They dwell on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada 
de Santa Marta in the northern part of the Departamento 
del Magdalena (36). 
The ancient culture-trait of coca-chewing is conserved 
amongst these Indians. ‘The coca or hayo is mixed with 
tobacco-extract, ambird (58). Proof of the antiquity of 
the custom is given by references to it in the chronicles 
of the Conquest and Colonial periods. Archaeological 
evidence, especially such finds as stone masks depicting 
coca-chewing — masks analogous to wooden ones made 
by these people today — relates these tribes and this 
culture-trait to the T'aironas or Tairos. Linguistically, 
the word hayo stems from Tairona. Furthermore, there 
are certain other vestiges which indicate that the cultures 
of the Sierra Nevada have continued for over five hundred 
years some of the older and similar ‘Tairona culture- 
traits (50). 
Coca and tobacco, amongst the Sierra Nevada Indians, 
play a wholly religious role and are used in order 1) to 
enable the subject to fast, 2) to attain complete sexual 
abstinence, 3) to keep from sleeping and 4) to refrain 
entirely from speaking of the ‘‘ancestors’’ (that is, to 
avoid dancing and reciting) (87). 
Only the males employ tobacco and coca, because of 
a strong religious taboo which is widespread throughout 
Andean cultures. 
Coca-plots are put in beside every house or around 
settlements, where they occupy as much land as is pos- 
sible, as well as in distant fields. ‘These Indians distin- 
guish three kinds of coca, each kind belonging to differ- 
ent tribes. One variety with long leaves (grown by the 
extinct Kamkuama tribe); one with small leaves (Kogi); 
and one with very minute leaves (Ika). Furthermore, it 
is said that ‘‘the ancients’’ used a tree (unfortunately not 
determined botanically) of the high moors or paramos 
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