Patángoro

Patángoro, Indian people of western Colombia, apparently extinct since the late 16th century. They spoke a language of the Chibchan family. The Patángoro were agricultural, raising corn (maize), sweet manioc (yuca), beans, avocados, and some fruit. Land was cleared by slash-and-burn methods, and planting was done with digging sticks by the sisters of the man who owned the field. Fishing was an important food source, but hunting was not; and there were no domesticated animals except possibly tamed fledglings. Their villages of 50 to 100 houses, located in high places, were sometimes fenced by wooden palisades for defense purposes. Clothing was minimal: men went naked, and women wore a small cotton apron. Skull deformation was practiced, and feathers, beads, and (rarely) gold ornaments were worn. Little is known about Patángoro crafts, although evidently pottery was made. Marriage consisted of a trade between two men of their sisters, and most men had several wives, who were often themselves sisters. Marriages were ended without formality if the husband or the wife’s brother so wished; in such a case the divorced wife was returned in exchange for the sister originally traded. The Patángoro recognized several deities, the most important of which was Am, a wind god.

Their methods of warfare were cruel. They fought continually with their neighbours and killed and ate their prisoners.