The Guambiano or Misak are an

indigenous people There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

of the

department of Cauca Cauca Department (, ) is a department of Southwestern Colombia. Located in the southwestern part of the country, facing the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Valle del Cauca Department to the north, Tolima Department to the northeast, Huila De ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

. he Drama of Life Guambiano Life Cycle Customs , author=Judith Branks, Juan B. Sanchez , publisher- SIL International, date=1978 , pages= 107 Their language is known as Guambiano and is one of the

Coconucan language Coconuco, also known as Coconucan, Guambiano, Misak, and Nam Trik, is a dialect cluster of Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular ...

s. The majority lives in the western part of the Colombian

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

range (Cordillera). Some Guambiano can also be found in

Huila Department Huila () is one of the departments of Colombia. It is located in the southwest of the country, and its capital is Neiva. Demography and Ethnography Huila department had a population of 1,122,622 inhabitants in 2020, of which 679,667 (60.54%) ...

. The Misak society has a

patriarchal Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of authority are primarily held by men. The term ''patriarchy'' is used both in anthropology to describe a family or clan controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males, and in fem ...

kinship system In anthropology, kinship is the web of social relationships that form an important part of the lives of all humans in all societies, although its exact meanings even within this discipline are often debated. Anthropologist Robin Fox says tha ...

, with hereditary offices, descent lines, and property passing through the male line. Agriculture is the base of their economy. Wheat, corn, coffee, onions, garlic, cassava, potatoes, beans, and cabbage are among the main products they cultivate. The Guambiano people are known for their traditional clothing: blue scarf (worn as a sarong), rectangular ponchos, and black bowler hat for the men; black skirt, solid color top, blue scarf, and dark bowler hat for the women.

References

· Schwarz, Ronald A. (2018) ''La Gente de Guambia: continuidad y cambio entre los Misak de Colombia.'' ''Pages 104-110.'' Editorial Universidad del Cauca. * Ministerio de Cultura 2010:
Misak (Guambianos), la gente del agua, del conocimiento y de los sueños
. Bogotá. * Pachón, Ximena 1987:

"; ''Introducción a la Colombia Amerindia'': 235–248. Instituto Colombiano de Antropología; Bogotá. * Vásquez de Ruiz, Beatriz 1988: ''La predicaión en Guambiano''; CCELA, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá. ISSN 0120-9507 Indigenous peoples in Colombia {{SouthAm-ethno-group-stub