillu is often played in pairs or ensembles during the rainy season and at festivals. In Bolivia it is believed that the pinkillu made from cane attracts rainfall. The pinkillu is moistened with alcohol or water before playing, and is associated with fertility.
Danza ritual de la ciudad de Huari en Áncash.
Ondando
Pinquillo, s. XX, fons del Museu de la Música
sguastevi
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Ref Laime
- 2.Diccionario Quechua - Español - Quechua, Academía Mayor de la Lengua Quechua, Gobierno Regional Cusco, Cusco 2005 (Quechua-Spanish dictionary)
- 3.Ref Bertonio
- 4.Romero, Raul. Peru. Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: South America, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Taylor & Francis. 3. 466–502. 2001. 978-0-8240-4947-8.
- 5.Baumann, Max. Music and Worldview of Indian Societies in the Bolivian Andes. Music in Latin America and the Caribbean. University Of Texas Press. One. 300–303. 2004. 978-0-292-70298-1.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Collectables
20,755 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Ping PalsWork
- Ping-O-TronicTerminology
- Pink Goes to HollywoodWork
- Pink PantherWork
- PinocchioWork
- PinOutWork
- PinstripeWork
- pinwheelTerminology
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own an object connected with pinkillu?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.