﻿Vol. 
  2] 
  HIGHLAND 
  TRIBES, 
  S. 
  COLOMBIA 
  — 
  HERNANDEZ 
  DE 
  ALBA 
  931 
  

  

  hardness. 
  They 
  made 
  small 
  figurines 
  and 
  objects 
  of 
  personal 
  adorn- 
  

   ment 
  but 
  did 
  not 
  make 
  uteusils. 
  They 
  worked 
  the 
  metal 
  by 
  melting 
  

   and 
  casting 
  it 
  or 
  by 
  hammering 
  it 
  into 
  thin 
  sheets. 
  They 
  did 
  not 
  

   know 
  how 
  to 
  smelt 
  iron. 
  

  

  Weaving. 
  — 
  The 
  native 
  Indians 
  wove 
  cotton 
  textiles 
  for 
  clothing. 
  

   It 
  appears 
  that 
  their 
  loom 
  was 
  vertical, 
  supported 
  by 
  poles, 
  like 
  that 
  

   which 
  the 
  modern 
  Indians 
  use 
  to 
  weave 
  woolen 
  blankets, 
  bayetas, 
  

   and 
  ponchos. 
  

  

  Weapons. 
  — 
  Among 
  the 
  Pasto, 
  a 
  peaceable 
  people, 
  the 
  only 
  weapons 
  

   mentioned 
  by 
  chroniclers 
  are 
  stones 
  thrown 
  by 
  hand, 
  wooden 
  clubs 
  

   (macanas 
  or 
  mazas), 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  poorly 
  made 
  wooden 
  lances. 
  In 
  the 
  

   Province 
  of 
  Popayan, 
  the 
  Indians 
  fought 
  with 
  "sticks 
  of 
  black 
  wood, 
  

   a 
  fathom 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  long 
  and 
  four 
  fingers 
  wide, 
  called 
  macanas/' 
  

   darts 
  with 
  fire-hardened 
  points 
  cast 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  the 
  spear 
  thrower, 
  

   stones 
  thrown 
  with 
  slings, 
  and 
  long 
  lances 
  (astas) 
  with 
  fire-hardened 
  

   points. 
  Thus, 
  the 
  lance 
  was 
  used 
  most 
  in 
  Popayan, 
  the 
  only 
  place 
  

   to 
  use 
  the 
  spear 
  thrower, 
  whereas 
  the 
  macana 
  and 
  sling 
  were 
  common 
  

   to 
  the 
  whole 
  region. 
  

  

  There 
  appear 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  no 
  weapons 
  of 
  stone, 
  except 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   jectiles 
  already 
  mentioned. 
  Polished 
  stone 
  axes 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  

   archeologically 
  throughout 
  this 
  region, 
  although 
  there 
  are 
  relatively 
  

   few 
  in 
  central 
  Colombia. 
  

  

  For 
  defense, 
  the 
  Indians 
  carried 
  well-made 
  painted 
  shields 
  (rodelas), 
  

   presumably 
  of 
  wood. 
  

  

  MARKETS 
  

  

  Each 
  native 
  family 
  produced 
  its 
  own 
  food 
  and 
  essential 
  goods, 
  

   but 
  a 
  few 
  products, 
  like 
  salt, 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  obtained 
  through 
  trade 
  or 
  at 
  

   intertribal 
  markets. 
  The 
  chroniclers 
  merely 
  mention 
  that 
  the 
  Pasto 
  

   traded 
  with 
  the 
  Province 
  of 
  Chapanehita 
  and 
  with 
  their 
  neighbors, 
  

   but 
  tell 
  nothing 
  of 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  commerce. 
  

  

  SOCIAL 
  AND 
  POLITICAL 
  ORGANIZATION 
  

  

  Lack 
  of 
  early 
  reference 
  material 
  prevents 
  adequate 
  characteriza- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  social 
  and 
  political 
  organization 
  of 
  these 
  people. 
  Cieza 
  tells 
  

   us 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  no 
  government, 
  and 
  that 
  "among 
  them 
  there 
  were 
  no 
  

   lords 
  to 
  be 
  feared" 
  (Cieza, 
  1880, 
  ch. 
  13). 
  It 
  would 
  seem, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  

   each 
  of 
  the 
  groups 
  or 
  communities 
  into 
  which 
  the 
  Pasto, 
  Quillacinga, 
  

   Coconuco, 
  and 
  Popayanense 
  were 
  divided 
  had 
  its 
  own 
  independent 
  

   cacique 
  or 
  local 
  chief. 
  This 
  would 
  account 
  to 
  a 
  large 
  extent 
  for 
  

   their 
  rapid 
  subjugation 
  by 
  the 
  Spaniards. 
  

  

  MatriLineal 
  descent 
  is 
  suggested 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  a 
  chief 
  was 
  suc- 
  

   ceeded 
  by 
  his 
  sister's 
  son 
  and 
  that 
  "in 
  some 
  places" 
  the 
  first 
  male 
  

   child 
  born 
  to 
  a 
  woman 
  was 
  sacrificed 
  (Jij6n 
  y 
  Caamano, 
  1936-38, 
  

   2:179-82). 
  

  

  