﻿Vol. 
  2] 
  HIGHLAND 
  TRIBES, 
  S. 
  COLOMBIA 
  — 
  HERNANDEZ 
  DE 
  ALBA 
  953 
  

  

  shiped 
  the 
  sun, 
  in 
  whose 
  honor 
  they 
  met 
  and 
  danced 
  in 
  places 
  called 
  

   "Itaqui-fino'," 
  i. 
  e., 
  the 
  place 
  where 
  the 
  sun 
  revealed 
  its 
  mysteries; 
  

   and 
  that 
  they 
  venerated 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  culture 
  hero 
  called 
  Guequiau. 
  

   It 
  was 
  he 
  who 
  instructed 
  shamans 
  (mohanes) 
  . 
  

  

  This 
  hero 
  has 
  a 
  counterpart 
  in 
  the 
  religious 
  legend 
  of 
  Juan 
  Tama, 
  

   the 
  Son 
  of 
  the 
  Star. 
  One 
  day 
  when 
  the 
  Morning 
  Star 
  shone 
  very 
  

   brightly, 
  some 
  Indians 
  found 
  a 
  child 
  in 
  a 
  gorge 
  — 
  ever 
  since 
  called 
  

   the 
  Gorge 
  of 
  the 
  Star. 
  This 
  was 
  Juan 
  Tama. 
  They 
  picked 
  him 
  up 
  

   and 
  entrusted 
  him 
  to 
  a 
  woman 
  to 
  nurse, 
  but 
  he 
  nursed 
  so 
  much 
  that 
  

   her 
  milk 
  dried 
  up. 
  He 
  was 
  given 
  to 
  another 
  woman, 
  whom 
  he 
  also 
  

   made 
  very 
  weak. 
  They 
  then 
  said 
  that 
  he 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  nursed 
  by 
  a 
  

   woman, 
  and 
  gave 
  him 
  food. 
  After 
  he 
  grew 
  up, 
  he 
  married 
  the 
  female 
  

   chief 
  of 
  Huila, 
  Dona 
  Maria 
  Mendiguagua, 
  and 
  became 
  chief 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  

   Indians. 
  He 
  instructed 
  people 
  and 
  explained 
  to 
  them 
  how 
  to 
  keep 
  

   the 
  land 
  for 
  themselves 
  and 
  not 
  mix 
  with 
  White 
  people. 
  He 
  pro- 
  

   nounced 
  them 
  invincible 
  and 
  summoned 
  a 
  chief 
  from 
  Pitayo, 
  called 
  

   Calambas, 
  whom 
  he 
  appointed 
  his 
  manager. 
  Calambas 
  rebelled, 
  12 
  

   but 
  was 
  defeated 
  by 
  Juan 
  Tama, 
  who 
  pardoned 
  him 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  

   his 
  bravery, 
  and 
  conferred 
  on 
  him 
  and 
  his 
  heirs 
  the 
  right 
  to 
  rule 
  the 
  

   Pdez 
  in 
  Bitonc6. 
  As 
  death 
  approached, 
  Juan 
  Tama 
  went 
  to 
  the 
  

   lake 
  on 
  the 
  paramo 
  of 
  Moras 
  and 
  sank 
  into 
  the 
  waters. 
  He 
  had 
  

   come 
  out 
  of 
  this 
  place 
  and 
  returned 
  to 
  it, 
  leaving 
  no 
  heirs. 
  13 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  neighborhood 
  of 
  Bitonc6 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  rock 
  with 
  what 
  appears 
  

   to 
  be 
  human 
  footprints. 
  When 
  the 
  Indians 
  pass 
  it, 
  they 
  uncover 
  

   their 
  heads 
  and 
  say, 
  "The 
  Holy 
  One 
  came 
  this 
  way." 
  Another 
  rem- 
  

   nant 
  of 
  the 
  cult 
  of 
  Juan 
  Tama 
  is 
  the 
  custom 
  that 
  each 
  member 
  of 
  

   the 
  council 
  spends 
  one 
  week 
  at 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  before 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  

   his 
  term 
  to 
  render 
  an 
  account 
  to 
  Juan 
  Tama 
  of 
  his 
  actions 
  in 
  office. 
  

   Likewise, 
  newly 
  elected 
  officers, 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  they 
  receive 
  their 
  staffs 
  or 
  

   insignia 
  of 
  authority, 
  spend 
  a 
  week 
  at 
  the 
  lake. 
  They 
  toss 
  silver 
  

   coins 
  into 
  it, 
  wash 
  their 
  staffs, 
  and 
  pray 
  for 
  strength 
  to 
  rule 
  well. 
  

   This 
  ceremony, 
  performed 
  with 
  the 
  greatest 
  secrecy, 
  is 
  called 
  the 
  "cur- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  the 
  staffs." 
  Recently, 
  however, 
  the 
  Indians 
  have 
  stopped 
  

   "curing' 
  ' 
  their 
  staffs 
  in 
  the 
  lake, 
  for 
  they 
  say 
  that 
  Juan 
  Tama 
  is 
  angry, 
  

   and 
  whenever 
  they 
  approach 
  the 
  lake, 
  it 
  rains 
  and 
  storms 
  badly. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Guanacas 
  section 
  there 
  was 
  another 
  sacred 
  lagoon, 
  called 
  

   Tumbachi, 
  which 
  was 
  recently 
  drained 
  because 
  a 
  snake 
  that 
  lived 
  

   there 
  attracted 
  girls 
  and 
  kept 
  them 
  for 
  a 
  whole 
  year, 
  and 
  then 
  re- 
  

   turned 
  them 
  when 
  they 
  were 
  about 
  to 
  become 
  mothers. 
  

  

  These 
  tribes 
  believed 
  that 
  the 
  soul 
  comes 
  back 
  to 
  life. 
  

  

  Witchcraft 
  was 
  strongly 
  developed 
  among 
  these 
  Indians, 
  who 
  still 
  

   believe 
  in 
  most 
  of 
  its 
  practices, 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  catechization 
  forced 
  

  

  12 
  During 
  the 
  War 
  of 
  Independence, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  In 
  subsequent 
  revolutions, 
  the 
  Indians 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  named 
  

   Calambas 
  distinguished 
  themselves 
  as 
  warriors. 
  

  

  13 
  We 
  are 
  indebted 
  to 
  Father 
  David 
  Gonzalez 
  for 
  this 
  legend, 
  told 
  to 
  him 
  by 
  an 
  old 
  Indian 
  in 
  Lame. 
  

  

  