﻿Vol. 
  2] 
  HIGHLAND 
  TRIBES, 
  S. 
  COLOMBIA 
  — 
  HERNANDEZ 
  DE 
  ALBA 
  933 
  

  

  had 
  sexual 
  intercourse 
  with 
  a 
  different 
  girl 
  each 
  day, 
  and 
  finally 
  

   married 
  the 
  one 
  he 
  liked 
  best, 
  or 
  who 
  seemed 
  to 
  have 
  become 
  preg- 
  

   nant. 
  In 
  certain 
  places, 
  it 
  is 
  said, 
  the 
  prospective 
  husband 
  had 
  to 
  

   give 
  something 
  to 
  the 
  parents 
  of 
  the 
  bride-elect, 
  and 
  help 
  them 
  in 
  

   their 
  work 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  before 
  he 
  could 
  marry 
  their 
  daughter. 
  9 
  

  

  Polygyny 
  was 
  common 
  and 
  was 
  limited 
  only 
  by 
  the 
  ability 
  of 
  the 
  

   man 
  to 
  feed 
  his 
  wives. 
  Eegarding 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  married 
  women, 
  it 
  

   is 
  known 
  that 
  in 
  certain 
  sections 
  of 
  the 
  Province 
  of 
  Popayan 
  a 
  hus- 
  

   band 
  countenanced 
  his 
  wife's 
  sexual 
  intercourse 
  with 
  other 
  men 
  pro- 
  

   vided 
  she 
  were 
  paid. 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  modern 
  Pasto, 
  custom 
  requires 
  that 
  a 
  couple's 
  parents 
  

   arrange 
  their 
  marriage 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  bridegroom's 
  parents 
  present 
  

   foodstuffs 
  to 
  the 
  girl's. 
  In 
  spite 
  of 
  opposition 
  by 
  the 
  Catholic 
  priests, 
  

   they 
  still 
  practice 
  trial 
  marriage, 
  which 
  they 
  call 
  afio 
  de 
  amano 
  (year 
  

   of 
  adjustment), 
  to 
  ascertain 
  whether 
  the 
  woman 
  is 
  able 
  to 
  bear 
  chil- 
  

   dren 
  and 
  to 
  do 
  her 
  share 
  of 
  the 
  work. 
  The 
  wedding 
  is 
  celebrated 
  by 
  

   dancing 
  in 
  couples, 
  drinking 
  chicha 
  and 
  hard 
  liquor, 
  and 
  eating 
  food 
  

   and 
  sweetmeats. 
  

  

  Sickness 
  and 
  death. 
  — 
  Because 
  sickness 
  was 
  thought 
  to 
  be 
  caused 
  by 
  

   witchcraft, 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  villages 
  sick 
  persons 
  were 
  abandoned 
  or 
  

   moved 
  to 
  a 
  different 
  place. 
  When 
  death 
  occurred, 
  the 
  Pasto 
  and 
  

   Quillacinga 
  buried 
  the 
  body 
  in 
  large 
  and 
  deep 
  graves 
  together 
  with 
  

   food, 
  jars 
  of 
  chicha, 
  and 
  the 
  deceased's 
  clothes, 
  utensils, 
  and 
  orna- 
  

   ments. 
  A 
  chief 
  was 
  buried 
  with 
  several 
  of 
  his 
  wives 
  and 
  tribesmen, 
  

   who 
  had 
  been 
  made 
  drunk. 
  Furthermore, 
  each 
  neighboring 
  chief 
  

   had 
  to 
  send 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  of 
  his 
  people 
  to 
  be 
  buried 
  with 
  the 
  dead 
  

   chieftain. 
  The 
  deceased 
  was 
  thought 
  to 
  five 
  after 
  death 
  in 
  a 
  pleasant 
  

   and 
  comfortable 
  place. 
  In 
  Popayan, 
  the 
  corpses 
  were 
  cremated 
  

   or 
  desiccated 
  (mummified) 
  over 
  a 
  slow 
  fire, 
  and 
  subsequently 
  either 
  

   buried 
  or 
  kept 
  above 
  ground. 
  

  

  WARFARE 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  Pasto 
  were 
  peace-loving, 
  the 
  other 
  Indians 
  of 
  the 
  Prov- 
  

   ince 
  of 
  Popayan 
  were 
  exceedingly 
  warlike, 
  so 
  that 
  there 
  was 
  constant 
  

   fighting 
  among 
  the 
  tribes. 
  Women 
  went 
  to 
  war 
  with 
  their 
  men, 
  

   carrying 
  the 
  darts 
  or 
  arrows 
  and 
  handing 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  men 
  during 
  the 
  

   engagements. 
  Men 
  fought 
  naked, 
  with 
  their 
  bodies 
  painted 
  and 
  

   ornamented 
  with 
  feathers, 
  tufts, 
  necklaces, 
  bracelets, 
  and 
  breastplates 
  

   and 
  nose 
  ornaments 
  of 
  gold. 
  They 
  started 
  an 
  attack 
  with 
  yells, 
  songs, 
  

   and 
  music. 
  Enemies 
  who 
  were 
  killed 
  or 
  taken 
  prisoner 
  were 
  partly 
  

   eaten, 
  but 
  their 
  skulls 
  were 
  kept 
  as 
  trophies, 
  placed 
  on 
  top 
  of 
  high 
  

   posts 
  at 
  the 
  entrance 
  of 
  their 
  dwellings. 
  The 
  victim's 
  skin 
  was 
  dried, 
  

   filled 
  with 
  ashes 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  would 
  retain 
  the 
  shape 
  of 
  the 
  body, 
  and 
  

  

  9 
  From 
  the 
  manuscript, 
  "Espejo 
  de 
  Variedades," 
  written 
  in 
  1575 
  by 
  a 
  soldier 
  who 
  lived 
  in 
  Quito 
  and 
  

   Popayan 
  for 
  more 
  than 
  15 
  years. 
  Ternaux 
  Compans, 
  1840, 
  pp. 
  75-82. 
  

  

  