﻿908 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  Chibcha 
  mind. 
  All 
  in 
  all, 
  the 
  elements 
  of 
  the 
  mythology 
  are 
  similar 
  

   to 
  those 
  of 
  primitive 
  American 
  Indians, 
  without 
  notable 
  reworking 
  

   into 
  a 
  coherent 
  philosophy. 
  

  

  A 
  sort 
  of 
  creator, 
  called 
  Chimi-ni-gagua, 
  began 
  to 
  shine 
  when 
  there 
  

   was 
  as 
  yet 
  nothing 
  in 
  the 
  world, 
  and 
  then 
  originated 
  large 
  black 
  birds, 
  

   followed 
  by 
  the 
  sun 
  and 
  moon. 
  

  

  A 
  conflicting 
  tale 
  begins 
  with 
  the 
  cacique 
  of 
  Sugamuxi 
  and 
  his 
  

   nephew 
  of 
  Ramiriqui 
  while 
  the 
  world 
  was 
  still 
  dark. 
  They 
  created 
  

   men 
  of 
  yellow 
  earth, 
  women 
  of 
  tall 
  herbs. 
  Then 
  the 
  Iraca 
  sent 
  his 
  

   nephew 
  up 
  to 
  become 
  the 
  sun, 
  and 
  followed 
  as 
  the 
  moon. 
  This 
  

   contradicts 
  other 
  statements 
  that 
  the 
  moon 
  was 
  regarded 
  as 
  the 
  wife 
  

   of 
  the 
  sun. 
  It 
  also 
  illustrates 
  the 
  influence 
  on 
  religion 
  of 
  the 
  ruling 
  

   class; 
  and 
  emphasizes 
  the 
  northern 
  Zaque 
  and 
  Iraca 
  by 
  ignoring 
  the 
  

   Zipa 
  as 
  ancient. 
  

  

  Still 
  another 
  creation 
  account 
  revolves 
  around 
  a 
  true 
  myth 
  and 
  

   cult 
  personage, 
  the 
  goddess 
  Bachue, 
  also 
  called 
  Fura-chogue, 
  " 
  benefi- 
  

   cent 
  female." 
  She 
  emerged 
  from 
  a 
  small 
  lake 
  near 
  Iguaque, 
  northeast 
  

   of 
  Tunja, 
  with 
  her 
  3-year 
  old 
  son, 
  whom, 
  when 
  he 
  grew 
  up, 
  she 
  married, 
  

   and 
  had 
  four 
  to 
  six 
  children 
  at 
  each 
  birth. 
  With 
  these 
  she 
  populated 
  

   the 
  land; 
  then, 
  exhorting 
  them 
  all 
  to 
  live 
  in 
  peace 
  and 
  order, 
  she 
  and 
  

   her 
  son-husband 
  reentered 
  the 
  lake 
  as 
  two 
  snakes. 
  Here 
  a 
  local 
  cult 
  

   seems 
  to 
  have 
  become 
  blended 
  with 
  a 
  mother 
  and 
  earth 
  goddess 
  con- 
  

   cept. 
  Bachue 
  was 
  looked 
  upon 
  as 
  a 
  protector 
  of 
  crops, 
  and 
  gum 
  or 
  

   resin 
  — 
  in 
  other 
  words, 
  incenses 
  — 
  were 
  offered 
  her. 
  We 
  hear 
  nothing 
  

   of 
  any 
  temple 
  or 
  precious 
  offerings; 
  such 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  at 
  the 
  

   lake; 
  but 
  both 
  myth 
  and 
  cult 
  smack 
  of 
  the 
  farming 
  populace, 
  not 
  of 
  

   the 
  nobility. 
  

  

  Another 
  goddess 
  was 
  Huitaca, 
  also 
  called 
  Chie 
  and 
  Jubchas-guaya 
  

   (guaya 
  is 
  "mother"), 
  who 
  practiced 
  and 
  preached 
  pleasure, 
  dancing, 
  

   drunkenness, 
  and 
  sexual 
  laxity, 
  and 
  got 
  an 
  expectable 
  following. 
  

   She 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  come 
  after 
  Bochica, 
  and 
  again 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  turned 
  

   into 
  an 
  owl, 
  or 
  the 
  moon, 
  by 
  Chimi-sopagua, 
  a 
  synonym 
  of 
  Bochica. 
  

   There 
  is 
  no 
  record 
  of 
  localization 
  of 
  this 
  myth, 
  nor 
  of 
  accompanying 
  

   ritual 
  or 
  offerings. 
  

  

  Chibcha-chum 
  — 
  chum 
  is 
  "rod" 
  or 
  "staff" 
  — 
  was 
  a 
  patron 
  deity 
  of 
  the 
  

   Bacata 
  region; 
  and 
  offerings 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  him. 
  Angered 
  at 
  his 
  

   worshipers, 
  he 
  flooded 
  the 
  sabana 
  by 
  moving 
  two 
  rivers 
  to 
  flow 
  into 
  

   the 
  Funza-Bacata. 
  Bochica, 
  appearing 
  on 
  a 
  rainbow, 
  hurled 
  his 
  

   golden 
  staff 
  to 
  Tequendama, 
  opening 
  the 
  great 
  waterfall 
  there. 
  

   Chibcha-chum 
  was 
  placed, 
  or 
  went, 
  underground, 
  where 
  he 
  supports 
  

   the 
  world; 
  when 
  he 
  shifts 
  shoulders, 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  earthquake. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  famous 
  myth 
  personage 
  is 
  the 
  culture 
  hero 
  Bochica, 
  also 
  

   called 
  Xue 
  (lord), 
  or 
  Nebterequeteba, 
  or 
  Chimi-sapagua 
  as 
  "messen- 
  

   ger" 
  of 
  Chimi-ni-gagua. 
  According 
  to 
  one 
  statement, 
  he 
  lived 
  on 
  

   earth 
  20 
  generations 
  before 
  the 
  Spaniards 
  arrived, 
  according 
  to 
  another, 
  

  

  