﻿904 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  who 
  manifested 
  no 
  alteracitfn 
  sensual. 
  The 
  story 
  is 
  probably 
  apo- 
  

   cryphal 
  as 
  to 
  fact 
  but 
  illustrates 
  Chibcha 
  theory 
  and 
  attitude. 
  

  

  POSITION 
  OF 
  WOMEN 
  

  

  The 
  Chibcha 
  practiced 
  a 
  girl's 
  puberty 
  rite, 
  which 
  is 
  symptomatic 
  

   of 
  their 
  incomplete 
  emergence 
  from 
  primitiveness. 
  The 
  girl 
  sat 
  for 
  

   6 
  days 
  in 
  a 
  corner 
  with 
  her 
  face 
  and 
  head 
  covered 
  — 
  as 
  in 
  so 
  much 
  of 
  

   western 
  North 
  America. 
  Then 
  she 
  was 
  bathed 
  and 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  feast, 
  

   with 
  the 
  inevitable 
  chicha. 
  Chastity 
  in 
  girls 
  was 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  indif- 
  

   ference, 
  if 
  not 
  distrust; 
  but 
  husbands 
  insisted 
  on 
  their 
  wives' 
  fidelity, 
  

   with 
  aji 
  ordeals 
  if 
  necessary. 
  Whether 
  this 
  expectation 
  was 
  extended 
  

   to 
  the 
  feasts, 
  with 
  their 
  general 
  intoxication 
  and 
  the 
  mixing 
  of 
  social 
  

   ranks, 
  is 
  less 
  clear. 
  The 
  Spaniards 
  certainly 
  construed 
  them 
  as 
  occa- 
  

   sions 
  of 
  unlimited 
  sexual 
  indulgence. 
  The 
  significant 
  fact 
  is 
  that 
  

   women 
  participated 
  in 
  the 
  drinking. 
  Polygyny 
  was 
  widespread 
  and 
  

   not 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  nobility, 
  who 
  might 
  have 
  up 
  to 
  100 
  " 
  wives," 
  as 
  

   against 
  the 
  2 
  or 
  3 
  of 
  commoners. 
  The 
  wives 
  shared 
  one 
  joint 
  room, 
  

   the 
  husband 
  had 
  another; 
  which 
  tended 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  wives 
  accepting 
  

   participants 
  rather 
  than 
  competitors. 
  Wives 
  were 
  bought, 
  for 
  an 
  

   agreed 
  price 
  ; 
  or 
  a 
  suitor 
  might 
  come 
  and 
  sit 
  at 
  the 
  door 
  with 
  a 
  gift 
  of 
  

   cloth, 
  a 
  load 
  of 
  maize, 
  and 
  part 
  of 
  a 
  deer. 
  (Ct. 
  the 
  alleged 
  hunting 
  

   prohibition, 
  p. 
  899.) 
  

  

  WAR 
  AND 
  WEAPONS 
  

  

  The 
  Chibcha 
  were 
  no 
  bowmen, 
  at 
  least 
  not 
  in 
  warfare. 
  They 
  occa- 
  

   sionally 
  hired 
  archers 
  from 
  their 
  enemies, 
  the 
  Panche 
  and 
  Muzo. 
  In 
  

   this 
  non-use 
  of 
  the 
  bow 
  they 
  resembled 
  the 
  Aztec 
  and 
  the 
  Peruvians. 
  

   Like 
  the 
  Aztec, 
  and 
  the 
  Peruvians 
  of 
  the 
  Early 
  Period, 
  they 
  hurled 
  

   darts 
  with 
  the 
  spear 
  thrower 
  or 
  atlatl 
  (tiradera). 
  Why 
  this 
  weapon 
  

   was 
  given 
  the 
  preference 
  over 
  the 
  bow 
  is 
  not 
  clear, 
  but 
  it 
  seems 
  that 
  

   there 
  must 
  be 
  a 
  functional 
  relation 
  to 
  density 
  of 
  population 
  and 
  the 
  

   resultant 
  concentration 
  of 
  armed 
  forces, 
  together 
  with 
  need 
  for 
  their 
  

   more 
  compact 
  organization. 
  It 
  can 
  hardly 
  be 
  an 
  accident 
  that 
  Nahua, 
  

   Chibcha, 
  and 
  Peruvians 
  sent 
  their 
  armies 
  out 
  without 
  bows, 
  but 
  that 
  

   more 
  primitive 
  American 
  peoples, 
  of 
  looser 
  political 
  structure, 
  gener- 
  

   ally 
  employed 
  them. 
  

  

  The 
  Chibcha 
  atlatl 
  was 
  a 
  stick 
  with 
  an 
  engaging 
  peg 
  at 
  one 
  end, 
  and 
  

   a 
  longer 
  curved 
  fingerhold 
  near 
  the 
  other. 
  The 
  spears 
  were 
  1.2 
  to 
  2 
  m. 
  

   (4 
  to 
  6% 
  ft. 
  — 
  6 
  to 
  10 
  palmas) 
  long, 
  with 
  fire-hardened 
  foreshafts 
  set 
  

   in 
  shafts 
  of 
  cane. 
  Slings 
  were 
  used 
  somewhat, 
  as 
  in 
  Perti. 
  Close-in 
  

   fighting 
  was 
  with 
  two-handed 
  wooden 
  clubs 
  (macanas). 
  If 
  an 
  attri- 
  

   bution 
  in 
  Restrepo 
  (1895, 
  pi. 
  16, 
  fig. 
  43) 
  is 
  correct, 
  they 
  were 
  four- 
  

   edged, 
  convexly 
  flaring 
  out 
  from 
  the 
  handle. 
  Shields, 
  to 
  judge 
  from 
  

   figurines, 
  were 
  small 
  and 
  rectanguloid 
  ; 
  but 
  in 
  Tundama, 
  large 
  shields, 
  

   or 
  paveses, 
  of 
  wood 
  were 
  used. 
  

  

  