﻿COLOMBIA 
  — 
  HERNANDEZ 
  DE 
  ALBA 
  943 
  

  

  with 
  the 
  right 
  hand 
  over 
  the 
  naked 
  thigh. 
  Two 
  strands 
  are 
  similarly 
  

   twisted 
  together 
  until 
  the 
  desired 
  thickness 
  is 
  obtained. 
  

  

  Gourds. 
  — 
  Gourds 
  are 
  still 
  widely 
  used. 
  They 
  are 
  picked 
  when 
  ripe, 
  

   cleaned 
  out, 
  and 
  dried. 
  With 
  small 
  openings, 
  they 
  serve 
  as 
  con- 
  

   tainers 
  for 
  beverages 
  and 
  powdered 
  lime. 
  Some 
  are 
  made 
  into 
  bowls 
  

   and 
  others 
  are 
  cut 
  up 
  to 
  make 
  spoons. 
  Today 
  these 
  objects 
  are 
  un- 
  

   decorated, 
  but 
  formerly 
  in 
  Timana 
  they 
  were 
  painted 
  with 
  a 
  resia 
  

   varnish 
  very 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  used 
  in 
  Pasto. 
  (See 
  p. 
  930.) 
  Before 
  the 
  

   Spanish 
  domination, 
  gourds 
  were 
  also 
  used 
  as 
  frames 
  over 
  which 
  

   were 
  stretched 
  the 
  prepared 
  skin 
  of 
  the 
  heads 
  of 
  their 
  enemies 
  killed 
  

   in 
  war. 
  

  

  Metallurgy. 
  — 
  The 
  metallurgy 
  of 
  these 
  Indians 
  was 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  that 
  

   practiced 
  throughout 
  most 
  of 
  Colombia. 
  The 
  metals 
  were 
  gold, 
  

   copper, 
  and 
  an 
  alloy 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  (tumbaga). 
  It 
  is 
  recorded 
  that 
  the 
  

   Indians 
  "worked 
  gold," 
  but 
  the 
  processes 
  are 
  not 
  described. 
  Speci- 
  

   mens 
  found 
  recently 
  in 
  the 
  territory, 
  however, 
  show 
  molding, 
  casting, 
  

   and 
  hammering. 
  Metal 
  objects 
  included 
  nose 
  ornaments, 
  parrot- 
  

   shaped 
  breastplates, 
  necklaces 
  with 
  small 
  animal 
  figures, 
  and 
  some 
  

   anthropomorphic 
  idols. 
  Gold 
  occurs 
  in 
  this 
  territory, 
  particularly 
  on 
  

   the 
  upper 
  Paez 
  or 
  the 
  Suin 
  River. 
  

  

  Ceramics. 
  — 
  These 
  tribes 
  made 
  and 
  still 
  make 
  coiled 
  pottery. 
  Mod- 
  

   ern 
  vessel 
  forms 
  include 
  large 
  jars 
  for 
  storing 
  beverages 
  and 
  poorly 
  

   shaped, 
  crudely 
  decorated 
  containers 
  for 
  preparing 
  and 
  serving 
  food. 
  

   There 
  is 
  no 
  individual 
  specialization 
  in 
  this 
  task, 
  women 
  making 
  

   pots 
  for 
  their 
  own 
  family 
  and 
  not 
  for 
  trade. 
  

  

  Stone 
  and 
  wooden 
  artifacts. 
  — 
  The 
  native 
  Indians 
  made 
  stone 
  axes 
  

   of 
  a 
  simple 
  design, 
  but 
  stonework 
  disappeared 
  during 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  

   colonization, 
  when 
  the 
  Indians 
  could 
  obtain 
  manufactured 
  iron 
  weap- 
  

   ons 
  and 
  utensils 
  such 
  as 
  machetes, 
  axes, 
  hoes, 
  shovels, 
  etc. 
  The 
  

   manufacture 
  of 
  wooden 
  objects 
  — 
  weaving, 
  cooking, 
  and 
  farming 
  im- 
  

   plements 
  and 
  weapons 
  — 
  was 
  furthered 
  by 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  metal 
  tools, 
  and 
  

   now 
  is 
  well 
  developed, 
  as 
  exemplified 
  by 
  the 
  trapiche 
  (cane 
  mill), 
  a 
  

   true 
  machine 
  made 
  of 
  wood. 
  

  

  Weaving. 
  — 
  Weaving, 
  little 
  practiced 
  before 
  the 
  Conquest, 
  developed 
  

   with 
  the 
  post-Contact 
  need 
  for 
  wearing 
  more 
  clothes 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  

   introduction 
  of 
  sheep, 
  whose 
  wool 
  was 
  used 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  cotton. 
  

   Weaving 
  was 
  and 
  is 
  exclusively 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  women 
  (pi. 
  186). 
  They 
  

   prepare 
  fine, 
  uniform 
  yarn 
  with 
  a 
  common 
  spindle, 
  which 
  they 
  handle 
  

   as 
  they 
  walk 
  along 
  the 
  road 
  (pi. 
  187, 
  top). 
  The 
  loom 
  is 
  vertical, 
  

   made 
  of 
  two 
  horizontal 
  rods 
  fastened 
  to 
  two 
  uprights. 
  The 
  warp 
  runs 
  

   vertically 
  with 
  a 
  continuous 
  thread. 
  The 
  horizontal 
  weft 
  is 
  pressed 
  

   down 
  with 
  a 
  wooden 
  sword. 
  They 
  also 
  weave 
  hemp 
  bands 
  on 
  the 
  

   loom. 
  Woolen 
  blankets 
  are 
  woven 
  in 
  natural 
  colors, 
  but 
  some 
  sashes 
  

   have 
  bright 
  colors 
  made 
  of 
  imported 
  wool 
  or 
  of 
  home-dyed 
  wool. 
  For 
  

   red, 
  they 
  use 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  Rubiaceae 
  (Relbunium 
  hypocarpium) 
  , 
  and 
  for 
  

  

  595682 
  — 
  46 
  62 
  

  

  