Solving everyday problems through unconventional ancestral measures

Abstract

This article documents and applies a non-conventional measurements to solve everyday problems, preserving their cultural significance and integrating them with the International System of Units (SI). A qualitative, ethnographic with Kichwa and Shuar communities. Methods included purposive sampling, participant observation, semi-structured interviews, repeated measurements with calibrated instruments, and triangulation with documentary sources. The analysis combined coding of categories for unit families, contexts, and rules of use with a synthesis of values ​​and variation. Each equivalence was linked to a traceability map that integrates empirical records, evidence, and technical references. The results identify repertoires of length, capacity, and area. They show less variation in the span and the quarter in crafts involving controlled posture and tools, greater variation of the fathom in furrowing, and the dependence of the quarter on the geometry of the container and the filling technique. A catalog was developed with operational definitions and equivalence tables expressed as intervals with usage notes, and a converter was prototyped that, in classrooms and markets, improved the readability of problems, the transparency of transactions, and task coordination. We conclude that a culturally relevant and technically traceable conversion system is viable when equivalences are communicated with ranges and validity conditions; we propose expanding the validation to other regions and trades, incorporating community calibration protocols, and evaluating its impact on learning and production management.