HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Tacana People are an ethnic group who live in the
Beni Department Beni (), sometimes El Beni, is a northeastern department of Bolivia, in the lowlands region of the country. It is the second-largest department in the country (after Santa Cruz), covering 213,564 square kilometers (82,458 sq mi), and it was crea ...
of
Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
. There were 18,535 of them in 2012, of whom 559 speak the Tacana language natively.


Background and social organization

During the process of Inca expansion towards the lowlands, they came into contact with the Tacanas in the region of the
Beni River The Beni River ( es, Río Beni) is a river in the north of Bolivia. It rises north of La Paz and flows northeast. The Madre de Dios River is where its mouth is at. In the upper portion of its course it flows through highland forest and rainforest, ...
, establishing relations with them. Around 1680, the
Franciscans , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...
entered the region, and it was only after 1731 that they began founding a series of missions, managing to reduce the tacanas. During much of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the Tacanas experienced significant mobilizations, due to the exploitation of
cinchona ''Cinchona'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae containing at least 23 species of trees and shrubs. All are native to the tropical Andean forests of western South America. A few species are reportedly nat ...
(a medicinal tree) and rubber. Descent and inheritance are governed
patrilineally Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...
; the residence can be with one or the other of the in-laws or in an independent house, thus forming a western-style nuclear family.


Political organization

The sociopolitical organization of the Tacana still preserves, although in a refunctionalized way, the system of political authorities that the Franciscans implemented: mayor, chieftain, policeman, etc. The Tacana of the Iturralde Province (La Paz) have created the Indigenous Council of the Tacana People (CIPTA), affiliated to the Central of Indigenous Peoples of La Paz (CEPILAP), which in turn is organically linked with the CIDOB. Some Tacana communities in the Northern Amazon (Pando and Beni), in turn, have formed the Tacana Indigenous Organization (OITA), affiliated to CIRABO and, therefore, to CIDOB. Other Tacanas de Pando communities have created the CIPOAP.


Economic organization

Its economic activities revolve around agriculture, hunting, fishing, gathering, and crafts with rubber products. Agriculture is the predominant activity among the Tacana. The agricultural process is organized so that in each productive unit (composed of one or two families) they cultivate 1ha. of rice, 1ha. of corn, 1/2 ha. of banana and 1/4 ha. cassava. Some small quantity of products, which is not necessarily a surplus, in the strict sense of the term, is destined for commercialization, from which the resources for the acquisition of complementary foods or other items will come. Previously, the main economic activity came from the production of rubber.


Symbolism

Traditional religious beliefs and practices still continue to exert an important influence on the daily life of the Tacana. Shamans celebrate traditional ceremonies on key dates of the agricultural calendar. The "''baba tcuai''" or "''tata janana''" (shamans) are not only healers, but also guardians of the welfare of the community and the universe. The ceremonies in which the shamans participate are held in secret houses of worship in the jungle. In some Tacana de Pando communities, the shaman is known by the name of "Baba Cuana".


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tacana People Indigenous peoples in Bolivia Indigenous peoples of the Amazon Hunter-gatherers of South America Beni Department