﻿Vol. 
  2] 
  HIGHLAND 
  TRIBES, 
  S. 
  COLOMBIA 
  — 
  HERNANDEZ 
  DE 
  ALBA 
  959 
  

  

  RELIGION 
  

  

  Idols 
  or 
  statuettes 
  of 
  different 
  sizes 
  made 
  of 
  clay 
  or 
  wood 
  give 
  some 
  

   idea 
  of 
  Pijao 
  deities. 
  "Lulumoy," 
  which 
  means 
  "Great 
  God," 
  was 
  a 
  

   monumental 
  statue 
  of 
  stone 
  with 
  three 
  heads, 
  six 
  arms, 
  and 
  six 
  legs, 
  

   and 
  was 
  worshiped 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  Organos, 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  

   Neiva 
  Valley. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  stone 
  idol 
  mentioned 
  in 
  the 
  chronicles. 
  

   In 
  the 
  Province 
  of 
  Cacataima, 
  the 
  Pijao 
  worshiped 
  a 
  large 
  wooden 
  

   idol 
  called 
  "Eliani." 
  In 
  Otaima, 
  before 
  the 
  house 
  of 
  a 
  shaman, 
  they 
  

   had 
  an 
  idol 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  a 
  Pijao 
  Indian, 
  at 
  whose 
  feet 
  were 
  placed 
  

   gifts 
  of 
  spears, 
  darts, 
  and 
  stone 
  missiles. 
  

  

  In 
  some 
  provinces, 
  a 
  man 
  purposely 
  killed, 
  provided 
  he 
  was 
  not 
  of 
  

   the 
  same 
  tribe 
  or 
  of 
  an 
  enemy 
  tribe, 
  became 
  a 
  guardian. 
  The 
  soul 
  of 
  

   the 
  slain 
  man, 
  having 
  departed 
  blamelessly 
  from 
  life, 
  was 
  supposed 
  

   to 
  remain 
  for 
  a 
  while 
  to 
  protect 
  the 
  killer 
  and 
  his 
  family. 
  Since 
  this 
  

   protection 
  would 
  wear 
  off 
  in 
  time, 
  the 
  family 
  head 
  would 
  later 
  seek 
  

   another 
  man, 
  woman, 
  or 
  child 
  with 
  the 
  requisite 
  qualities 
  and 
  kill 
  him 
  

   for 
  a 
  protecting 
  divinity 
  (Piedrahita, 
  1688, 
  ch. 
  2, 
  book 
  1). 
  

  

  The 
  Pijao 
  believed 
  in 
  the 
  reincarnation 
  of 
  the 
  soul 
  in 
  animals, 
  such 
  

   as 
  the 
  deer. 
  

  

  Shamanism 
  was 
  highly 
  developed. 
  Shamans 
  or 
  priests 
  (mohanes) 
  

   fasted 
  in 
  preparation 
  for 
  war 
  expeditions 
  and 
  forecast 
  events 
  from 
  

   the 
  flight 
  of 
  birds 
  or 
  from 
  the 
  ashes 
  of 
  burned 
  balsa 
  wood. 
  White 
  

   ashes 
  foretold 
  success; 
  gray, 
  an 
  uncertain 
  outcome; 
  and 
  black, 
  defeat. 
  

   The 
  shaman 
  was 
  responsible 
  to 
  his 
  people 
  for 
  his 
  predictions. 
  If 
  the 
  

   war 
  party 
  succeeded, 
  it 
  gave 
  him 
  all 
  the 
  spoils 
  and 
  trophies, 
  which 
  

   he 
  distributed. 
  If 
  it 
  failed, 
  he 
  had 
  to 
  pay 
  blankets 
  or 
  other 
  objects 
  

   to 
  the 
  families 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  died. 
  Old 
  women 
  could 
  also 
  become 
  

   shamans, 
  priestesses, 
  or 
  diviners. 
  

  

  Magic 
  power 
  could 
  be 
  transmitted 
  by 
  objects, 
  such 
  as 
  hair 
  of 
  the 
  

   puma, 
  jaguar, 
  or 
  monkey, 
  and 
  feathers 
  of 
  the 
  sparrow 
  hawk, 
  which 
  

   they 
  kept 
  in 
  small 
  calabashes. 
  Puma 
  hair 
  made 
  them 
  brave, 
  monkey 
  

   hair 
  gave 
  ability 
  to 
  climb, 
  and 
  feathers 
  made 
  them 
  swift. 
  A 
  belief 
  

   in 
  magic 
  power 
  underlay 
  a 
  charm 
  cast 
  against 
  the 
  Spanish 
  : 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  specially 
  prepared 
  ground, 
  cleared 
  of 
  underbrush, 
  two 
  heavy 
  branches 
  

   were 
  placed 
  at 
  a 
  fair 
  height, 
  between 
  two 
  trees. 
  Over 
  them 
  12 
  small 
  wooden 
  

   idols 
  were 
  placed, 
  their 
  bodies 
  painted 
  red 
  with 
  achiote 
  and 
  the 
  faces 
  adorned 
  

   with 
  yellow 
  and 
  red 
  streaks, 
  in 
  the 
  manner 
  of 
  the 
  warrior 
  Indians. 
  They 
  were 
  

   dressed 
  from 
  the 
  waist 
  to 
  the 
  feet 
  with 
  rags 
  and 
  papers 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  taken 
  

   from 
  the 
  Spaniards 
  at 
  Ibague\ 
  Beside 
  this, 
  they 
  balanced 
  a 
  stone 
  weighing 
  two 
  

   arrobas 
  (50 
  pounds) 
  on 
  a 
  trunk, 
  and 
  under 
  it 
  they 
  placed 
  a 
  cricket, 
  tied 
  by 
  a 
  fine 
  

   thread. 
  Near 
  it 
  they 
  put 
  a 
  little 
  masato 
  or 
  chicha. 
  On 
  the 
  ground, 
  opposite 
  the 
  

   stone, 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  wooden 
  idol 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  an 
  8-year 
  old 
  child, 
  holding 
  in 
  one 
  hand 
  

   a 
  dart 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  other 
  a 
  spear, 
  with 
  some 
  arrows 
  at 
  its 
  feet. 
  As 
  the 
  idols 
  were 
  

   turned 
  toward 
  the 
  Spanish 
  camp, 
  they 
  fought 
  with 
  magic 
  power 
  against 
  the 
  

   soldiers, 
  who 
  were 
  represented 
  by 
  the 
  cricket, 
  which 
  could 
  be 
  crushed 
  by 
  the 
  

   stone 
  which 
  covered 
  it. 
  [Sim6n, 
  1882-92, 
  sSptima 
  noticia, 
  vol. 
  5, 
  ch. 
  40, 
  p. 
  287.] 
  

   595682—40 
  63 
  

  

  