Colombian Natives: Our patrimony

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When conquistadors arrived to the new world, they found  populated lands  with many native  tribes, from different families, religions, languages  and customs:    

Linguistic family	Native Tribe	Localization
CHIBCHA	ARHUACOS	Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
	TAIRONAS	Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
	MUISCAS	Región Central Andina
	TUNEBOS	Casanare
	ANDAQUÍES	Caquetá
	PASTOS y QUILLACINGAS	Sur del País
	GUAMBIANOS y PAECES	Cauca
CARIBE	TURBACOS, CALAMARES, SINÚES	Costa Atlántica
	QUIMBAYAS	Cordillera Central
	PIJAOS	Tolima, Antiguo Caldas
	MUZOS Y PANCHES	Tierras de Santander, Boyacá y Cundinamarca
	CALIMAS	Valle del Cauca
	MOTILONES	Guayabero2.jpg Norte de Santander
	CHOCOES	Costa Pacífica
ARAWAK	GUAHÍBOS	Llanos Orientales
	WAYUS O GUAJIROS	Guajira
	PIAPOCOS	Bajo Guaviare
	TICUNAS	Amazonas

Taken from: http://indigenascolombianos.blogia.com/

Zenú Community

Antioquia, Córdoba and Sucre

Population:  233.052 persons, 51,6% men and 48,4% women (2005)

This community is characterized for developing an excellent system of water channels before colonization. It allowed them keeping the water for cultivations and communities. These channels covered almost 500 hectares.They also developed Gold ornaments, ceramic, textiles and wickerwork. Today this people is associated with the elaboration of “sombrero vueltiado” one of the national symbols.

Women were the symbol of fertility, wisdom and respect

Huitoto Community

Puumayo, Caqueta and Amazonas

Population: 7.343 persons (2005)

They mainly work in crops of cacao, coca, maize, bitter and sweet manioc, bananas, mangoes, palms, peanuts, pineapples, plaintains, sugar cane, sweet potatoes, tobacco, and yams. They also used to hunt with blowguns and shotguns.

This community has been reduced because mobilizations caused for the armed conflict in this area. 

CLICK HERE TO SEE A VIDEO: Witoto: traditional culture

Pijao Community

Tolima and Caquetá

Population: 17.000 persons (2005)

They were recognized for their ferocity during colonization.  They used the technique of skull modification in order to change their appearance and be more intimidating.

They were also recognized for their navigation skills. They called their best navigators boha (boga).

They developed different techniques in metallurgy, manufacturing gold articles and clothing.

They painted their bodies of red color with achiote. 

Nukak Makú Community

Population: 400 persons (2005)

They are expert hunters and practice the horticulture in small scale. The men hunt using blowguns, with darts coated with curare "manyi", a poison made from different plants (curares).  They capture and eat monkeys, birds, javelins and caimans. They don’t eat brocket deer and tapirs, these animals are considered as part of the same group of origin as human beings.  

Kogui Community

Population: 9000 persons (2005)

Before colonization Kogui community was an advanced civilization. They built stone structures and pathways in the jungle.  They also elaborated golden ornaments.

They believe in Aluna, The Great Mother. They believe that the earth is a living being and humans are its children.

Tradition: “All Kogi men receive a "poporo" when they come of age. The 'poporo' is a small hollow gourd that is filled with 'lima' a type of powder that is made by heating and crushing shells to produce lime. The men also continuously chew coca leaves a tradition followed by many indigenous tribes to connect them to the natural world. As they chew the coca leave the suck on the lime powder in their 'poporos' which they extract with a stick and rub the mixture on the gourd with the stick to form a hardened layer or crust. The size of this layer depends on the maturity and the age of the Kogi man”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kogi_people

Kogi community traditional "mochilas" where they save sacred traditional objects such as the 'poporo' and coca leaves.  

Kamentsá and Inga Communites

Putumayo, Valle del Cauca and Nariño

Population: 4,879 persons (2005)

They are located in the “Valle del Sibundoy” and they share their land with the community Inga. Both communities share a tradition of medicinal plants and “yagé” is recognized as central plant of its Cosmovision.  The “Chaman” is the person designed for handling and guiding “yagé” rituals.    

INGA COMMUNITY:

KAMENTSÁ COMMUNITY:

Guambiano Community

Cauca and Huila

Population:  20.782 persons

The “Guambiana” cosmogony is structured in a system of duality: male and female, cold and hot, sun and moon. The plants, trees, geographic accidents and the mother earth save spirits that could be beneficial or malefic. (Ochoa y Sanchez, 2004).

Emberá Katio

The Embera Katio believes that in the beginning everything was empty and darkness, but an omnipotent being without principles called Dayi Zhe Zhe  gave life to Karagabi the god creator of everything.

The Jaibana is a man who saves the mysteries and he is the mediator between gods and humans, he also helps curing sickness.

They use facial paint to represent attitudes and social status in in the community. 

Antioquia, Córdoba and Chocó

Cuna Community

CHIMILA COMMUNITY

Emberá-Chamí Community

Awá Community

ARHUACO COMMUNITY

Nasa Community

They are located in the Cauca, south occident of Colombia, they have their own language “Nasa Yuwe”.  Their cosmology is based on the conception of home “yet”, they think that it is the place for constructing collectively the life.

Their economy is based on raising cattle, elaboration of crafts and handicrafts, cultivation of corn, beans, potatoes, strawberry, cafe, fique, banana and yucca.

They develop a community work called “minga”, it is usually for helping families in the construction of houses, harvesting and others.

After “mingas” they used to dance and sing in their traditionally rituals.

WAYÚ COMMUNITY

They are located in “La peninsula de la Guajira” , they represent the 20% of the native population in Colombia, they have their own language “El Wayuunaiki” that belongs to the Arawak family.  They live in “rancerias” which are made with wood, they sleep in hang hamocs made with cotton.
Their economy is based on raising cattle and goats, and on the elaboration of crafts and handicrafts.

Following two videos: One of an important festival made by Wayú people, and other abaut their situation: