﻿Vol. 
  2] 
  HIGHLAND 
  TRIBES, 
  S. 
  COLOMBIA 
  — 
  HERNANDEZ 
  DE 
  ALBA 
  935 
  

  

  Chicha 
  made 
  of 
  maize 
  was 
  widely 
  used, 
  particularly 
  during 
  religious 
  

   and 
  community 
  ceremonies, 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  ended 
  in 
  general 
  drunken- 
  

   ness. 
  It 
  was 
  also 
  customary 
  to 
  put 
  some 
  of 
  it 
  in 
  graves. 
  This 
  alco- 
  

   holic 
  drink 
  was 
  not 
  used 
  daily 
  as 
  a 
  habit, 
  as 
  is 
  the 
  case 
  today. 
  The 
  

   modern 
  Indians 
  also 
  take 
  hard 
  liquor, 
  which 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Narifio 
  re- 
  

   gion 
  call 
  "calaguasca." 
  It 
  is 
  generally 
  illegally 
  distilled, 
  since 
  its 
  

   production 
  is 
  a 
  monopoly 
  of 
  the 
  states 
  or 
  departments 
  of 
  Colombia. 
  

  

  RELIGION 
  AND 
  MAGIC 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  historians 
  state 
  that 
  the 
  Indians 
  had 
  neither 
  temples 
  nor 
  

   beliefs, 
  and 
  Cieza 
  and 
  Velasco 
  deny 
  that 
  the 
  Quillacinga 
  had 
  any 
  

   religious 
  ideas. 
  

  

  Tribes 
  of 
  the 
  Province 
  of 
  Pasto 
  and 
  in 
  neighboring 
  provinces, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  practiced 
  religious 
  sacrifices 
  known 
  as 
  "taquies," 
  that 
  is, 
  a 
  gen- 
  

   eral 
  3-day 
  celebration 
  with 
  dancing, 
  image-worship, 
  and 
  drinking. 
  

   There 
  were 
  priests 
  who 
  had 
  direct 
  communication 
  with 
  the 
  deities. 
  

   Cieza 
  states 
  that 
  "some 
  talk 
  with 
  the 
  devil," 
  as 
  the 
  Catholic 
  Spaniards 
  

   called 
  the 
  Indian 
  deities 
  (Cieza, 
  1932). 
  

  

  Magic 
  was 
  among 
  their 
  religious 
  practices. 
  They 
  believed 
  in 
  birds 
  

   of 
  omen; 
  e. 
  g., 
  if 
  a 
  bird 
  called 
  "solitario" 
  should 
  alight 
  on 
  the 
  roof 
  of 
  a 
  

   house 
  and 
  call 
  once, 
  it 
  meant 
  that 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  spouses 
  living 
  there 
  would 
  

   die, 
  and 
  if 
  it 
  called 
  twice, 
  both 
  husband 
  and 
  wife 
  would 
  die. 
  The 
  

   "pucungu" 
  bird 
  foretold 
  death, 
  and 
  the 
  "cuclillo," 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  times 
  it 
  sang, 
  foretold 
  good 
  or 
  bad 
  weather 
  for 
  farming. 
  

   They 
  also 
  believed 
  that 
  whoever 
  saw 
  a 
  certain 
  snake 
  would 
  die 
  

   instantly 
  (Velasco, 
  1841-44, 
  vol. 
  1). 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Popayan 
  section, 
  the 
  Indians 
  kept 
  metal 
  and 
  wooden 
  idols 
  in 
  

   their 
  homes. 
  They 
  are 
  accredited 
  with 
  priests, 
  the 
  belief 
  that 
  the 
  

   souls 
  of 
  the 
  dead 
  were 
  reincarnated 
  in 
  newborn 
  children, 
  and 
  the 
  per- 
  

   formance 
  of 
  annual 
  dances 
  called 
  "areitos," 
  which 
  lasted 
  several 
  days 
  

   and 
  were 
  accompanied 
  by 
  drinking 
  and 
  singing. 
  

  

  The 
  Coconuco 
  worshiped 
  the 
  moon 
  (Puil), 
  an 
  evil 
  power; 
  the 
  sun 
  

   (Puitcher), 
  a 
  benefactor; 
  "Pansig"; 
  the 
  stars 
  (Sil); 
  and 
  the 
  planets 
  

   (Silg 
  or 
  Sull) 
  (Bollaert, 
  1860, 
  pp. 
  5-6). 
  

  

  The 
  present-day 
  Narifio 
  Indians 
  celebrate 
  when 
  the 
  last 
  bundle 
  of 
  

   straw 
  is 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  roof 
  of 
  a 
  house 
  to 
  insure 
  its 
  permanence 
  and 
  to 
  

   bring 
  good 
  luck 
  (Ortiz, 
  1935). 
  

  

  Shamanism. 
  — 
  Today, 
  the 
  Indians 
  of 
  the 
  Narifio 
  region 
  believe 
  that 
  

   diseases 
  are 
  caused 
  by 
  influences 
  called 
  "mal 
  viento" 
  or 
  "mal 
  de 
  ojo" 
  

   (evil 
  eye), 
  over 
  which 
  the 
  shaman 
  (curandero) 
  has 
  power. 
  When 
  a 
  

   shaman 
  is 
  called, 
  he 
  fights 
  the 
  disease 
  or 
  " 
  cleanses 
  the 
  sick 
  person" 
  

   by 
  sucking 
  various 
  parts 
  of 
  his 
  body, 
  by 
  blowing 
  on 
  him 
  the 
  drug 
  he 
  

   has 
  been 
  chewing, 
  by 
  cutting 
  at 
  the 
  air 
  with 
  the 
  blade 
  of 
  a 
  machete, 
  and 
  

   by 
  walking 
  around 
  the 
  sick 
  person 
  holding 
  a 
  burning 
  log 
  in 
  hand. 
  

  

  