Ethnological report on the Coaiquer Indians of northern Ecuador

Abstract

The Coaiquer Indians represent a traditional group among the Indians of Ecuador, whose culture has remained virtually unknown to the present. Its territory is located in the extreme north of Ecuador, in the province of Carchi in mountainous tropical lands. It is likely that their isolation and difficult access to their territory have contributed to this lack of information about this human group. In fact, even in the border regions where their presence is known, misconceptions and misinformation abound regarding Coaiquer life and culture, since very few people have had direct contact with the area they occupy. In this article, we therefore propose to report on the preliminary findings of our ongoing ethnographic research among the Coaiquer Indians of Ecuador, and to provide an introductory description of their life and culture and an assessment regarding their future.