﻿Vol.2] 
  HIGHLAND 
  TRIBES, 
  S. 
  COLOMBIA 
  — 
  HERNANDEZ 
  DE 
  ALBA 
  937 
  

  

  Today 
  the 
  special 
  industry 
  is 
  the 
  extraction 
  of 
  oil 
  from 
  the 
  "mil 
  

   pesos" 
  palm. 
  Hunting 
  and 
  war 
  are 
  the 
  principal 
  occupations 
  of 
  the 
  

   men. 
  They 
  involve 
  very 
  important 
  rites 
  conducted 
  by 
  the 
  captain 
  or 
  

   cacique, 
  assisted 
  by 
  a 
  deputy 
  or 
  second 
  in 
  command 
  of 
  a 
  group. 
  

   These 
  rites 
  are 
  performed 
  as 
  follows 
  (Albis, 
  1934): 
  

  

  In 
  preparing 
  for 
  an 
  attack 
  on 
  the 
  Witoto, 
  the 
  deputy 
  captain 
  takes 
  his 
  men 
  to 
  

   hunt 
  animals, 
  while 
  the 
  women 
  prepare 
  chicha 
  and 
  "caguana." 
  Upon 
  their 
  

   return, 
  the 
  hunters 
  adorn 
  themselves, 
  dance, 
  and 
  drink 
  chicha, 
  and 
  then 
  go 
  to 
  

   their 
  houses. 
  The 
  following 
  day 
  they 
  catch 
  "conga" 
  ants, 
  whose 
  bite 
  causes 
  

   fever, 
  and 
  place 
  them 
  in 
  a 
  palm-leaf 
  mat 
  so 
  that 
  their 
  heads 
  stick 
  out. 
  The 
  

   captain's 
  wife 
  picks 
  up 
  the 
  mat 
  and 
  lets 
  the 
  ants 
  bite 
  her 
  husband 
  on 
  his 
  legs 
  to 
  

   make 
  him 
  strong, 
  on 
  his 
  breast 
  to 
  make 
  him 
  brave, 
  on 
  his 
  face 
  to 
  prevent 
  him 
  

   from 
  sleeping, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  chin 
  to 
  make 
  him 
  silent. 
  The 
  captains 
  then 
  make 
  the 
  

   ants 
  bite 
  the 
  back 
  and 
  legs 
  of 
  the 
  women, 
  so 
  that 
  young 
  Witoto 
  prisoners 
  will 
  be 
  

   diligent 
  helpers. 
  Afterward 
  the 
  captains 
  each 
  eat 
  three 
  ants 
  mixed 
  with 
  water. 
  

   If 
  they 
  have 
  pains, 
  the 
  hunt 
  will 
  be 
  successful. 
  After 
  this, 
  the 
  captain, 
  carrying 
  

   a 
  turtle 
  shell, 
  speaks 
  to 
  the 
  women, 
  admonishing 
  and 
  scolding 
  them, 
  and 
  then 
  

   retires 
  to 
  a 
  separate 
  house, 
  where 
  he 
  holds 
  a 
  conference 
  with 
  his 
  men, 
  forecasting 
  

   the 
  probable 
  outcome 
  of 
  the 
  fight 
  and 
  exhorting 
  the 
  men 
  to 
  avenge 
  those 
  who 
  

   may 
  be 
  killed 
  by 
  the 
  Witoto. 
  That 
  night 
  they 
  hold 
  ritual 
  dances 
  and 
  mimic 
  

   animals. 
  Two 
  balsa-wood 
  images 
  are 
  placed 
  at 
  the 
  door 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  building 
  

   and 
  two 
  Indians 
  must 
  pierce 
  them 
  with 
  their 
  spears 
  while 
  running. 
  These 
  two 
  

