﻿Vol.2] 
  THE 
  ATACAMENO 
  BENNETT 
  617 
  

  

  constructions 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  specialized 
  forts. 
  Also, 
  weapons 
  are 
  numer- 
  

   ous, 
  and 
  leather 
  doublets 
  and 
  helmets 
  were 
  used 
  for 
  armor. 
  The 
  prin- 
  

   cipal 
  weapon 
  was 
  probably 
  the 
  bow 
  and 
  arrow, 
  although 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  

   bows 
  found 
  seem 
  too 
  small 
  for 
  effective 
  use 
  in 
  warfare. 
  Typical 
  bows 
  

   are 
  usually 
  less 
  than 
  1.10 
  m, 
  (about 
  3}i 
  feet) 
  in 
  length, 
  and 
  many 
  are 
  

   permanently 
  curved. 
  The 
  bows 
  are 
  not 
  notched 
  for 
  the 
  twisted 
  sinew 
  

   strings. 
  The 
  arrows 
  are 
  also 
  small, 
  averaging 
  about 
  24 
  inches 
  (60 
  cm.) 
  

   in 
  length, 
  with 
  points 
  of 
  hardwood 
  or 
  flint. 
  They 
  are 
  notched, 
  have 
  

   two 
  feathers, 
  and 
  their 
  reed 
  shafts 
  may 
  be 
  painted 
  with 
  white, 
  yellow, 
  

   red, 
  or 
  black 
  bands. 
  The 
  arrows 
  were 
  carried 
  in 
  skin 
  shoulder 
  

   quivers. 
  Other 
  weapons 
  are 
  lances 
  made 
  of 
  hardwood, 
  stone-headed 
  

   clubs, 
  knuckle-dusters 
  both 
  of 
  wood 
  and 
  of 
  metal 
  (pi. 
  134, 
  j) 
  for 
  close- 
  

   up 
  fighting, 
  slings, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  bolas 
  in 
  the 
  Late 
  Periods. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  

   doubt 
  that 
  the 
  sling 
  is 
  old 
  in 
  North 
  Chile, 
  and 
  evidence 
  from 
  the 
  

   Coast 
  demonstrates 
  even 
  greater 
  antiquity 
  for 
  the 
  bola. 
  

  

  SOCIAL 
  AND 
  POLITICAL 
  OKGANIZATION 
  

  

  Virtually 
  nothing 
  is 
  known 
  of 
  the 
  social 
  and 
  political 
  organization 
  

   of 
  the 
  Atacameno. 
  The 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  terrain 
  would 
  limit 
  communities 
  

   to 
  a 
  relatively 
  small 
  size, 
  and 
  isolate 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  rare 
  oases. 
  The 
  

   relationship 
  of 
  the 
  families 
  within 
  a 
  community 
  is 
  uncertain, 
  although 
  

   a 
  Spanish 
  document 
  mentions 
  that 
  villages 
  were 
  composed 
  of 
  related 
  

   families 
  under 
  a 
  chief. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  stated 
  that 
  the 
  chieftainship 
  was 
  

   inherited 
  via 
  patrilineal 
  descent 
  and 
  primogeniture. 
  This, 
  together 
  

   with 
  a 
  vague 
  reference 
  to 
  totems 
  symbolic 
  of 
  the 
  founders, 
  would 
  

   suggest 
  some 
  form 
  of 
  clan 
  organization. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  doubtful 
  that 
  any 
  widespread 
  political 
  authority 
  existed 
  in 
  a 
  

   region 
  of 
  such 
  widely 
  separated 
  inhabitable 
  areas. 
  Evidence 
  of 
  local 
  

   differences 
  of 
  culture 
  within 
  the 
  Atacameno 
  region 
  supports 
  this 
  view. 
  

   Furthermore, 
  the 
  building 
  units 
  are 
  not 
  of 
  a 
  size 
  to 
  require 
  a 
  large 
  well- 
  

   organized 
  laboring 
  group. 
  The 
  irrigation 
  projects, 
  the 
  villages 
  and 
  

   forts, 
  although 
  respectable, 
  are 
  not 
  comparable 
  to 
  the 
  large-scale 
  

   contructions 
  of 
  the 
  Central 
  Andean 
  region. 
  

  

  THE 
  ARTS 
  

  

  Musical 
  instruments. 
  — 
  The 
  only 
  information 
  about 
  music 
  comes 
  

   from 
  the 
  instruments 
  themselves. 
  The 
  panpipes 
  of 
  six 
  tubes 
  is 
  said 
  

   by 
  some 
  to 
  be 
  characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  Atacameno. 
  A 
  few 
  specimens 
  have 
  

   been 
  recovered, 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  carved 
  wooden 
  figurines 
  are 
  depicted 
  

   in 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  playing 
  panpipes 
  and 
  flutes. 
  The 
  bone 
  end-flutes 
  have 
  

   four 
  notes. 
  At 
  La 
  Paya, 
  Ambrosetti 
  uncovered 
  an 
  ovoid-cylindrical 
  

   box, 
  20.5 
  cm. 
  (about 
  8 
  inches) 
  in 
  height 
  and 
  12 
  by 
  20 
  cm. 
  (about 
  4}i 
  by 
  

   8 
  inches) 
  in 
  diameter, 
  which 
  had 
  once 
  been 
  covered 
  with 
  skin 
  and 
  used 
  

   as 
  a 
  drum. 
  A 
  drum 
  stick, 
  carved 
  with 
  faces, 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  

  

  