﻿Vol. 
  2] 
  TRIBES 
  OF 
  ECUADOR 
  — 
  MURRA 
  799 
  

  

  THE 
  CAftARI 
  

  

  Habitat. 
  — 
  The 
  Canari 
  were 
  the 
  principal 
  native 
  group 
  in 
  southern 
  

   Ecuador, 
  occupying 
  an 
  extensive 
  area 
  in 
  the 
  Highlands 
  and 
  the 
  west- 
  

   ern 
  lowlands. 
  The 
  towns 
  of 
  Chunchi 
  and 
  Alausi 
  were 
  contact 
  points 
  

   between 
  the 
  Puruhd 
  and 
  Canari, 
  both 
  languages 
  being 
  spoken 
  in 
  these 
  

   towns. 
  In 
  1450, 
  the 
  Jubones 
  Kiver 
  formed 
  the 
  southern 
  limit, 
  

   though 
  chroniclers 
  and 
  toponymy 
  indicate 
  that 
  the 
  Canari 
  had 
  peopled 
  

   most 
  of 
  Loja 
  Province 
  at 
  an 
  earlier 
  date. 
  

  

  Language. 
  — 
  Jij6n 
  has 
  suggested 
  that 
  the 
  Canari 
  language 
  was 
  

   closely 
  related 
  to 
  Puruhd, 
  a 
  language 
  spoken 
  to 
  the 
  north, 
  in 
  Chim- 
  

   borazo 
  Province, 
  and 
  that 
  both 
  were 
  part 
  of 
  a 
  larger 
  Puruhd-Mochica 
  

   linguistic 
  family, 
  which 
  included 
  several 
  languages 
  on 
  the 
  Coast 
  of 
  

   Ecuador 
  and 
  Peru, 
  such 
  as 
  Huancavilca, 
  Manta, 
  and 
  Chimu 
  (Mochica). 
  

  

  Subsistence 
  activities. 
  — 
  The 
  Canari 
  were 
  an 
  agricultural 
  people 
  

   raising 
  potatoes, 
  maize, 
  beans, 
  quinoa, 
  and 
  gourds. 
  The 
  women 
  did 
  

   most 
  of 
  the 
  work, 
  preparing 
  the 
  fields, 
  sowing 
  and 
  reaping, 
  while 
  the 
  

   men 
  were 
  engaged 
  in 
  weaving, 
  making 
  clothes, 
  and 
  preparing 
  for 
  war. 
  

   Irrigation 
  was 
  prevalent, 
  and 
  many 
  areas 
  which 
  today 
  lie 
  fallow 
  were 
  

   cultivated. 
  Although 
  the 
  llama 
  is 
  generally 
  considered 
  an 
  Inca 
  im- 
  

   portation, 
  archeological 
  evidence 
  shows 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  abo- 
  

   rigines 
  of 
  Cerro 
  Narrio, 
  Cafiar, 
  in 
  late 
  pre-irica 
  days. 
  Deer, 
  rabbits, 
  

   and 
  various 
  birds 
  were 
  hunted, 
  and 
  llama 
  meat 
  was 
  preserved 
  as 
  

   charqui, 
  or 
  jerked 
  meat, 
  perhaps 
  a 
  trait 
  of 
  southern 
  origin. 
  One 
  report 
  

   mentions 
  fishing 
  as 
  an 
  important 
  occupation 
  at 
  Paccha, 
  near 
  Cuenca. 
  

  

  Houses. 
  — 
  Chiefs 
  had 
  large, 
  rectangular 
  houses 
  with 
  a 
  patio 
  in 
  front 
  

   where 
  they 
  addressed 
  their 
  followers. 
  Cieza 
  reports 
  stone 
  houses 
  with 
  

   straw-thatched 
  roofs, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  improbable 
  that 
  such 
  construction 
  is 
  

   pre-Inca. 
  The 
  common 
  people 
  lived 
  in 
  round 
  or 
  oval 
  structures 
  with 
  

   walls 
  formed 
  of 
  posts. 
  These 
  took 
  2 
  days 
  to 
  erect 
  with 
  the 
  help 
  of 
  

   fellow 
  villagers, 
  and 
  lasted 
  6 
  to 
  8 
  years. 
  

  

  Clothing. 
  — 
  Men 
  wore 
  a 
  shirt 
  and 
  a 
  blanket 
  which 
  left 
  their 
  arms 
  and 
  

   legs 
  bare, 
  while 
  women 
  wrapped 
  a 
  cloth 
  around 
  their 
  bodies 
  and 
  a 
  

   short 
  blanket 
  over 
  their 
  shoulders. 
  Both 
  sexes 
  wore 
  sandals. 
  Their 
  

   long 
  hair 
  was 
  braided 
  and 
  piled 
  on 
  the 
  head 
  in 
  a 
  knotted 
  crown, 
  and 
  

   decorated 
  with 
  a 
  wooden 
  or 
  gourd-rind 
  circle, 
  and, 
  occasionally, 
  with 
  

   ribbons. 
  This 
  circle 
  was 
  peculiar 
  to 
  the 
  Canari 
  and 
  identified 
  them 
  

   when 
  away 
  from 
  home. 
  Chiefs 
  wore 
  many 
  ornaments 
  of 
  gold, 
  silver, 
  

   and 
  shell. 
  

  

  Manufactures: 
  Metallurgy. 
  — 
  The 
  Canari 
  were 
  great 
  craftsmen 
  in 
  

   various 
  metals, 
  particularly 
  in 
  gold 
  and 
  gilded 
  copper. 
  Gold 
  crowns 
  

   with 
  multicolored 
  feathers, 
  masks, 
  beads, 
  toys, 
  and 
  many 
  other 
  intri- 
  

   cate 
  objects 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  graves 
  in 
  this 
  area. 
  Scores 
  of 
  pounds 
  of 
  

   worked 
  gold 
  objects 
  were 
  taken 
  from 
  graves 
  during 
  the 
  19th 
  century, 
  

   but 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  melted 
  down 
  and 
  lost. 
  Those 
  which 
  escaped 
  

   destruction 
  compare 
  favorably 
  with 
  the 
  better-known 
  goldwork 
  

  

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