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Indigenous cosmogonies give different events in the universe a supernatural origin: a catastrophe is caused by a furious spirit, sickness is sent by an enemy shaman, and when animals reproduce, their invisible owners intervene. In order to control these dangerous and ambivalent forces, people acted according to the laws of their ancestors and made offerings and sacrifices: gifts of gold, emeralds, coca, birds and human beings, all of which was spiritual food that pleased the immortals.
Priests deposited offerings in sacred places where communication was possible with other worlds. The spirits had revealed the appropriate time and place for the gift to be made beforehand, together with what it should consist of. Human sacrifices were made on sturdy posts at the entrance to the enclosures. The victim was tied high up on the post and pierced with arrows, his blood feeding the living body-home of the chieftain.
War served various purposes, such as appropriating the spirit of the loser, along with his name, status and chants. If the skull of the enemy was captured, this demonstrated the fierceness of the warrior.
Hunting, war, sacrifice and death were viewed as predatory acts that were both destructive and creative: a new life was created from another that was sacrificed. |
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Death was considered to be a transformation into another being, or a rebirth. Some people's souls were reincarnated in a descendant, a bear, a tree or a stone. According to others, the deceased were reborn in tombs, caves or burial mounds and remained near their relatives, intervening in their lives; the relatives talked to them and attended to their needs. The mummies of some chieftains were exhibited at ceremonies and in wars, where their powers protected the community and instilled valour in the warriors.
Dead chieftains, covered in gold and sometimes mummified, were kept under small mounds or in temples, caves and other special places. These visible sites made the links between current dignitaries and their memorable ancestors clear. Gold funeral masks and ornament, made of the sacred metal that remained unchanged over time, immortalised the chieftains with their symbolic power, so these could go on taking part in the life of their community.
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