﻿874 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  tended, 
  pruned 
  and 
  irrigated. 
  Tobacco 
  is 
  allowed 
  to 
  grow 
  semiwild 
  

   in 
  the 
  village 
  streets 
  and 
  near 
  the 
  dwellings. 
  

  

  Maguey, 
  or 
  agave 
  (Agave 
  americana), 
  grows 
  near 
  the 
  villages 
  and 
  

   around 
  most 
  family 
  dwellings. 
  It 
  is 
  planted 
  and 
  tended 
  rather 
  care- 
  

   fully 
  until 
  well 
  established, 
  when 
  it 
  requires 
  no 
  attention. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  

   source 
  of 
  fiber 
  used 
  in 
  making 
  mochilas, 
  or 
  bags, 
  string, 
  and 
  rope. 
  

  

  Hunting 
  and 
  fishing. 
  — 
  Hunting 
  and 
  fishing 
  are 
  relatively 
  unimpor- 
  

   tant 
  in 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Nevada, 
  owing 
  in 
  part 
  to 
  the 
  poverty 
  of 
  fauna. 
  

   A 
  few 
  deer, 
  birds, 
  wild 
  turkeys, 
  and 
  occasionally 
  a 
  tapir 
  are 
  killed 
  

   with 
  bows 
  and 
  arrows 
  or 
  with 
  antiquated 
  firearms 
  used 
  by 
  some 
  

   hunters. 
  Traps 
  and 
  small 
  nets 
  are 
  used 
  principally 
  by 
  boys 
  for 
  

   catching 
  the 
  small 
  fish, 
  birds, 
  and 
  rodents 
  (Brettes, 
  1903, 
  figs. 
  17, 
  24, 
  

   25; 
  Bolinder, 
  1925, 
  p. 
  43, 
  pis. 
  14, 
  18, 
  21). 
  Although 
  the 
  Chimila 
  

   were 
  doubtless 
  agricultural, 
  the 
  Cdgaba 
  preserve 
  the 
  tradition 
  that 
  

   this 
  tribe 
  was 
  their 
  principal 
  source, 
  through 
  trade, 
  of 
  fish 
  and 
  venison. 
  

   Apparently 
  hunting 
  and 
  fishing 
  figured 
  more 
  prominently 
  in 
  lea 
  

   economy 
  than 
  with 
  the 
  Cdgaba. 
  

  

  Domesticated 
  animals. 
  — 
  Domesticated 
  animals 
  do 
  not, 
  with 
  the 
  

   exception 
  of 
  oxen, 
  play 
  a 
  significant 
  role 
  in 
  present-day 
  Cdgaba 
  

   culture. 
  The 
  lea 
  and 
  the 
  Buntigwa 
  on 
  the 
  Eio 
  Donachui 
  have 
  

   substantially 
  larger 
  numbers 
  of 
  sheep, 
  pigs, 
  turkeys, 
  chickens, 
  and 
  

   even 
  dogs. 
  The 
  last 
  was 
  apparently 
  the 
  only 
  pre-Columbian 
  do- 
  

   mesticated 
  animal 
  in 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Nevada. 
  Horses 
  are 
  known 
  but 
  

   rarely 
  kept 
  by 
  the 
  Indians 
  of 
  the 
  mountains. 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  Cdgaba 
  now 
  have 
  pigs 
  and 
  chickens, 
  these 
  animals 
  are 
  

   not 
  frequently 
  eaten. 
  When 
  killed 
  for 
  food, 
  the 
  internal 
  organs 
  

   are 
  most 
  highly 
  prized. 
  Oxen 
  are 
  killed 
  for 
  meat 
  only 
  on 
  rare 
  oc- 
  

   casions 
  and 
  then 
  by 
  a 
  man 
  of 
  wealth, 
  as 
  a 
  gesture 
  of 
  generosity 
  toward 
  

   the 
  community 
  assembled 
  for 
  a 
  festival. 
  Oxen 
  are 
  kept 
  ostensibly 
  as 
  

   pack 
  animals, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  rarely 
  used 
  as 
  such. 
  Men 
  and 
  women 
  will 
  

   lead 
  an 
  unloaded 
  ox 
  on 
  the 
  trail, 
  carrying 
  on 
  their 
  backs 
  heavy 
  burdens, 
  

   in 
  order 
  to 
  insure 
  the 
  animal 
  remaining 
  fat 
  and 
  sleek. 
  Prestige 
  at- 
  

   taches 
  to 
  the 
  owner 
  of 
  a 
  healthy, 
  fat 
  ox, 
  and 
  one 
  is 
  sold 
  only 
  with 
  the 
  

   greatest 
  reluctance. 
  

  

  Food 
  preparation. 
  — 
  Food 
  is 
  customarily 
  boiled, 
  but 
  tubers 
  and 
  ears 
  

   of 
  maize 
  in 
  the 
  husks 
  are 
  sometimes 
  roasted 
  over 
  live 
  coals. 
  The 
  

   daily 
  diet, 
  however, 
  usually 
  consists 
  only 
  of 
  sancocho, 
  a 
  thin 
  stew 
  

   made 
  from 
  vegetables 
  boiled 
  together; 
  infrequently, 
  a 
  small 
  piece 
  of 
  

   meat 
  or 
  fish 
  is 
  included. 
  The 
  precise 
  ingredients 
  of 
  sancocho 
  depend 
  

   upon 
  the 
  seasonal 
  variations 
  in 
  the 
  vegetables 
  available, 
  but 
  the 
  

   plantain 
  is 
  rarely 
  absent. 
  The 
  sancocho 
  is 
  cooked 
  in 
  an 
  earthenware 
  

   pot 
  over 
  an 
  open 
  fire 
  in 
  the 
  woman's 
  house. 
  When 
  finished, 
  it 
  is 
  

   placed 
  on 
  a 
  ledge 
  or 
  terrace 
  outside 
  the 
  door 
  for 
  the 
  waiting 
  husband 
  

   and 
  male 
  children. 
  The 
  solid 
  vegetables 
  are 
  eaten 
  with 
  the 
  fingers 
  

   and 
  the 
  soup 
  is 
  scooped 
  up 
  with 
  a 
  calabash 
  spoon, 
  one 
  implement 
  

  

  