Chibcha language

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Chibcha language (disambiguation).

Chibcha
Muisca, Muysccubun
Region	Central highlands of Colombia
Ethnicity	Muisca
Extinct	18th century
Language family	Chibchan Chibcha–Motilon Chibcha–Tunebo Chibcha
Language codes
ISO 639-2	`chb`
ISO 639-3	`chb`

Chibcha, also known as Muisca, is an extinct Chibchan language of Colombia, formerly spoken by the Muisca people, a complex indigenous civilization of South America and the present-day Colombian region. Scholars believe the Chibcha language arose in South America and then migrated with people to nearby areas.^[1]

As early as 1580 the authorities in Charcas, Quito, and Santa Fe de Bogotá mandated the establishment of schools in native languages and required that priests study these languages before ordination. In 1606 the entire clergy was ordered to provide religious instruction in Chibcha. The Chibcha language declined in the 18th century, however.^[2]

In 1770, King Charles III of Spain officially banned use of the language in the region ^[2] as part of a de-indigenization project. The ban remained in law until Colombia passed its constitution of 1991.

Words of Muysccubun origin are still used in the departments of Cundinamarca of which Bogotá is the capital, and Boyacá. These include curuba (a fruit), toche (a bird), guadua (a bamboo-like plant) and tatacoa (a snake). The Muisca descendants continue many traditional ways, such as the use of certain foods, use of coca for teas and healing rituals, and other aspects of natural ways, which are a deep part of culture here. Chibcha culture flourished in these areas since at least the 7th century BC.^[1]

The only public school in Colombia currently teaching Muisca (to about 150 children) is in the town of Cota, about 20 miles by road from Bogotá. The school is named Jizcamox (healing with the hands) in Muisca.^[1]

The Chibcha or Muisca called their language Muysccubun. The Spanish called it Chibcha, derived from Chib (staff) and Cha (man), meaning the "Chief of the Community". Chibchacum, the god of agriculture, was punished by the god Bochica and had to hold the earth on his shoulders.

References

↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Gloria Helena Rey, "The Chibcha Culture – Forgotten, But Still Alive", Colombia, Inter Press Service (IPS) News, 30 Nov 2007, accessed 9 Nov 2010
↑ 2.0 2.1 "Chibcha Dictionary and Grammar". World Digital Library. Retrieved 2013-05-23.

External links

"Diccionario y gramática chibcha". World Digital Library. Retrieved 2013-05-23.
Muyskkubun Project, in Spanish, with Muyskkubun–Spanish dictionary
"Chibcha", Archives, sources in Spanish on the Chibcha language, Rosetta Project

v t e Pre-Columbian civilizations and cultures
Americas	Paleo-Indians · Genetic history · Archaeology of the Americas · Indigenous peoples of the Americas
North America	North American pre-Columbian cultures – Caddoan Mississippian – Chichimeca –Hopewell tradition – Coles Creek – Fremont – Marksville – Mississippian – Mogollon – Plaquemine – Plum Bayou – Poverty Point – Troyville – Weeden Island –
Mesoamerica	Mesoamerican pre-Columbian chronology – Capacha – Cholula – Coclé – Epi-Olmec – Huastec – Izapa – Mezcala – Mixtec – Olmec – Pipil – Quelepa – Shaft tomb tradition – Teuchitlan – Tarascan – Teotihuacan – Tlatilco – Tlaxcaltec – Toltec – Totonac – Veracruz – Xochipala – Zapotec
South America	South American Indigenous people – pre-Columbian chronology – Cañaris – Chachapoya – Chancay – Chavín – Chimu – El Abra – Hydraulic culture of mounds (Bolivia) – Las Vegas – Lima – La Tolita (Tumaco) – Manteño-Guancavilca – Mapuche – Moche – Mollo – Muisca (Chibchas) – Nariño – Nazca – Norte Chico – Quimbaya – San Agustin – Shuar – Sican – Taino – Tairona – Tiwanaku – Tierradentro – Valdivia – Wari
	Aztec	Maya civilization	Inca Empire – Andean civilizations
Language	Nahuatl language	Mayan languages	Quechua
Writing	Aztec writing	Mayan writing	Quipu
Religion	Aztec religion	Maya religion	Inca religion
Mythology	Aztec mythology	Maya mythology	Inca mythology
Calendar	Aztec calendar	Maya calendar
Society	Aztec society	Maya society	Inca society
Infrastructure	Chinampas	Maya architecture	Inca architecture (road system) Incan agriculture
History	Aztec history		Inca history
People	Moctezuma I Moctezuma II Cuitlahuac Cuauhtémoc	K'inich Janaab' Pakal Uaxaclajuun Ub'aah K'awiil Jasaw Chan K'awiil I	Manco Cápac Pachacutec Atahualpa Manco Inca Túpac Amaru II
Conquest	Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire (Hernán Cortés)	Spanish conquest of Yucatán (Francisco de Montejo) Spanish conquest of Guatemala (Pedro de Alvarado)	Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire (Francisco Pizarro)
See also
Portal:Indigenous peoples of North America – Columbian exchange – Mesoamerican writing systems – Native American cuisine – Native American pottery – Population history of American indigenous peoples – Pre-Columbian art – Painting in the Americas before Colonization

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.

Chibcha language

References

Further reading (in Spanish)

External links