﻿868 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  Indians 
  these 
  variations 
  are 
  reflected 
  in 
  the 
  diver- 
  

   sification 
  of 
  the 
  plants 
  and 
  trees, 
  cultivated 
  or 
  utilized 
  in 
  the 
  wild 
  

   form. 
  Indian 
  economy 
  is 
  based 
  on 
  plants 
  which 
  vary 
  from 
  tropical 
  

   species, 
  such 
  as 
  bananas, 
  plantains, 
  sugarcane, 
  and 
  pineapples, 
  through 
  

   the 
  characteristically 
  temperate-climate 
  crops 
  of 
  maize, 
  onions, 
  pota- 
  

   toes, 
  and 
  cotton. 
  Above 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  these 
  plants 
  are 
  the 
  paramos 
  

   starting 
  at 
  about 
  10,000 
  feet 
  (about 
  3,000 
  m.) 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  

   mountains 
  and 
  lying 
  above 
  12,000 
  feet 
  (about 
  3,600 
  m.) 
  in 
  the 
  north. 
  

   These 
  rocky 
  grasslands 
  are 
  utilized 
  only 
  to 
  a 
  limited 
  extent 
  for 
  the 
  

   grazing 
  of 
  cattle 
  and 
  sheep. 
  Above 
  the 
  paramos 
  are 
  the 
  glaciated 
  

   zones 
  and 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  permanent 
  snow. 
  6 
  

  

  The 
  fauna 
  of 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Nevada 
  is 
  not 
  abundant. 
  Some 
  species 
  of 
  

   birds 
  are 
  numerous 
  in 
  the 
  lowlands 
  but 
  relatively 
  few 
  forms 
  occur 
  in 
  

   the 
  higher 
  mountains. 
  The 
  peccary 
  and 
  the 
  agouti 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  

   abundant 
  mammals. 
  Tapirs 
  are 
  fairly 
  common 
  above 
  3,000 
  feet 
  

   (about 
  900 
  m.). 
  Deer 
  are 
  scarce 
  everywhere. 
  Kodents 
  and 
  squirrels 
  

   are 
  probably 
  the 
  most 
  common 
  of 
  the 
  faunal 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  mountains. 
  

  

  TRIBES 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  impossible 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  to 
  make 
  precise 
  identification 
  

   and 
  to 
  give 
  accurate 
  locations 
  of 
  all 
  tribes 
  living 
  during 
  the 
  Colonial 
  

   Period 
  and 
  earlier 
  in 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Nevada 
  de 
  Santa 
  Marta. 
  In 
  fact, 
  

   identification 
  and 
  location 
  of 
  those 
  tribes 
  existing 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  

   during 
  the 
  19th 
  century 
  must 
  await 
  detailed 
  systematic 
  field 
  studies 
  

   supplemented 
  by 
  a 
  careful 
  sifting 
  of 
  documentary 
  sources. 
  

  

  Arhuaco 
  is 
  the 
  collective 
  name 
  widely 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  literature 
  to 
  

   designate 
  the 
  CTw&cAan-speaking 
  tribes 
  of 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Nevada. 
  7 
  The 
  

   term 
  as 
  used 
  since 
  the 
  17th 
  century 
  designates 
  only 
  the 
  Highland 
  

   groups 
  possessing 
  relatively 
  simple 
  culture 
  and 
  includes 
  the 
  Cdgaba, 
  

   lea, 
  Buntigwa, 
  Sanha, 
  and 
  others. 
  The 
  Tairona, 
  Chimila, 
  and 
  related 
  

   highly 
  cultured 
  groups 
  of 
  the 
  foothills 
  and 
  Coast, 
  although 
  linguis- 
  

   tically 
  related, 
  are 
  not 
  included 
  in 
  this 
  designation. 
  

  

  Father 
  de 
  la 
  Rosa, 
  writing 
  in 
  1739 
  (1833, 
  pp. 
  611, 
  614-15), 
  identi- 
  

   fied 
  as 
  Arhuaco 
  the 
  Indians 
  living 
  in 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Nevada 
  between 
  

   Santa 
  Marta 
  and 
  Rio 
  Hacha 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  San 
  Sebastian 
  on 
  the 
  south- 
  

   ern 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  mountains. 
  He 
  also 
  places 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  important 
  

   Arhuaco 
  (probably 
  Cdgaba) 
  cansamarias 
  (temples) 
  on 
  the 
  headwaters 
  

   of 
  the 
  Rio 
  Rancheria. 
  The 
  territory 
  between 
  Santa 
  Marta 
  and 
  Rio 
  

  

  • 
  A 
  summary 
  of 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  variation 
  in 
  vegetation 
  is 
  available 
  in 
  Todd 
  and 
  Carriker 
  (1922, 
  pp. 
  14-21), 
  

   Ruthven 
  (1922, 
  pp. 
  21-28), 
  and 
  Taylor 
  (1931, 
  table 
  1, 
  p. 
  557). 
  

  

  i 
  The 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  term 
  Arhuaco 
  has 
  resulted 
  in 
  confusion. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  authors, 
  misled 
  by 
  the 
  similarity 
  

   of 
  this 
  designation 
  to 
  Arawak, 
  have 
  referred 
  to 
  the 
  tribes 
  of 
  this 
  region 
  as 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  latter 
  linguistic 
  

   family. 
  There 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  question, 
  however, 
  but 
  that 
  these 
  people 
  are 
  Chibchan 
  in 
  speech. 
  The 
  people 
  of 
  

   the 
  uplands 
  are, 
  moreover, 
  unacquainted 
  with 
  the 
  name, 
  Arhuaco 
  having 
  no 
  collective 
  designation 
  for 
  the 
  

   several 
  tribes, 
  although 
  some 
  degree 
  of 
  cultural 
  and 
  linguistic 
  relationship 
  is 
  recognized. 
  It 
  would 
  seem 
  

   desirable, 
  therefore, 
  to 
  discard 
  the 
  term 
  Arhuaco, 
  substituting 
  a 
  more 
  appropriate 
  name 
  to 
  designate 
  the 
  cul- 
  

   tural, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  linguistic, 
  enclave 
  of 
  tribes 
  in 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Nevada. 
  

  

  