﻿894 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  north, 
  east, 
  and 
  southeast, 
  into 
  which 
  Chibcha 
  habitat 
  graded 
  off 
  from 
  

   the 
  high 
  savannah. 
  

  

  HISTORY 
  

  

  Mythical 
  histories. 
  — 
  A 
  few 
  tales 
  have 
  been 
  preserved 
  which 
  to 
  us 
  

   are 
  myth 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  Chibcha 
  no 
  doubt 
  were 
  history. 
  A 
  Guatavita 
  

   ruler 
  empaled 
  his 
  favorite 
  wife's 
  lover, 
  made 
  her 
  eat 
  his 
  flesh, 
  had 
  songs 
  

   composed 
  about 
  the 
  event 
  — 
  but 
  forgave 
  her. 
  She, 
  however, 
  threw 
  

   herself 
  and 
  her 
  child 
  into 
  the 
  lake. 
  The 
  ruler 
  ordered 
  a 
  priest 
  to 
  dive 
  

   and 
  bring 
  her 
  back. 
  He 
  returned 
  saying 
  that 
  she 
  was 
  living 
  with 
  a 
  

   snake 
  (dragoncillo) 
  and 
  refused. 
  On 
  the 
  ruler's 
  insistence, 
  he 
  went 
  

   down 
  once 
  more 
  and 
  brought 
  back 
  the 
  little 
  girl, 
  dead 
  and 
  blind 
  ; 
  the 
  

   dragon 
  had 
  plucked 
  out 
  her 
  eyes. 
  

  

  A 
  former 
  Zaque 
  at 
  Hunsa, 
  named 
  Hunsa-hua, 
  fell 
  in 
  love 
  with 
  his 
  

   sister. 
  She 
  became 
  with 
  child, 
  was 
  abused 
  and 
  attacked 
  by 
  her 
  

   mother, 
  and 
  fled 
  with 
  her 
  brother, 
  following 
  a 
  dart 
  which 
  he 
  threw 
  from 
  

   his 
  atlatl. 
  In 
  the 
  Zipa's 
  realm, 
  the 
  child 
  was 
  born, 
  and 
  turned 
  to 
  

   stone. 
  They 
  went 
  southward, 
  until 
  at 
  the 
  great 
  fall 
  of 
  Tequendama, 
  

   at 
  the 
  Chibcha 
  frontier, 
  they 
  became 
  tired 
  and 
  also 
  turned 
  to 
  stone. 
  

   Hence, 
  the 
  Zaques 
  married 
  their 
  sisters, 
  which 
  the 
  Zipas 
  and 
  Iracas 
  

   did 
  not. 
  

  

  When 
  Bochica 
  disappeared 
  at 
  Sugamuxi, 
  Nompanem 
  was 
  Iraca. 
  

   He 
  was 
  succeeded 
  by 
  his 
  sister 
  Bumanguay, 
  who 
  left 
  the 
  rule 
  to 
  her 
  

   husband 
  from 
  Firavitoba. 
  Then 
  the 
  great 
  wizard 
  Idaca-n-s&s 
  held 
  

   the 
  throne; 
  after 
  whom 
  it 
  was 
  arranged 
  that 
  the 
  Iraca 
  should 
  there- 
  

   after 
  be 
  chosen, 
  by 
  the 
  chiefs 
  of 
  Gameza, 
  Toca, 
  Pesca, 
  and 
  Busbanza, 
  

   alternately 
  from 
  Firavitoba 
  and 
  Tobaza. 
  Once, 
  however, 
  when 
  it 
  

   was 
  Tobaza's 
  turn, 
  a 
  bearded 
  and 
  ruddy 
  Firavitoban 
  seized 
  the 
  rule, 
  

   aided 
  by 
  his 
  six 
  stout 
  brothers. 
  When 
  the 
  chief 
  of 
  Gameza 
  refused 
  his 
  

   sanction, 
  he 
  was 
  hanged 
  by 
  the 
  usurper. 
  This 
  united 
  the 
  other 
  dis- 
  

   tricts, 
  the 
  Sugamuxi 
  population 
  fell 
  off, 
  the 
  usurper 
  was 
  killed 
  and 
  

   secretly 
  buried 
  by 
  his 
  brothers, 
  and 
  the 
  succession 
  returned 
  to 
  Tobaza 
  

   in 
  the 
  person 
  of 
  Nonpanim 
  — 
  an 
  obvious 
  doublet 
  of 
  the 
  earlier 
  Non- 
  

   panem. 
  

  

  What 
  there 
  is 
  of 
  actual 
  history 
  in 
  such 
  tales 
  is 
  a 
  few 
  institutions, 
  

   such 
  as 
  the 
  sister-marrying 
  Zaque 
  lineage, 
  and 
  the 
  theoretical 
  elec- 
  

   toral 
  college 
  to 
  choose 
  the 
  Iraca. 
  

  

  Native 
  history. 
  — 
  A 
  reputed 
  history, 
  that 
  is, 
  a 
  nonsupernatural 
  one, 
  

   has 
  been 
  recorded 
  only 
  for 
  the 
  Zipas, 
  and 
  that 
  merely 
  for 
  the 
  two 
  

   rulers 
  preceding 
  the 
  incumbent 
  of 
  1536. 
  At 
  that, 
  it 
  flatly 
  contradicts 
  

   less 
  consecutive 
  fragments 
  recorded 
  at 
  Guatavita 
  and 
  Tunja. 
  It 
  is 
  

   here 
  summarized 
  as 
  a 
  sample 
  of 
  Chibcha 
  local 
  or 
  family 
  tradition. 
  Its 
  

   authenticity 
  is 
  not 
  in 
  the 
  particular 
  events 
  reported, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  type 
  

   of 
  events 
  characteristic 
  of 
  Chibcha 
  political 
  history. 
  

  

  