﻿Vol.2] 
  HIGHLAND 
  TRIBES, 
  S. 
  COLOMBIA 
  — 
  HERNANDEZ 
  DE 
  ALBA 
  955 
  

  

  eluding 
  vegetables, 
  cornbread, 
  eggs, 
  and 
  chicha, 
  which 
  he 
  piles 
  on 
  the 
  

   church 
  floor, 
  together 
  with 
  wax 
  candles 
  — 
  one 
  if 
  the 
  person 
  does 
  not 
  

   have 
  anyone 
  in 
  particular 
  to 
  remember, 
  two 
  for 
  each 
  deceased 
  rela- 
  

   tive. 
  When 
  Mass 
  begins, 
  they 
  throw 
  flowers 
  on 
  the 
  presbytery, 
  as 
  an 
  

   offering 
  to 
  the 
  souls 
  of 
  children. 
  Afterward, 
  they 
  go 
  to 
  the 
  cemetery 
  

   in 
  procession, 
  and 
  the 
  souls 
  of 
  the 
  departed 
  come 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  empty 
  

   church 
  to 
  take 
  the 
  food. 
  Later, 
  the 
  people 
  sell 
  whatever 
  the 
  souls 
  

   left 
  or 
  failed 
  to 
  eat. 
  Everyone 
  buys 
  something, 
  the 
  captain's 
  assis- 
  

   tant 
  collecting 
  the 
  money, 
  while 
  the 
  constables 
  of 
  the 
  council, 
  raising 
  

   their 
  whips 
  and 
  shouting 
  insults, 
  prevent 
  frauds 
  in 
  the 
  general 
  disorder. 
  

   The 
  money 
  from 
  the 
  sale 
  is 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  priest 
  to 
  pay 
  him 
  for 
  the 
  work 
  

   in 
  the 
  rites. 
  As 
  each 
  person 
  leaves 
  the 
  church, 
  he 
  kisses 
  a 
  crucifix 
  

   held 
  by 
  the 
  sacristan 
  at 
  the 
  church 
  door. 
  They 
  kiss 
  it 
  once 
  for 
  each 
  

   dead 
  person 
  whom 
  they 
  wish 
  to 
  remember 
  and 
  pay 
  a 
  cent 
  each 
  time. 
  

   In 
  addition 
  to 
  offering 
  food 
  at 
  the 
  church, 
  the 
  Moguex 
  cover 
  their 
  

   tables 
  at 
  home 
  with 
  food, 
  which 
  is 
  also 
  intended 
  for 
  the 
  souls 
  of 
  their 
  

   dead, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  2 
  or 
  3 
  days 
  they 
  eat 
  the 
  food, 
  saying 
  that 
  they 
  

   are 
  eating 
  what 
  the 
  souls 
  have 
  left. 
  

  

  Christmas 
  and 
  Holy 
  Week 
  are 
  both 
  great 
  occasions 
  for 
  the 
  Indians, 
  

   who 
  celebrate 
  them 
  with 
  music 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  their 
  ancient 
  rites. 
  Even 
  

   though 
  a 
  priest 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  present, 
  they 
  conduct 
  the 
  rites 
  in 
  a 
  manner 
  

   that 
  dates 
  from 
  Colonial 
  days, 
  when 
  a 
  Pdez 
  Indian 
  named 
  Undachi 
  

   tried 
  to 
  combine 
  Catholicism 
  with 
  their 
  own 
  religion. 
  The 
  man 
  

   claimed 
  to 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  see 
  God, 
  who 
  used 
  to 
  come 
  among 
  the 
  Indians 
  

   and 
  talk 
  to 
  him 
  in 
  his 
  own 
  Pdez 
  language. 
  The 
  new 
  religion 
  included 
  

   a 
  chapel, 
  Mass, 
  and 
  candle 
  and 
  flower 
  offerings. 
  

  

  Sickness. 
  — 
  Sickness 
  was 
  always 
  thought 
  to 
  be 
  caused 
  by 
  witch- 
  

   craft 
  or 
  by 
  someone's 
  will. 
  The 
  evil 
  force 
  entered 
  the 
  body 
  and 
  made 
  

   it 
  impure; 
  it 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  expelled 
  or 
  " 
  cleansed," 
  lest 
  death 
  ensue. 
  

   If 
  a 
  delirious 
  person 
  told 
  who 
  was 
  killing 
  him, 
  the 
  individual 
  men- 
  

   tioned 
  was 
  thought 
  guilty 
  ; 
  or, 
  if, 
  after 
  a 
  death, 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  deceased 
  

   should 
  appear 
  to 
  somebody, 
  the 
  person 
  was 
  considered 
  responsible. 
  

   These 
  beliefs 
  are 
  still 
  in 
  force 
  today, 
  and 
  the 
  Indians 
  avoid 
  the 
  causes 
  

   of 
  sickness, 
  such 
  as 
  having 
  sexual 
  intercourse 
  with 
  a 
  menstruating 
  

   woman, 
  exposing 
  the 
  body 
  to 
  bad 
  weather 
  while 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  rainbow, 
  

   and 
  neglecting 
  to 
  bathe 
  after 
  a 
  burial 
  or 
  to 
  purify 
  a 
  house 
  where 
  a 
  

   death 
  occurred. 
  

  

  To 
  fight 
  disease 
  they 
  still 
  have 
  shamans. 
  Moguex 
  shamans 
  use 
  

   tobacco, 
  coca, 
  plants 
  known 
  as 
  yacuna 
  and 
  chundar, 
  and 
  rum 
  in 
  their 
  

   practice. 
  After 
  remaining 
  shut 
  up 
  in 
  a 
  dark 
  room 
  for 
  a 
  night, 
  they 
  

   either 
  confess 
  their 
  inability 
  to 
  cure 
  the 
  sick 
  person 
  or 
  proceed 
  to 
  

   administer 
  the 
  traditional 
  medicines. 
  Sickness 
  is 
  conceptualized 
  as 
  

   an 
  animal, 
  which 
  enters 
  the 
  stomach, 
  head, 
  or 
  other 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  body. 
  

   In 
  former 
  times, 
  the 
  shaman 
  fasted 
  with 
  the 
  sick 
  person, 
  abstaining 
  

   from 
  salt 
  and 
  fats 
  and 
  taking 
  only 
  coca 
  and 
  chicha. 
  Today, 
  he 
  

  

  