   Indians 
  are 
  whipped 
  after 
  their 
  feat 
  by 
  all 
  those 
  present. 
  At 
  dawn 
  they 
  plant 
  a 
  

   pole 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  yard 
  or 
  square, 
  pour 
  water 
  around 
  it, 
  and 
  dance 
  there 
  

   until 
  they 
  have 
  made 
  mud, 
  and 
  then 
  spend 
  the 
  day 
  gathering 
  food 
  for 
  the 
  depart- 
  

   ing 
  warriors. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  be 
  strong 
  and 
  to 
  capture 
  many 
  young 
  Witoto, 
  each 
  

   warrior 
  has 
  to 
  place 
  an 
  arm 
  in 
  a 
  bag 
  full 
  of 
  "yuco" 
  ants 
  until 
  it 
  is 
  thoroughly 
  

   bitten. 
  Upon 
  departing, 
  the 
  captain 
  gives 
  his 
  wife 
  a 
  knotted 
  hemp 
  cord 
  (a 
  kind 
  

   of 
  quipu). 
  She 
  unties 
  a 
  knot 
  every 
  night 
  and 
  thus 
  knows 
  when 
  to 
  expect 
  him 
  

   back 
  and 
  on 
  what 
  day 
  the 
  fight 
  will 
  take 
  place. 
  The 
  day 
  of 
  the 
  battle 
  she 
  remains 
  

   in 
  the 
  hut 
  where 
  the 
  hunters 
  stayed 
  the 
  first 
  day; 
  otherwise 
  they 
  will 
  be 
  unable 
  to 
  

   capture 
  any 
  Witoto 
  children. 
  With 
  other 
  women 
  she 
  waits 
  there 
  3 
  days 
  for 
  the 
  

   men 
  to 
  return 
  and 
  then, 
  after 
  leaving 
  there 
  an 
  "araraita," 
  a 
  palm 
  branch, 
  the 
  

   women 
  return 
  to 
  their 
  homes 
  to 
  prepare 
  more 
  chicha. 
  If 
  the 
  expedition 
  is 
  success- 
  

   ful, 
  the 
  men 
  return 
  with 
  great 
  demonstrations 
  of 
  joy, 
  but 
  if 
  it 
  fails, 
  they 
  hit 
  

   everything 
  and 
  bemoan 
  their 
  luck. 
  The 
  captain's 
  principal 
  wife 
  upbraids 
  her 
  

   husband. 
  After 
  a 
  community 
  meal, 
  all 
  go 
  home 
  and 
  resume 
  their 
  occupations. 
  

  

  Meustruating 
  women 
  throughout 
  this 
  area 
  remain 
  in 
  a 
  special 
  

   house 
  weaving 
  hemp. 
  They 
  may 
  have 
  no 
  visitors. 
  At 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  

   the 
  period, 
  they 
  bathe 
  and 
  return 
  to 
  their 
  dwellings. 
  

  

  At 
  childbirth, 
  a 
  woman 
  must 
  remain 
  at 
  home 
  3 
  months, 
  while 
  her 
  

   husband 
  stays 
  in 
  his 
  hammock, 
  refraining 
  from 
  labor 
  and 
  dieting 
  lest 
  

   his 
  child 
  die. 
  After 
  3 
  months 
  the 
  parents 
  anoint 
  themselves 
  and 
  child 
  

   with 
  "jagua" 
  fruit 
  and 
  resume 
  normal 
  life. 
  

  

  THE 
  CULTURE 
  OF 
  THE 
  MOGUEX 
  AND 
  PAEZ 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  Moguex 
  and 
  Pdez 
  have 
  distinct 
  territories 
  and 
  differ- 
  

   ent 
  dialects, 
  their 
  ethnology 
  may 
  be 
  described 
  together 
  because 
  of 
  

   the 
  great 
  similarity 
  of 
  their 
  economy 
  with 
  its 
  agricultural 
  basis, 
  their 
  

   social 
  organization, 
  and 
  their 
  general 
  culture. 
  

  

  