Culture and archaeology Sample Clauses

Culture and archaeology. From a cultural point of view, Chibchan-speaking groups are likewise heterogeneous, sometimes displaying features that were typically associated with cultures from the Central Andes or of the tropical lowlands of South America (e.g., by Xxxxxxx 1948). For instance, one may tentatively identify the following ‘Lowland South American’ features among the Barí, a Chibchan group of the Colombian-Venezuelian border area (e.g., Xxxxxxxxx & Xxxxxxxxxx 2014: 216–30): the use of longhouses, partible paternity (cf. Xxxxxxxxxx & Xxxxxxxxxx 1991; Xxxxxxxxx & Xxxxxxxxx 2002), and the existence of only few non-compound number terms (cf. Xxxxxx & Xxxxxxx 2001/02: 16). In contrast, the Muisca had a system of nine non-compound number terms and, as an ‘Andean’ feature, as it were, metallurgy (Xxxxxxx 1948: 9). In terms of cultural heterogeneity of Chibchan-speaking groups, one may also note that Muisca goldwork (10th to mid-16th century A.D., present-day department of Cundinamarca, Colombia) is sometimes remarkably different from Tairona goldwork, manufactured in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Xxxxx, likewise Colombia (10h to mid-16th century A.D.) (cf. Xxxxxx 1985: 166–7, 170–1). Differences have also been observed between Muisca pottery and that from the Isthmian–Caribbean area (Bray 1997: 43). Finally, Chibchan peoples from northern South America, such as the Kogi, Tunebo, and Barí, have a semi-sedentary settlement pattern, a phenomenon which has not been observed among Chibchan peoples of Central America, such as the Bribri and Cabécar (Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx, p.c.). Some of these heterogeneities in cultural terms may be the result of relatively recent developments. Considering earlier periods, there is a remarkable overlap between the distribution of Chibchan languages and the spread, after A.D. 600, of a particular and uniform gold working style in the Intermediate Area, manufactured in the co-called ‘international style’ (Xxxx 1997: 38–9). In Panama for instance, this ‘international style’ goldwork (ca. A.D. 400 to 900) followed a phase of goldwork in the ‘initial style’ (before A.D. 500), which had probably been introduced from Colombia (Xxxx 1992: 34). The metalwork of the ‘international style’ covers a range of figures that are very typical for the Chibchan area, however, apparently not including the regions were Rama and Xxxx are spoken at present (see figure 2). Figure 2: Distribution of Chibchan languages (map from figure 1) and of ‘international style’ artifacts (A.D. 40...