﻿952 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  much 
  dancing 
  today. 
  The 
  sexes 
  perform 
  in 
  couples 
  or 
  

   separately. 
  Among 
  the 
  Moguex, 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  expert 
  dancers 
  are 
  paid 
  

   to 
  dance 
  with 
  all 
  couples 
  in 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  "bambuco." 
  Dancing 
  is 
  always 
  

   a 
  part 
  of 
  Pdez 
  ceremonies 
  for 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  children, 
  baptismals, 
  wed- 
  

   dings, 
  saint 
  holidays, 
  and 
  meetings 
  for 
  collective 
  work 
  (mingas) 
  held 
  

   in 
  the 
  evening 
  when 
  people 
  return 
  from 
  their 
  plantations. 
  

  

  Dancing, 
  as 
  other 
  social 
  events, 
  is 
  subject 
  to 
  a 
  special 
  ceremony 
  

   or 
  etiquette, 
  strongly 
  connected 
  with 
  religious 
  beliefs. 
  For 
  example, 
  

   in 
  the 
  wedding 
  celebration, 
  a 
  prayer 
  is 
  first 
  said 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  souls 
  of 
  

   the 
  dead 
  are 
  asked 
  permission 
  to 
  dance, 
  or 
  "scrape 
  the 
  floor/' 
  as 
  they 
  

   call 
  dancing. 
  Only 
  the 
  godparents 
  and 
  the 
  bride 
  and 
  groom 
  may 
  

   dance 
  at 
  the 
  beginning. 
  

  

  The 
  Pdez 
  do 
  not 
  masquerade, 
  but 
  the 
  Moguex 
  always 
  masquerade 
  

   during 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  carnival 
  preceding 
  Holy 
  Week. 
  

  

  Games. 
  — 
  Games 
  do 
  not 
  hold 
  an 
  important 
  place 
  among 
  these 
  

   peoples. 
  The 
  children 
  amuse 
  themselves 
  by 
  imitating 
  the 
  activities 
  

   of 
  their 
  elders. 
  The 
  only 
  game 
  recorded 
  is 
  simulated 
  warfare, 
  per- 
  

   formed 
  as 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  a 
  rite 
  in 
  honor 
  of 
  the 
  dead 
  after 
  a 
  communal 
  

   feast. 
  Two 
  teams 
  under 
  their 
  captains 
  or 
  caciques 
  attacked 
  and 
  

   shot 
  arrows 
  at 
  each 
  other. 
  Even 
  if 
  some 
  contestants 
  were 
  killed 
  or 
  

   wounded, 
  no 
  one 
  bore 
  a 
  grudge. 
  

  

  Narcotics. 
  — 
  The 
  Pdez 
  and 
  the 
  Moguex 
  chewed 
  coca 
  leaves 
  mixed 
  in 
  

   the 
  mouth 
  with 
  lime 
  powder. 
  Coca 
  chewing 
  is 
  widespread 
  among 
  

   men, 
  but 
  very 
  little 
  practiced 
  by 
  women. 
  It 
  is 
  used 
  especially 
  by 
  

   the 
  shaman 
  when 
  he 
  is 
  practicing. 
  In 
  Colonial 
  times 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  coca 
  

   spread 
  to 
  the 
  rural 
  population 
  of 
  Mestizos 
  and 
  Whites 
  in 
  Narifio, 
  

   Cauca, 
  and 
  Huila. 
  

  

  Alcoholic 
  beverages. 
  — 
  These 
  Indians 
  formerly 
  made 
  chicha 
  of 
  maize, 
  

   but 
  today 
  they 
  ferment 
  it 
  with 
  sugarcane 
  molasses. 
  They 
  also 
  have 
  

   fermented 
  sugarcane 
  juice 
  (guarapo), 
  and 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  rum 
  (aguardiente). 
  

   The 
  latter 
  is 
  distilled 
  clandestinely 
  in 
  their 
  huts 
  from 
  guarapo 
  and 
  

   certain 
  herbs 
  fermented 
  together 
  in 
  earthenware 
  crocks. 
  The 
  In- 
  

   dians 
  drink 
  guarapo 
  every 
  day, 
  but 
  restrict 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  chicha 
  and 
  the 
  

   stronger 
  guarapo 
  and 
  aguardiente 
  to 
  market 
  days, 
  religious 
  feast 
  

   days, 
  burials, 
  weddings, 
  mingas 
  or 
  meetings 
  for 
  work, 
  and 
  witchcraft 
  

   ceremonies. 
  Guarapo 
  and 
  chicha 
  are 
  made 
  by 
  women, 
  who 
  some- 
  

   times 
  chew 
  the 
  maize 
  to 
  increase 
  its 
  fermentation. 
  They 
  are 
  stored 
  

   in 
  large, 
  hollowed 
  tree 
  trunks 
  and 
  in 
  large 
  earthen 
  jars, 
  which 
  are 
  

   kept 
  in 
  a 
  special 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  hut. 
  There 
  is 
  never 
  a 
  lack 
  of 
  these 
  bev- 
  

   erages 
  for 
  home 
  use 
  and 
  for 
  welcoming 
  an 
  unexpected 
  visitor. 
  

  

  RELIGION 
  

  

  The 
  early 
  Spaniards 
  had 
  little 
  understanding 
  of 
  the 
  religion 
  of 
  these 
  

   people. 
  They 
  reported 
  that 
  the 
  Indians 
  had 
  but 
  few 
  idols 
  and 
  no 
  

   temples 
  or 
  places 
  of 
  worship. 
  Castillo 
  mentions 
  that 
  they 
  wor- 
  

  

  