Guane people

Etymology

The etymology of the word Guane is not known with certainty. The most prominent reasoning states that it came from the Muisca people, the Guane’s neighbors, who referred to them as ‘Guatas’ which means ‘tall’ in the Musyccubun language. It evolved to become ‘Guates’ and then eventually Guanes. Guane people from this time period were reported to be as tall as 1.76m, taller than most other native groups at the time.

Pre-colonial period

Before European-contact the Guane People lived in the area of Santander and north of Boyacá, both departments of present-day central-Colombia. They were farmers cultivating cotton, pineapple and other crops, and skilled artisans working in cotton textiles. The Guane lived north of the Chicamocha River, around the Chicamocha Canyon in an area stretching from Vélez in the south to the capital of Santander; Bucaramanga in the north. Other sources state their territory did not extend so far north. Guane, a corregimiento of Barichara, Santander, is said to have been the capital of the Guane people.

Culture and art

Guane culture during this time period had many aspects to it. They celebrated on many different occasions such as the start of puberty, the teething of a baby, and the start of the new lunar year. They had multiple leader for each village, however, all of the Guane were led by a man named Guanetá by the time the Spanish .

The Guane made their own weapons, including arrows and spears. They interchanged plants for the stewpot with the Chitarero on the east and the Muisca to the south of their territories. The mantle making of the Guanes was well known in pre-Columbian Colombia. Mantles made from cotton have been dated back to the 11th century AD. The Guane cultivated tobacco and made products of fique.

Language

Like the Muisca, U'wa and Lache, the Guane spoke a Chibchan language.

Colonization and the Spanish genocide

Like with most Indigenous groups the Guane suffered at the hands of the Spanish, nevertheless they fought back. At first, Spanish explorers entered their territory on friendly terms, however, eventually a Captain named Martín Galeano made his way into their land with an armed force at his back. The Guane, led at the time by Guanetá, fought back with all their projectile weapons in order to slow the advance of the Spanish. The Spanish eventually made it to there position and unleashed a violent attack of which few of the Guane people present were able to escape. Guanetá, in the face of being captured, chose to sacrifice himself instead of being succumbing to the violence of the Spanish.

Another rebellion was later led by another Guane leader named Chanchón. Despite the many other Guane leaders that formed diplomatic relationships with Galeano, Chanchón fought against the diplomats that were sent by the Spanish. Chanchón continued to fight numerous battles against the Spanish with the goal being to liberate the Guane territory and remove the Spanish from the region, however, despite his best efforts and collaborations with other Guane leaders, many thousands of Guane were slaughtered at the hands of the Spanish as they continued their presence in the region.

Current Guane culture

Today the Guane people continue to exist. There are no known speakers of Guane´s original language, however, their culture has evolved and is still practiced. For example, museums around Santander preserve the culture and claim it as Santandereana Heritage, a woman named Doña Ana Felicia Alquichire continues to make ceramics in the traditional Guane style, and many Santandereanos sing songs about their Guane heritage every day.

The Guane also continue their tradition of gastronomy by preparing of 'hormigas culonas' which translated to big butt ants, arepas, and chicha.

Municipalities belonging to Guane territory

The Guane inhabited the area of central and south Santander, around the Chicamocha Canyon and a small part of Boyacá.

References

References

1. "Planes en Bucaramanga y Santander".
2. Navas Corona, Alejadnro. (2012). "¿Porqué se llamaron Guanes? {{!}} El Libro Total". Fundación El Libro Total.
3. {{in lang. es [http://www.todacolombia.com/etnias-de-colombia/grupos-indigenas/guane.html Guane people and their territories]
4. {{in lang. es [http://www.elespectador.com/noticias/nacional/asi-eramos-los-guanes-articulo-260576 Reconstruction of the Guane people] - [[El Espectador]]
5. "Planes en Bucaramanga y Santander".
6. "Planes en Bucaramanga y Santander".
7. {{in lang. link. (2016-06-11, colarte.com. Accessed 27 November 2022.)
8. Alejandro NAVAS CORONA. (2010-02-04). "LOS GUANES - UNA ETNIA DE SANTANDER".
9. Pita Pico, Roger. (June 2013). "VESTIGIOS DE LA LENGUA GUANE: UNA APROXIMACIÓN AL FENÓMENO DEL MESTIZAJE IDIOMÁTICO EN SANTANDER*". Lingüística y Literatura.
10. https://web.archive.org/web/20170502075152/http://zapatoca-santander.gov.co/apc-aa-files/36306437323430333533323464346562/EL_PUEBLO_DE_LOS_GUANES.pdf {{Bare URL PDF. (August 2025)
11. "ONIC - Guane".
12. Klerk, Jacqueline de. (2018-02-28). "Doña Felisa: The last ceramist of the ancient Guanes".