﻿438 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1943 
  

  

  fairly 
  well-developed 
  weaving; 
  shelter 
  of 
  timber 
  framework 
  demand- 
  

   ing 
  fairly 
  advanced 
  carpentry 
  and 
  commonly 
  of 
  dimensions 
  large 
  

   enough 
  to 
  house 
  a 
  considerable 
  number 
  of 
  people 
  (pi. 
  3, 
  middle), 
  with 
  

   inside 
  ground 
  areas 
  reported 
  up 
  to 
  about 
  10,000 
  square 
  feet 
  or 
  more; 
  

   hammocks; 
  weapons 
  and 
  tools 
  of 
  stone, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  available; 
  some 
  

   metal 
  ornaments; 
  major 
  social 
  unit 
  in 
  the 
  tribe 
  consisting 
  more 
  com- 
  

   monly, 
  where 
  data 
  are 
  reported, 
  of 
  the 
  extended 
  family 
  or 
  sib 
  living 
  

   in 
  the 
  large 
  houses 
  above 
  mentioned, 
  with 
  villages 
  often 
  comprising 
  

   only 
  one 
  or 
  two, 
  at 
  most 
  several, 
  such 
  houses; 
  villages 
  at 
  times 
  con- 
  

   federated 
  into 
  a 
  loose 
  tribal 
  organization; 
  moiety 
  and 
  sib 
  systems 
  

   recorded 
  here 
  and 
  there, 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  moiety 
  systems 
  bearing 
  marked 
  

   resemblance 
  in 
  certain 
  details 
  to 
  those 
  found 
  among 
  the 
  Ge 
  peoples; 
  

   levirate, 
  sororate, 
  and 
  avoidances 
  not 
  uncommon 
  ; 
  couvade 
  widespread 
  ; 
  

   religion, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  known, 
  largely 
  shamanistic 
  and 
  animistic, 
  with 
  at 
  

   least 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  of 
  theism 
  among 
  many 
  groups 
  (pi. 
  4, 
  lower). 
  

  

  3. 
  Sierral 
  culture. 
  — 
  The 
  Sierral 
  culture 
  extends 
  from 
  Colombia 
  to 
  

   the 
  northern 
  Araucanian 
  area 
  and 
  is 
  shared 
  by 
  the 
  peoples 
  of 
  the 
  

   region 
  we 
  have 
  previously 
  described 
  as 
  the 
  Andean 
  area, 
  except 
  the 
  

   tribes 
  of 
  the 
  rain-forest 
  coastal 
  strip 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  who 
  belong 
  more 
  

   to 
  the 
  Silval 
  culture, 
  and 
  the 
  Changos 
  of 
  the 
  Chilean 
  coastal 
  desert 
  

   and 
  the 
  Chono-Fuegian 
  Canoe 
  Indians 
  whose 
  culture 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  Mar- 
  

   ginal 
  type. 
  The 
  Araucanians 
  of 
  middle 
  Chile 
  down 
  to 
  Chiloe 
  are 
  

   in 
  the 
  main 
  on 
  a 
  markedly 
  simpler 
  culture 
  level 
  than 
  the 
  peoples 
  far- 
  

   ther 
  north, 
  but 
  in 
  many 
  respects 
  are 
  linked 
  genetically 
  with 
  the 
  

   Sierral 
  culture 
  proper 
  and 
  so 
  may 
  best 
  be 
  included 
  therein. 
  

  

  Again, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  Marginal 
  and 
  Silval 
  culture, 
  marked 
  local 
  

   differences 
  appear 
  in 
  the 
  Sierral 
  culture 
  as 
  one 
  passes 
  down 
  the 
  

   Andean 
  highland 
  from 
  Colombia 
  to 
  the 
  south, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  like- 
  

   wise 
  beneath 
  the 
  divergences 
  an 
  underlying 
  cultural 
  uniformity. 
  

  

  The 
  more 
  characteristic 
  traits 
  of 
  the 
  Sierral 
  culture 
  may 
  be 
  summed 
  

   up 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  15 
  Horticulture 
  universal, 
  with 
  maize 
  as 
  the 
  chief 
  

   staple 
  and 
  beans 
  ranking 
  next, 
  except 
  in 
  the 
  very 
  high 
  altitudes 
  where 
  

   white 
  potatoes, 
  oca, 
  and 
  quinoa 
  are 
  basic 
  ; 
  garden 
  plots 
  and 
  fields 
  tend- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  more 
  permanent 
  location 
  than 
  under 
  the 
  Silval 
  milpa 
  

   system, 
  with 
  irrigation 
  in 
  the 
  drier 
  lowlands 
  and 
  with 
  terraces 
  in 
  the 
  

   highlands 
  (pi. 
  2, 
  lower) 
  ; 
  the 
  llama 
  and 
  alpaca 
  domesticated 
  and 
  used 
  

   for 
  transportation, 
  wool, 
  food, 
  and 
  sacrifices 
  ; 
  coca 
  chewing 
  as 
  a 
  stimu- 
  

   lant, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  tobacco 
  and 
  alcoholic 
  beverages 
  ; 
  very 
  high 
  develop- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  pottery 
  and 
  weaving; 
  full 
  body 
  clothing 
  (in 
  contrast 
  to 
  

   predominant 
  Silval 
  near-nudity) 
  ; 
  advanced 
  metallurgy, 
  in 
  copper, 
  

   platinum, 
  gold, 
  and 
  (from 
  Ecuador 
  south) 
  silver, 
  but 
  not 
  in 
  iron, 
  with 
  

   smelting, 
  casting 
  by 
  direct 
  and 
  lost-wax 
  methods, 
  alloying 
  of 
  gold 
  and 
  

  

  15 
  Thompson, 
  1936, 
  gives 
  an 
  excellent 
  summary 
  of 
  Sierral 
  cultures 
  ! 
  for 
  the 
  general 
  reader, 
  

   with 
  selected 
  bibliographies. 
  For 
  fuller 
  treatment, 
  especially 
  of 
  Peru, 
  with 
  bibliography, 
  

   see 
  Means, 
  1931. 
  For 
  types 
  of 
  horticulture 
  in 
  Sierral 
  and 
  Silval 
  cultures, 
  see 
  Sapper, 
  1934. 
  

  

  