﻿946 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  list 
  presented 
  by 
  a 
  council 
  composed 
  of 
  former 
  governors, 
  the 
  cap- 
  

   tain, 
  and 
  the 
  sindico. 
  The 
  meeting 
  may 
  object 
  to 
  the 
  list, 
  but 
  gen- 
  

   erally 
  accepts 
  it. 
  On 
  the 
  following 
  January 
  1, 
  the 
  cabildo-elect 
  must 
  

   appear 
  at 
  the 
  office 
  of 
  the 
  municipal 
  mayor 
  to 
  receive 
  the 
  staffs, 
  

   their 
  insignia 
  of 
  office, 
  and 
  to 
  assume 
  their 
  duties 
  and 
  responsibilities. 
  

   The 
  offices 
  are: 
  Governor 
  and 
  alternate, 
  commissioner, 
  two 
  mayors 
  

   (alcaldes), 
  two 
  constables 
  (alguaciles), 
  and 
  three 
  prosecutors 
  (fis- 
  

   cales), 
  one 
  of 
  whom 
  is 
  a 
  young 
  man 
  assigned 
  to 
  learn 
  the 
  ways 
  of 
  

   government. 
  The 
  mayors, 
  constables, 
  and 
  prosecutors 
  are 
  some- 
  

   thing 
  like 
  bosses 
  or 
  policemen, 
  and 
  execute 
  orders 
  issued 
  by 
  the 
  Gov- 
  

   ernor 
  or 
  by 
  the 
  captain 
  or 
  the 
  municipal 
  authorities 
  to 
  a 
  community 
  

   through 
  the 
  Governor. 
  

  

  Property. 
  — 
  The 
  Indians 
  today 
  do 
  not 
  own 
  any 
  real 
  property 
  in 
  the 
  

   usual 
  sense. 
  The 
  land 
  assigned 
  to 
  an 
  entire 
  community 
  is 
  allotted 
  

   to 
  each 
  adult 
  for 
  his 
  use 
  when 
  he 
  becomes 
  a 
  macanero, 
  that 
  is, 
  capable 
  

   of 
  giving 
  one 
  day's 
  work 
  each 
  year 
  for 
  the 
  collective 
  planting 
  for 
  the 
  

   benefit 
  of 
  the 
  saint 
  and 
  as 
  many 
  days 
  as 
  may 
  be 
  required 
  by 
  the 
  cabildo 
  

   for 
  the 
  repair 
  of 
  roads, 
  bridges, 
  etc., 
  or 
  for 
  work 
  in 
  the 
  village. 
  The 
  

   right 
  to 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  may 
  pass 
  to 
  the 
  heirs, 
  wife 
  and 
  children, 
  

   in 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  which 
  it 
  reverts 
  to 
  the 
  community 
  or 
  the 
  cabildo. 
  

  

  The 
  house 
  was 
  formerly 
  typical 
  personal 
  or 
  movable 
  property, 
  

   which 
  could 
  be 
  easily 
  abandoned, 
  dismantled, 
  or 
  destroyed. 
  The 
  

   same 
  holds 
  today 
  for 
  fragile 
  cane 
  dwellings. 
  There 
  are 
  few 
  houses 
  

   so 
  solidly 
  built 
  that 
  they 
  constitute 
  real 
  or 
  immovable 
  property. 
  

   Other 
  personal 
  property, 
  such 
  as 
  utensils, 
  clothes, 
  weapons, 
  adorn- 
  

   ments, 
  and 
  jewels, 
  was 
  formerly 
  buried 
  with 
  the 
  owner. 
  These 
  things 
  

   and 
  livestock, 
  planted 
  fields, 
  and 
  crops 
  are 
  now 
  inherited 
  by 
  the 
  

   members 
  of 
  the 
  deceased's 
  family. 
  In 
  general, 
  Colombian 
  law 
  is 
  

   being 
  implanted 
  by 
  the 
  judges 
  and 
  municipal 
  mayors, 
  although 
  the 
  

   cabildo 
  judges 
  some 
  minor 
  offenses 
  and 
  punishes 
  the 
  offenders 
  by 
  

   whipping, 
  imprisonment, 
  or 
  stocks 
  (cepo), 
  a 
  form 
  of 
  torment 
  retained 
  

   from 
  Colonial 
  times. 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  Indians' 
  communities 
  have 
  in 
  most 
  cases 
  titles 
  of 
  

   limits 
  of 
  their 
  lands 
  dating 
  from 
  Colonial 
  times, 
  there 
  are 
  still 
  liti- 
  

   gations 
  on 
  boundaries. 
  An 
  interesting 
  case 
  is 
  the 
  struggle 
  of 
  the 
  

   Indians 
  to 
  dislodge 
  a 
  settlement 
  of 
  Negroes 
  from 
  the 
  old 
  salt 
  works 
  

   in 
  Ambosta, 
  where 
  they 
  were 
  abandoned 
  many 
  years 
  ago 
  by 
  a 
  rich 
  

   Popayan 
  family 
  who 
  took 
  them 
  there 
  to 
  work 
  the 
  mines. 
  The 
  

   female 
  Indian 
  chief 
  (cacica) 
  of 
  this 
  territory 
  allowed 
  the 
  Negroes 
  to 
  

   live 
  on 
  a 
  hill, 
  called 
  "the 
  hill 
  of 
  the 
  fifteen 
  Negroes." 
  The 
  Negroes 
  

   are 
  not 
  organized 
  under 
  a 
  cabildo, 
  but 
  have 
  a 
  chief 
  who 
  represents 
  

   them. 
  They 
  all 
  contribute 
  to 
  a 
  special 
  religious 
  feast 
  in 
  the 
  muni- 
  

   cipio, 
  and 
  provide 
  means 
  to 
  continue 
  the 
  suit 
  for 
  the 
  possession 
  of 
  

   the 
  hill 
  against 
  the 
  Indians. 
  

  

  