The Yukpas

Yukpa People

Yukpa
Etnia Yukpa

1.º Zulia Venezuela 7.515 (2001)
2.º Cesar Colombia 4.761 (2005)1

The Yukpa are an Amerindian people that lives in the mountain range of Perijá, in both side of the frontier between Colombia and Venezuela and speak a language branched north from the linguistic family of the Caribe. The colonist named them motilones 'shaven heads', although given name is ambiguous and it was also applied for other poeples, like the Barí, originated from the Chibcha. They are also refered with the names of Chaques, Macoitas and Irokas.

According to Carried, 2 the etymon of the word <<Yukpa>> is composed by tree morphemes: y-kʉ-pa, in which the prefix Y-("his/her") used as a intimate possessive noun, the morpheme kʉ, indicates male, and its sufix -pa, that expresses a more than human genre.


1 Territory
2 Settlement
3 Economy
4 Marriage
5 Look also
6 References
7 External link

Territory

The former Yukpa territory extended from the valley of the river Cesar through the Maracaibo lake. Their lands limits have been reduced by the practice of the industrial mining, which then caused during the xx century a phenomena of massive malnutrition that provoked multiple cases of dwarfism, not present nowadays due to alimentary aid provided by the government organizations.  Nevertheless, the Yukpa territory continues to be threaten by the carbon exploitation and by the colonization of the coca cultivation and other illegal cultivation.

At the present time the Yukpas live in the state of Zulia(Northwest of Venezuela), and in the Cesar department(Northeast of Colombia). They are located between the meridians 9°40′N 73°00′O y 10°35′N 72°30′O.  By south they reach until the Becerril locality in Colombia and until the Tukuko river in Venezuela; by north, the population extends until the Chiriamo river and the population of San Jose of Oriente in the named range of Valledupa in Colombia, and until the affluent of the Apon river in Venezuela.

In Venezuela, the mayority of the comunities are found to be established in the Perija montain range, at an altitude between 150 until 1300 msmm. In Colombia their setlements can be found in the highest parts of the range, about 1900 msmm deep into the montain range.

It is estimated that the Yukpa population of Colombia reaches about 6000 individuals, according to the DUSAKAWI data, which compiles the  2008 information given by the local authorities of each province; and according to the projection of the 2001 census, it is calculated that the population of the Yukpa in Venezuela is about 10424 individuals.

Settlement

An extended uxorilocal family builds its settlement from 2 to 15 houses in a place where they can prevent attacks. The dwellings are rectangular of 4 by 3 m and its heights are about 2.5 m. The walls are fenced with yarumo, caña brava, bahareque y tablones, the roofs are made out of straw or palm sheets and their floor is the earth.

The settlement chief is the Kapeta. There is also a "tomaira" or ceremonial  or signing organizer; and a tuano, tradicional medic and shaman. There is no central authority for groups, because each group is autonomous. Sometimes diferent groups are considered Yuko, enemies or savages.

The Yukpa establishment are conformed by a extended family, lead by a chief o cacique that will take charge of the decisions with the approval of the community, which are grouped by dwellings inhabited by a central families and their political autonomy; but as consequence of their multiple contacts with the occidental culture the settlements have dispersed and therefore divided, which difficult the transition of their ancestral knowledge to the youngsters of the community. Nevertheless, the Yukpas have accomplished to maintain great parts of their cultural identity with their language, their social, and economic organization and their religious believes, as well as their agricultural practices.

In Colombia, the yukpas are organized in their reservations. Each reservation has as authority a mayor council and each settlement in the reservation is lead by a minor council. In Venezuela, they are organized by pilot centers that are used to mobilize, trade, and receive aid from different gubernatorial services, such as health care, nutrition and education. Their social organization is formed by caciques or councils.

Economy

The Yukpas practice the itinerant horticulture; farm by the grace and burning system which makes them subject to the seasons. In march and April in a stepped form, the first year corn with beans, the second yucca and the third banana. They also sow sugar cane. This agriculture of grace and burn still is used as a principal activity for a living, complimented by the hunting, fishing, picking and incipient ranching. In the last tree decades it has been extended by all communities the cultivation of coffee, which is actually the one traded from their cooperatives in Machiques.

Yukpas hunt with different arrow sizes; fish with arpon or hook; recolect mollusc, insect and fruits. The man dedicate their time into building instruments, hunting and fishing and are in charge of the pottery labors. The woman deal with the sowing, the caring of the vegetable patch and also make incredible and colorful brickworks.

on the other hand, contemporary Yukpas are more conscious of their rights and maintain united in the defense of their territorial unity against the exploitation projects of carbon targeting their lands.

Marriage

Generally the marriage is fixed by the mothers. The husband acquire responsabilities with his father-in-law. They distinguish their crossbread cousing from the paralel one, cause the ideal matrimony is between corssbread, and it can not be celebrate a paralel one. The marriage is celebrated by a ritual, whom without it the children will only be the woman's one.

Look also

Idioma yukpa
Sabino Romero
Referencias[editar · editar fuente]

References

↑ "Yukpa del Perijá, cazadores, recolectores, agricultores". Ministerio de Cultura de Colombia, 2010.
↑ Carriage, Pierre: "Contribuciones sobre los Yukpa, un grupo indígena del noroeste de Colombia". 1979)
↑ a b c d e Jaramillo Gómez, Orlando 1987: "Yuko-Yukpa"; Introducción a la Colombia Amerindia: 75-82. Bogotá: Instituto Colombiano de Antropología. ISBN 958-612-051-1
↑ a b Equipo de Investigación Lingüística Yukpa (2009) "Situación Sociolingüística del Yukpa". CIGE.
↑ Ruddle, Keneth y Johannes Wilbert 1983: "Los Yukpa"; Los Aborígenes de Venezuela. Vol. II: 32-124. Fundación La Salle / Monte Avila Editores. Caracas.

External link

http://periodicoellibertario.blogspot.com/search/label/Sociedad%20Homo%20et%20Natura
http://homoetnatura.blogspot.com/