﻿954 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  B. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  upon 
  them 
  by 
  the 
  missionaries. 
  The 
  power 
  to 
  do 
  evil 
  is 
  not 
  limited 
  to 
  

   the 
  witches, 
  but 
  is 
  possessed 
  by 
  anyone 
  who 
  entertains 
  a 
  momentary 
  

   feeling 
  of 
  envy, 
  and 
  to 
  women, 
  who 
  may 
  not 
  walk 
  over 
  a 
  stick 
  or 
  a 
  cord 
  

   stretched 
  on 
  the 
  ground. 
  Contact 
  with 
  women 
  during 
  their 
  men- 
  

   struation 
  or 
  during 
  the 
  days 
  following 
  childbirth 
  causes 
  the 
  "mokokoy" 
  

   to 
  persecute 
  the 
  men 
  and 
  make 
  them 
  ill. 
  

  

  Animals 
  possess 
  the 
  power 
  to 
  prognosticate 
  evil. 
  A 
  document 
  

   written 
  in 
  1730 
  H 
  tells 
  that 
  an 
  Indian 
  killed 
  a 
  rooster 
  because 
  he 
  had 
  

   crowed 
  before 
  daybreak, 
  and 
  said, 
  "Rooster, 
  you 
  are 
  forecasting 
  my 
  

   death, 
  but 
  I 
  shall 
  kill 
  you 
  first." 
  They 
  believe 
  the 
  same 
  thing 
  when 
  

   certain 
  birds 
  sing. 
  For 
  example, 
  the 
  call 
  of 
  an 
  owl 
  at 
  midnight 
  

   brings 
  death 
  to 
  someone. 
  And 
  certain 
  small 
  birds 
  called 
  "ulchik" 
  

   and 
  others 
  called 
  "bich" 
  warn 
  whomever 
  hears 
  their 
  singing 
  that 
  he 
  

   will 
  meet 
  with 
  disaster. 
  The 
  box 
  turtle 
  follows 
  people 
  warning 
  them 
  

   that 
  they 
  are 
  going 
  to 
  die. 
  

  

  Del 
  Castillo 
  says 
  that 
  the 
  Indians 
  will 
  not 
  strike 
  white 
  dogs, 
  so 
  that 
  

   they 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  bitten 
  by 
  them 
  when 
  they 
  enter 
  the 
  future 
  life. 
  

  

  The 
  belief 
  in 
  spirits 
  (kl'iumb) 
  is 
  quite 
  general. 
  Among 
  these 
  

   spirits 
  is 
  the 
  "pitsuala" 
  which 
  persecutes 
  people, 
  makes 
  them 
  ill, 
  and 
  

   even 
  kills 
  them. 
  The 
  rainbow, 
  or 
  "Etskituns," 
  causes 
  a 
  rash 
  to 
  break 
  

   out 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  anyone 
  who 
  ventures 
  out 
  while 
  the 
  rainbow 
  

   shines, 
  and 
  the 
  drizzle 
  that 
  generally 
  accompanies 
  the 
  rainbow 
  will 
  

   harm 
  a 
  person 
  who 
  gets 
  wet 
  in 
  it 
  if 
  he 
  does 
  not 
  bathe 
  immediately. 
  

   When 
  the 
  rainbow 
  appears, 
  they 
  stay 
  indoors, 
  and 
  blow 
  or 
  spit 
  to- 
  

   bacco 
  in 
  its 
  direction. 
  

  

  They 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  lagoon 
  on 
  the 
  snowcapped 
  peak, 
  Huila, 
  is 
  

   charmed, 
  and 
  that 
  if 
  they 
  try 
  to 
  go 
  near 
  it 
  wind 
  and 
  hail 
  storms 
  rise. 
  

   Supernatural 
  evil 
  forces 
  are 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  present 
  during 
  many 
  

   social 
  activities, 
  such 
  as 
  dancing, 
  meetings, 
  funerals, 
  house 
  building, 
  

   and 
  bridge 
  construction. 
  When 
  a 
  bridge 
  is 
  built, 
  two 
  Indians 
  beat 
  

   the 
  water 
  constantly 
  to 
  drive 
  away 
  evil 
  spirits. 
  When 
  traveling 
  on 
  

   the 
  mountains 
  they 
  place 
  small 
  stones 
  or 
  coins 
  on 
  top 
  of 
  some 
  large 
  

   natural 
  rock 
  to 
  assure 
  a 
  successful 
  trip 
  and 
  to 
  avoid 
  angering 
  the 
  

   spirit 
  of 
  the 
  mountain. 
  

  

  Sometimes 
  these 
  spiritual 
  forces 
  assume 
  a 
  bodily 
  form, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  

   case 
  of 
  the 
  fireflies, 
  which 
  bring 
  diseases 
  or 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  wrapped 
  in 
  

   Santa 
  Maria 
  leaves 
  and 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  path 
  of 
  an 
  intended 
  victim. 
  

   Most 
  feared 
  are 
  the 
  ghosts 
  of 
  the 
  dead, 
  which 
  consequently 
  are 
  the 
  

   most 
  propitiated. 
  The 
  Moguex 
  and 
  the 
  Pdez 
  ask 
  their 
  permission 
  to 
  

   dance, 
  and 
  honor 
  them 
  in 
  a 
  special 
  rite, 
  which 
  blends 
  old 
  beliefs 
  with 
  

   new 
  religious 
  concepts. 
  Thus, 
  offerings 
  are 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  souls 
  during 
  

   the 
  first 
  days 
  of 
  November, 
  or 
  whenever 
  the 
  curate 
  is 
  able 
  to 
  visit 
  the 
  

   Indian 
  village. 
  Each 
  person 
  offers 
  some 
  products 
  from 
  his 
  farm, 
  in- 
  

  

  m 
  Statement 
  made 
  by 
  Javier 
  de 
  Orozco 
  y 
  Cuellar 
  in 
  a 
  lawsuit 
  by 
  the 
  Indians 
  of 
  Toboima 
  for 
  the 
  posses- 
  

   sion 
  of 
  land. 
  From 
  the 
  ecclesiastical 
  riles 
  of 
  Belalcazar, 
  or 
  Paez. 
  

  

  