﻿Vol.2] 
  THE 
  CHIBCHA 
  — 
  KROEBER 
  905 
  

  

  RELIGION 
  

  

  Priests 
  and 
  Shamans. 
  — 
  The 
  office 
  of 
  priest, 
  cheque 
  or 
  jeque, 
  and 
  its 
  

   acquisition, 
  being 
  somewhat 
  parallel 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  chiefs, 
  suggest 
  that 
  

   both 
  were 
  filled 
  only 
  from 
  the 
  nobility. 
  The 
  priest 
  also 
  acquired 
  his 
  

   status 
  from 
  his 
  mother's 
  brother. 
  He 
  trained 
  for 
  12 
  years 
  in 
  a 
  special 
  

   building, 
  " 
  fasting," 
  that 
  is, 
  eating 
  only 
  maize 
  once 
  a 
  day, 
  meat 
  

   rarely, 
  no 
  salt 
  or 
  pepper; 
  and 
  observing 
  continence. 
  Finally, 
  his 
  ears 
  

   and 
  nose 
  were 
  pierced, 
  like 
  a 
  chief's, 
  and 
  he 
  was 
  "invested" 
  by 
  the 
  

   ruler 
  with 
  a 
  painted 
  mantle 
  and 
  a 
  calabash 
  container 
  for 
  his 
  coca. 
  

   Thenceforth, 
  he 
  lived 
  in 
  the 
  temple, 
  or 
  by 
  it; 
  remained 
  chaste, 
  on 
  

   pain 
  of 
  deposition; 
  received 
  all 
  his 
  food, 
  but 
  was 
  expected 
  to 
  eat 
  little, 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  to 
  wake 
  much 
  of 
  nights 
  and 
  be 
  taciturn. 
  At 
  stated 
  times 
  

   he 
  fasted 
  and 
  drew 
  his 
  own 
  blood. 
  Perpetual 
  penance 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  

   been 
  the 
  first 
  demand 
  of 
  the 
  office. 
  The 
  ruler 
  of 
  Iraca, 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  

   been 
  the 
  highest 
  priest 
  in 
  the 
  whole 
  land, 
  had 
  wives, 
  so 
  his 
  position 
  

   may 
  have 
  been 
  an 
  exceptional 
  combination. 
  The 
  observation 
  that 
  

   there 
  was 
  no 
  hierarchy 
  probably 
  means 
  merely 
  that 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  

   ecclesiastical 
  organization 
  corresponding 
  to 
  the 
  Catholic 
  Church, 
  but 
  

   that 
  each 
  district 
  had 
  its 
  own 
  priests 
  as 
  it 
  had 
  its 
  rulers. 
  

  

  The 
  priests 
  officiated 
  for 
  the 
  public 
  good, 
  as 
  when 
  in 
  time 
  of 
  droughts 
  

   they 
  threw 
  ashes 
  up 
  from 
  a 
  peak, 
  to 
  turn 
  into 
  clouds. 
  They 
  were 
  

   also 
  consulted 
  by 
  individuals, 
  on 
  whom 
  they 
  imposed 
  an 
  abstinence 
  

   similar 
  to 
  their 
  own; 
  after 
  conclusion 
  of 
  which, 
  they 
  received 
  the 
  

   gold 
  or 
  other 
  offering, 
  gave 
  it 
  to 
  their 
  deity, 
  asked 
  for 
  his 
  answer, 
  and 
  

   imparted 
  it; 
  their 
  own 
  fee 
  was 
  two 
  mantles 
  and 
  a 
  bit 
  of 
  gold. 
  Both 
  

   coca 
  and 
  tobacco 
  were 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  priests; 
  Datura 
  is 
  less 
  certain. 
  

  

  The 
  Spaniards 
  specifically 
  distinguished 
  hechizeros 
  from 
  the 
  jeques 
  — 
  

   shamans 
  from 
  priests. 
  These 
  "wizards" 
  were 
  generally 
  old 
  men 
  or 
  

   women, 
  who, 
  not 
  supported 
  by 
  their 
  relatives, 
  wandered 
  about 
  in 
  their 
  

   poverty, 
  selling 
  cures, 
  poisons, 
  abortions, 
  aphrodisiacs, 
  diagnosing, 
  

   finding 
  lost 
  objects, 
  and 
  explaining 
  dreams. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  see 
  or 
  foretell, 
  

   they 
  chewed 
  tobacco 
  or 
  drank 
  an 
  infusion 
  of 
  Datura, 
  tyhyquy; 
  orate 
  

   two 
  other 
  herbs, 
  yopa 
  and 
  osca; 
  and 
  in 
  this 
  condition 
  they 
  watched 
  for 
  

   twitching 
  of 
  fingers 
  or 
  movements 
  of 
  joints 
  as 
  omens. 
  

  

  Cults. 
  — 
  Chibcha 
  cults 
  offer 
  none 
  too 
  clear 
  a 
  picture, 
  partly 
  because 
  

   they 
  were 
  not 
  organized 
  into 
  a 
  clear 
  conceptual 
  system, 
  and 
  partly 
  

   because 
  of 
  the 
  Spaniards' 
  own 
  religious 
  preconceptions. 
  Besides 
  the 
  

   temples 
  with 
  their 
  "idols," 
  there 
  were 
  shrines 
  to 
  lakes 
  and 
  rivers, 
  

   caves, 
  and 
  mountains. 
  Lakes 
  in 
  particular 
  were 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  holy, 
  and 
  

   had 
  some 
  association 
  with 
  snakes. 
  The 
  Spaniards 
  paid 
  particular 
  

   attention 
  to 
  offerings 
  because 
  these 
  often 
  included 
  gold 
  and 
  emeralds; 
  

   and 
  they 
  were 
  naturally 
  interested 
  in 
  human 
  sacrifice. 
  But, 
  of 
  course, 
  

   there 
  were 
  innumerable 
  humble 
  and 
  domestic 
  sacrifices; 
  and 
  in 
  many 
  

   rites 
  penances 
  may 
  have 
  played 
  as 
  important 
  a 
  part 
  as 
  offerings. 
  The 
  

  

  