Tsáchila

Son cerca de 2.000 personas asentadas en la selva al pie de los Andes occidentales. Conocidos como "Colorados" por la forma de peinar y teñir el pelo con achiote, hablan tsafiqui, lengua emparentada con el awa y chachi.

The Tsáchila number about 2,000 and are located in the forest at the foot of western Andes mountains. They used to be called the "Colorado" because of their way of combing and coloring their hair with achiote. They speak tsafiqui, a language related to the Awa and Chachi.

Numericamente sono un totale di 2.000 individui e vivono nella selva ai piedi della Cordigliera delle Ande Occidentali (Provincia di Pichincha). Conosciuti come i "Colorados" per il modo di pettinersi e tingersi i capelli con "achiote" (colore vegetale), parlano tsafiqui lingua imparentata con quella degli Awa e dei Chachi.

Tsáchila means the "true people" or the "true word" and are the best know Indigenous people on the coast. The Tsáchila became a tourist curiosity because of their red body paint. Until the 1950s when the government built a road through their territory and whites began to colonize the zone, the Tsáchila remained isolated from the national culture and economy. Now, more than the other coastal ethnic groups, they have been integrated into the export-oriented agricultural economy and are quickly losing their traditional culture and dress.

Comentarios y Sugerencias / Comments and Suggestions: Marc Becker (marc@yachana.org)