﻿Vol.2] 
  TRIBES 
  OF 
  ECUADOR 
  — 
  MURRA 
  805 
  

  

  pots 
  (perhaps 
  Chimu, 
  though 
  Jijon 
  has 
  found 
  some 
  black 
  ware 
  in 
  late 
  

   horizons 
  in 
  Manabi), 
  wool 
  cloth, 
  embroidered 
  shirts 
  and 
  blankets, 
  and 
  

   many 
  ornaments 
  of 
  silver 
  and 
  gold. 
  Emeralds, 
  a 
  characteristic 
  

   Ecuadorean 
  gem, 
  were 
  included. 
  The 
  people 
  sponsoring 
  the 
  raft 
  were 
  

   efficient 
  tradesmen, 
  who 
  knew 
  how 
  to 
  assay 
  metals 
  and 
  who 
  used 
  a 
  

   steelyard 
  to 
  weigh 
  their 
  goods. 
  Merchandise 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  wool 
  cloth 
  

   and 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  steelyard 
  indicate 
  that 
  the 
  Inca 
  were 
  involved 
  in 
  

   these 
  trading 
  operations. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  reason 
  to 
  doubt 
  Jijon's 
  sugges- 
  

   tion 
  that 
  the 
  headquarters 
  of 
  these 
  traders 
  can 
  be 
  located 
  in 
  Manabf, 
  

   but 
  it 
  seems 
  fairly 
  obvious 
  that 
  the 
  flour 
  escence 
  of 
  such 
  commerce 
  must 
  

   have 
  received 
  its 
  impetus 
  from 
  the 
  south. 
  

  

  Social 
  features. 
  — 
  The 
  only 
  item 
  on 
  sociopolitical 
  features 
  is 
  that 
  

   primogeniture 
  is 
  reported, 
  with 
  the 
  father's 
  sister's 
  son 
  becoming 
  the 
  

   heir 
  in 
  the 
  son's 
  absence. 
  

  

  Burial. 
  — 
  The 
  dead 
  were 
  mourned 
  profusely. 
  Living 
  women, 
  pre- 
  

   cious 
  objects, 
  and 
  food 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  grave 
  for 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  

   dead 
  man. 
  Burial 
  took 
  place 
  in 
  a 
  deep-shaft 
  grave, 
  and 
  was 
  accom- 
  

   panied 
  by 
  much 
  dancing, 
  music, 
  and 
  drinking. 
  Even 
  after 
  his 
  grave 
  

   was 
  closed, 
  a 
  tube 
  of 
  cane 
  connected 
  the 
  deceased 
  with 
  the 
  world 
  of 
  

   men. 
  Chicha, 
  the 
  all-Andean 
  maize 
  beer, 
  was 
  poured 
  down 
  the 
  cane 
  

   to 
  comfort 
  the 
  deceased. 
  

  

  Religion. 
  — 
  The 
  chroniclers 
  were 
  much 
  interested 
  in 
  Mania 
  

   religious 
  activities. 
  Cieza 
  lists 
  the 
  sun, 
  moon, 
  certain 
  trees 
  and 
  

   stones, 
  and 
  the 
  sea 
  among 
  the 
  sacred 
  objects. 
  Emphasis 
  was 
  placed 
  

   on 
  sacrifices 
  and 
  offerings 
  made 
  to 
  placate 
  the 
  gods, 
  who 
  were 
  repre- 
  

   sented 
  by 
  statues 
  and 
  idols 
  kept 
  in 
  temples. 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  images 
  

   were 
  of 
  snakes 
  and 
  sharks, 
  and 
  Oviedo 
  reports 
  two 
  carved 
  black 
  male 
  

   goats 
  placed 
  at 
  both 
  sides 
  of 
  a 
  low 
  altar 
  where 
  incense 
  was 
  burned. 
  

   Sacred 
  professionals 
  mediated 
  between 
  the 
  people 
  and 
  the 
  deities 
  and, 
  

   as 
  elsewhere 
  in 
  Ecuador, 
  are 
  reported 
  to 
  have 
  " 
  spoken 
  with 
  the 
  devil." 
  

   Animals 
  and 
  human 
  beings 
  were 
  sacrificially 
  killed. 
  Prisoners 
  of 
  war 
  

   had 
  their 
  heads 
  chopped 
  off 
  and 
  presented 
  as 
  an 
  offering 
  to 
  the 
  god, 
  

   while 
  their 
  bodies 
  were 
  flayed 
  and 
  the 
  skins 
  filled 
  with 
  ashes 
  or 
  straw. 
  

   Oviedo 
  includes 
  the 
  tribe's 
  own 
  women 
  and 
  boys 
  among 
  sacrificial 
  

   victims. 
  All 
  chroniclers 
  speak 
  of 
  male 
  homosexuality 
  as 
  prevalent 
  

   among 
  the 
  Coastal 
  peoples, 
  and 
  we 
  get 
  an 
  inkling 
  of 
  its 
  possible 
  cere- 
  

   monial 
  significance 
  from 
  the 
  Mania 
  origin 
  myth 
  which 
  postulates 
  an 
  

   early 
  all-male 
  and 
  therefore 
  inverted 
  population 
  for 
  this 
  area. 
  

  

  Offerings 
  were 
  also 
  made 
  to 
  cure 
  sickness, 
  and 
  people 
  came 
  from 
  

   far 
  and 
  wide 
  to 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Manta, 
  where 
  the 
  chief 
  owned 
  a 
  large, 
  

   sacred 
  emerald 
  which 
  was 
  transmitted 
  in 
  his 
  family. 
  When 
  the 
  jewel 
  

   was 
  exhibited 
  on 
  certain 
  days, 
  it 
  was 
  revered 
  by 
  all 
  because 
  of 
  its 
  

   curative 
  powers. 
  Cieza 
  was 
  a 
  bit 
  amazed 
  when 
  the 
  natives 
  in 
  later 
  

   years 
  resisted 
  pressure 
  to 
  disclose 
  the 
  whereabouts 
  of 
  the 
  stone. 
  

  

  