﻿540 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  whole 
  has 
  few 
  important 
  ceremonial 
  functions. 
  The 
  most 
  important 
  

   fiestas 
  and 
  rites 
  are 
  performed 
  by 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  extended 
  families, 
  age 
  

   groups, 
  or 
  friendship 
  groups. 
  

  

  The 
  headman 
  of 
  an 
  ayllu 
  is 
  called 
  hilaqata. 
  As 
  he 
  holds 
  office 
  for 
  

   a 
  year, 
  he 
  is 
  often 
  metaphorically 
  referred 
  to 
  as 
  "year 
  father." 
  In 
  

   Bolivia, 
  in 
  recent 
  times, 
  his 
  term 
  has 
  been 
  limited 
  to 
  6 
  months 
  (La 
  

   Barre, 
  ms.). 
  The 
  hilaqata 
  is 
  distinguished 
  by 
  special 
  dress 
  or 
  insig- 
  

   nia, 
  which 
  varies 
  regionally. 
  Theoretically, 
  the 
  hilaqata 
  is 
  now 
  

   chosen 
  by 
  the 
  Governor 
  of 
  his 
  district 
  ; 
  actually, 
  he 
  is 
  selected 
  by 
  the 
  

   people 
  of 
  his 
  ayllu, 
  who 
  discuss 
  the 
  matter 
  informally, 
  after 
  which 
  

   members 
  of 
  the 
  ayllu 
  council 
  convey 
  their 
  wish 
  to 
  the 
  former 
  hilaqata, 
  

   who 
  in 
  turn 
  advises 
  the 
  Governor 
  of 
  the 
  people's 
  choice. 
  He 
  is 
  

   selected 
  from 
  the 
  age 
  group 
  designated 
  as 
  "mature 
  men." 
  (See 
  

   Social 
  Status, 
  p. 
  541 
  .) 
  The 
  new 
  leader 
  is 
  then 
  introduced 
  to 
  the 
  people 
  

   by 
  his 
  predecessor 
  and 
  ceremonially 
  takes 
  a 
  drink 
  and 
  a 
  pinch 
  of 
  coca 
  

   with 
  each 
  household 
  head 
  (utani) 
  in 
  his 
  ayllu. 
  

  

  The 
  ayllu 
  leaders 
  settle 
  inter-ayllu 
  land 
  disputes 
  and 
  each 
  inform- 
  

   ally 
  arbitrates 
  intra-ayllu 
  quarrels, 
  many 
  of 
  which 
  never 
  reach 
  the 
  

   local 
  courts 
  of 
  law. 
  Today, 
  he 
  apprehends 
  criminals 
  and 
  keeps 
  

   track 
  of 
  the 
  school 
  children 
  and 
  reserve 
  soldiers 
  for 
  the 
  Federal 
  Gov- 
  

   ernment. 
  He 
  also 
  takes 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  systematic 
  crop 
  rotation 
  on 
  

   the 
  land 
  tracts 
  (ainoqa) 
  of 
  his 
  ayllu, 
  for 
  which 
  he 
  receives 
  a 
  share 
  of 
  

   the 
  crops. 
  (See 
  Farming, 
  p. 
  515.) 
  Formerly, 
  he 
  was 
  entitled 
  to 
  a 
  

   quarter 
  of 
  the 
  produce 
  from 
  the 
  plots 
  reserved 
  for 
  him 
  (the 
  suwu 
  

   lands) 
  in 
  compensation 
  for 
  the 
  time 
  spent 
  in 
  the 
  performance 
  of 
  his 
  

   official 
  duties, 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  produce 
  being 
  used 
  to 
  support 
  the 
  ruler 
  

   of 
  the 
  Aymara 
  state. 
  In 
  pre-Spanish 
  times 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  func- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  ayllu 
  headman 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  executive 
  of 
  the 
  communally 
  

   owned 
  ayllu 
  land 
  and 
  supervisor 
  of 
  the 
  division 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  tracts 
  

   (ainoqa) 
  of 
  his 
  ayllu 
  into 
  family 
  plots 
  (sayana) 
  . 
  Although 
  in 
  Bolivia 
  

   communal 
  land 
  ownership 
  by 
  the 
  ayllu 
  has 
  been 
  abolished 
  in 
  theory, 
  

   redistribution 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  plots 
  continues 
  under 
  the 
  supervision 
  of 
  

   the 
  ayllu 
  leader 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  Carnival 
  in 
  February 
  or 
  March 
  (La 
  

   Barre, 
  ms.). 
  

  

  During 
  crises, 
  the 
  ayllu 
  leader 
  sometimes 
  calls 
  a 
  general 
  meeting, 
  

   which 
  is 
  usually 
  attended 
  by 
  only 
  mature 
  and 
  elderly 
  men. 
  

  

  Each 
  ayllu 
  possesses 
  an 
  informal 
  council 
  composed 
  of 
  public- 
  

   spirited 
  men 
  and 
  natural 
  leaders 
  (p'bqena), 
  wise 
  and 
  successful 
  men 
  

   (amauta), 
  and 
  old 
  men 
  respected 
  for 
  their 
  age 
  and 
  knowledge. 
  9 
  In 
  

   Chucuito 
  (Peru), 
  the 
  council 
  is 
  informal 
  to 
  the 
  extent 
  that 
  qualified 
  

   adults 
  frequently 
  disagree 
  in 
  listing 
  the 
  individuals 
  whom 
  they 
  con- 
  

   sider 
  to 
  belong 
  in 
  these 
  categories. 
  The 
  council 
  merely 
  is 
  advisory 
  

  

  » 
  Bandelier 
  states 
  that 
  important 
  "sorcerers" 
  were 
  often 
  council 
  members 
  and 
  implies 
  that 
  in 
  parts 
  of 
  

   southern 
  Bolivia 
  the 
  council 
  may 
  be 
  somewhat 
  more 
  formalized, 
  since 
  a 
  member 
  must 
  have 
  held 
  succes- 
  

   sively 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  offices 
  (Bandelier, 
  ms.). 
  La 
  Barre 
  found 
  evidence 
  corroborating 
  this 
  (La 
  Barre, 
  ms.). 
  

  

  