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Goajiro [archive]

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Goajiro Tribe

A tribe is described as a social group, usually with a distinguishing area, dialect, cultural homogeneity, and unifying social organization. They ordinarily have a leader and may have a common ancestor or patron deity. Member families or small communities are linked by economic, social, religious, or blood ties. In a narrower sense, tribe refers to the widest territorially defined, politically independent unit in a tribal society.

The Goajiro Indian tribe of the Goajiro Peninsula in northern Colombia (adjacent Venezuela has a population estimated at 127,000 in the late 20th century. They are a nomadic or seminomadic people who live mostly in temporary shelters, although more permanent settlements and houses are not uncommon. They also are linguistically and culturally distinct from their neighbors to the south, the Arhuaco.

The Goajiro are mainly a pastoral people, growing only a little corn “what they refer to as maize” to make chicha “beer”. The Goajiro also raise cattle along with many other animals that are essential to their lifestyle. Some of these other animals include poultry, horses, mules, sheep, goats, and pigs. The tribes diet mostly consists of meat and milk products. Cattle are viewed as a measurement of a tribesmembers wealth.

The Goajiro Indians speak a language that is the most widespread of all South American Indian language groups. The name of their language is Arawakan (a member of the Arawakan language family). Arawakan languages were spoken in a number of distinct and isolated areas ranging from Cuba and the Bahamas, southward to the Xingu River in southern Brazil, and from the mouth of the Amazon River to the eastern foothills of the Andes. Many communities still speak Arawakan languages in Brazil, and other Arawakan speakers are found in areas such as Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, and Suriname.

The Goajiro tribe also had various mythologies. They believed if a particular large, white moth is found in a bedroom it must not be mistreated, for they thought it was the spirit of an ancestor visiting. The Goajiro also believed that if the moth becomes troublesome, it can be removed only with the greatest care or the spirit may take vengeance.

Sources

1) Ron, Cherry. Native American Mythology. 1993. pp. 13-15.

2) Tobias, M. (1985). After Eden: History, ecology, and conscience. San Diego: Slawson.

3) Microsoft Encarta 97 Encyclopedia. CD-ROM. Microsoft Corporation, 1996.

Additional Reading

Guajiro
Arawakan Languages
Colombia Indians

Goajiro [archive]

Goajiro Tribe

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