![]() When the Spaniards arrived, they found only Indians with a very low level of technological development. Undoubtedly, migrants settled in this area, but they mysteriously disappeared. The archaeological remains of this civilization show clear cultural links with the Mayas and Aztecs. the Tumaco civilization existed on the Pacific coast. It is known that between 100 and 400 b.c. Recent archaeological and linguistic evidence, however, link the Aw á Kwaiker with Mesoamerican civilization. Previously, it was thought that they were part of the Pasto group, which lived in the high Andes. This language is related to all native languages of the Pacific coast from Ecuador to Guatemala. The Aw á Kwaiker language belongs to the Barbacoa Subgroup of the Chibcha Family. In 1989 the Aw á Kwaiker population was estimated at 7,000, of whom 5,000 live in Colombia and 2,000 in Ecuador. They live in a tropical-rain-forest climate at an elevation of between 500 and 1,500 meters in an area of steep, eroded hills.ĭemography. The Aw á Kwaiker occupy an area in the extreme southwest of Colombia and the northwest of Ecuador between 0.45 ° and 1.20 ° N and 77.45 ° and 78.30 ° W. Some people, however, following Spanish spelling, use "Cuaiquer" instead of "Kwaiker." They call themselves "Aw á," which means "people." They may further identify themselves as "Inkal," which means "mountain" or "jungle" (i.e., "mountain people"), thus differentiating themselves from the Blacks of the coast, "Ijakta Aw á," and Whites, "Wisha Aw á." Since the name "Aw á" has only recently been introduced, both names are used to avoid confusion. Identification The name "Kwaiker" was imposed by Spanish conquistadors and missionaries, who named the group for the river where they were discovered. ETHNONYMS: Aw á, Aw á Cuaiquer, Coaiquer, Cuaiquer, Kuaiquer, Kwaiker Orientation
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