﻿932 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  Land 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  common 
  property 
  to 
  be 
  allotted 
  by 
  the 
  chief. 
  

   Personal 
  property, 
  including 
  dwellings, 
  was 
  private 
  property. 
  It 
  is 
  

   stated 
  that 
  at 
  death 
  an 
  individual 
  was 
  "buried 
  with 
  all 
  he 
  possessed." 
  

   The 
  large 
  buildings 
  where 
  they 
  met 
  or 
  worshiped 
  in 
  the 
  Province 
  

   of 
  Popayan 
  were, 
  however, 
  communal 
  property. 
  

  

  Preserving 
  the 
  political 
  and 
  social 
  structure 
  of 
  small 
  groups, 
  as 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  concept 
  that 
  some 
  properties 
  should 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  com- 
  

   munity, 
  parcilidades 
  were 
  formed 
  in 
  the 
  Colonial 
  Period 
  under 
  the 
  

   rule 
  of 
  a 
  cabildo, 
  or 
  a 
  municipal 
  council, 
  of 
  Spanish 
  origin. 
  In 
  Narino 
  

   today 
  the 
  council 
  consists 
  of 
  an 
  alcalde 
  mayor, 
  or 
  mayor; 
  an 
  alcalde 
  

   segundo, 
  or 
  deputy 
  mayor; 
  a 
  regidor, 
  or 
  alderman; 
  an 
  alguacil, 
  or 
  

   constable; 
  a 
  fiscal, 
  or 
  prosecutor; 
  a 
  fiscalito, 
  or 
  deputy 
  prosecutor; 
  

   and 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  policemen. 
  They 
  are 
  all 
  elected 
  in 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  

   the 
  parochial 
  curate 
  and 
  are 
  given 
  staffs 
  of 
  authority 
  with 
  silver 
  

   handles. 
  They 
  rule 
  or 
  serve 
  without 
  remuneration 
  for 
  one 
  year, 
  and 
  

   act 
  as 
  links 
  between 
  the 
  civilized 
  authorities 
  and 
  the 
  Indians. 
  They 
  

   arrange 
  for 
  the 
  Indians 
  to 
  work 
  5 
  days 
  each 
  year 
  for 
  the 
  municipality 
  

   cleaning 
  the 
  plazas 
  and 
  yards 
  of 
  the 
  churches, 
  and 
  decorating 
  the 
  

   streets 
  for 
  processions. 
  The 
  cabildo 
  likewise 
  allots 
  the 
  land 
  to 
  the 
  

   members 
  of 
  the 
  group, 
  allocates 
  costs 
  for 
  public 
  works, 
  and 
  represents 
  

   the 
  group 
  in 
  their 
  prolonged 
  lawsuits 
  over 
  the 
  land. 
  

  

  Besides 
  the 
  tracts 
  of 
  farmland 
  allotted 
  by 
  the 
  cabildo 
  to 
  each 
  

   family, 
  there 
  is 
  other 
  land 
  which 
  everybody 
  is 
  required 
  to 
  cultivate 
  

   for 
  the 
  benefit 
  of 
  the 
  Church 
  and 
  school. 
  There 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  tract 
  called 
  

   comun 
  del 
  monte 
  (common 
  land 
  on 
  the 
  hill), 
  where 
  all 
  have 
  the 
  right 
  

   to 
  gather 
  wood 
  and 
  graze 
  their 
  animals 
  (Ortiz, 
  1935). 
  

  

  Today, 
  the 
  man 
  is 
  the 
  family 
  head, 
  and 
  enjoys 
  extensive 
  rights 
  

   over 
  his 
  children 
  and 
  even 
  over 
  his 
  wife. 
  If 
  she 
  works, 
  he 
  controls 
  

   her 
  wages. 
  When 
  returning 
  from 
  the 
  weekly 
  market 
  in 
  the 
  village, 
  

   she 
  generally 
  walks, 
  carrying 
  the 
  goods 
  bought, 
  while 
  the 
  husband 
  

   rides 
  his 
  horse 
  or 
  mule. 
  

  

  LIFE 
  CYCLE 
  

  

  Childbirth. 
  — 
  Except 
  for 
  infanticide 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  son 
  born, 
  practiced 
  

   in 
  the 
  Province 
  of 
  Popayan, 
  no 
  information 
  is 
  available 
  on 
  child- 
  

   birth. 
  

  

  Puberty. 
  — 
  In 
  the 
  Province 
  of 
  Popayan, 
  women 
  were 
  confined 
  during 
  

   their 
  first 
  and 
  subsequent 
  menstrual 
  periods 
  in 
  a 
  small, 
  circular 
  

   building 
  which 
  men 
  never 
  entered. 
  Their 
  meals 
  were 
  left 
  at 
  the 
  

   door. 
  

  

  Marriage. 
  — 
  Several 
  marriage 
  customs 
  are 
  recorded 
  for 
  southern 
  

   Colombia, 
  but 
  tribes 
  are 
  not 
  specified. 
  In 
  some 
  places, 
  a 
  mother 
  de- 
  

   flowered 
  her 
  daughter 
  with 
  her 
  fingers 
  before 
  marriage. 
  Of 
  another 
  

   place, 
  it 
  is 
  stated 
  that 
  a 
  man 
  wishing 
  to 
  marry 
  invited 
  several 
  eligible 
  

   girls 
  and 
  their 
  parents 
  to 
  a 
  feast 
  which 
  lasted 
  from 
  15 
  to 
  20 
  days. 
  He 
  

  

  