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Peru finds ancient burial cave of warrior tribe - Chachapoyas, white-skinned aka "Cloud People"
Reuters on Yahoo ^ | 10/5/06 | Robin Emmott

Posted on 10/05/2006 8:11:48 PM PDT by NormsRevenge

LIMA, Peru (Reuters) - Archeologists have uncovered a 600-year-old, large underground cemetery belonging to a Peruvian warrior culture, thought to be the first discovery of its kind, an official said on Thursday.

After a tip-off from a farmer in Peru's northern Amazon jungle, archeologists from Peru's National Culture Institute last week found the 820-feet-(250-meter)deep cave that was used for burial and worship by the Chachapoyas tribe.

So far archeologists have found five mummies, two of which are intact with skin and hair, as well as ceramics, textiles and wall paintings, the expedition's leader and regional cultural director Herman Corbera told Reuters.

"This is a discovery of transcendental importance. We have found these five mummies but I believe there could be many more," Corbera said. "We think this is the first time any kind of underground burial site this size has been found belonging to Chachapoyas or other cultures in the region," he added.

The Chacapoyas, a white-skinned tribe known as the "Cloud People" by the Incas because of the cloud forests they inhabited in northern Peru, ruled the area from around 800 AD to around 1475, when they were conquered by the Incas.

GREAT WARRIORS

But their strong resistance to the Incas, who built an empire ranging from northern Ecuador to southern Chile from the 1400s until the Spanish conquest of the 1530s, earned them a reputation as great warriors.

They are best-known today by tourists for their stone citadel Kuelap, near the modern town of Chachapoyas.

In 1996, archeologists found six ancient burial houses containing several mummies, thought to belong to the Chachapoyas.

"The remote site for this cemetery tells us that the Chachapoyas had enormous respect for their ancestors because they hid them away for protection," Corbera said.

"Locals call the cave Iyacyecuj, or Enchanted Water in Quechua, because of its spiritual importance and its underground rivers," he added.

Corbera said the walls in the limestone cave near the mummies were covered with wall paintings of faces and warrior-like figures that may have been drawn to ward off intruders and evil spirits.

"The idea now is to turn this cave into a museum, but we've got a huge amount of research to do first and protecting the site is a big issue," Corbera said, adding that looters had already vandalized a small part of the cave in search of mummies or gold.

Archeologists have uncovered thousands of mummies in Peru in recent years, mostly from the Inca culture five centuries ago, including about 2,000 unearthed from under a shantytown near the capital Lima in 2002.

One of Peru's most famous mummies is "Juanita the Ice Maiden," a girl preserved in ice on a mountain.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: ancient; burial; cave; chachapoyas; godsgravesglyphs; peru; tribe; warrior
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One of the five mummies that archeologists found in Peru October 2, 2006. Archeologists have uncovered a 600-year-old, large underground cemetery belonging to a Peruvian warrior culture, thought to be the first discovery of its kind, an official said on Thursday. After a tip-off from a farmer in Peru's northern Amazon jungle, archeologists from Peru's National Culture Institute last week found the 820-feet-(250-meter)deep cave that was used for burial and worship by the Chachapoyas tribe. Picture taken October 2, 2006. REUTERS/Stringer (PERU)


1 posted on 10/05/2006 8:11:49 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
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To: NormsRevenge

Some of the five mummies that archeologists found in Peru October 2, 2006. Archeologists have uncovered a 600-year-old, large underground cemetery belonging to a Peruvian warrior culture, thought to be the first discovery of its kind, an official said on Thursday. After a tip-off from a farmer in Peru's northern Amazon jungle, archeologists from Peru's National Culture Institute last week found the 820-feet-(250-meter)deep cave that was used for burial and worship by the Chachapoyas tribe. Picture taken October 2, 2006. QUALITY FROM SOURCE REUTERS/Stringer (PERU)


2 posted on 10/05/2006 8:12:30 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ......Help the "Pendleton 8' and families -- http://www.freerepublic.com/~normsrevenge/)
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To: blam; SunkenCiv

GGG ping...


3 posted on 10/05/2006 8:12:41 PM PDT by Pharmboy (Every single day provides at least one new reason to hate the mainstream media...)
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To: blam
The Chacapoyas, a white-skinned tribe known as the "Cloud People" by the Incas because of the cloud forests they inhabited in northern Peru, ruled the area from around 800 AD to around 1475, when they were conquered by the Incas.

Extreme eastern Celts??

4 posted on 10/05/2006 8:15:29 PM PDT by Pharmboy (Every single day provides at least one new reason to hate the mainstream media...)
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http://www.inkanatura.com/interiorchachapoyaskuelap.asp

5 posted on 10/05/2006 8:18:08 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ......Help the "Pendleton 8' and families -- http://www.freerepublic.com/~normsrevenge/)
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To: NormsRevenge

bump


6 posted on 10/05/2006 8:18:17 PM PDT by lesser_satan (EKTHELTHIOR!!!)
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To: Pharmboy

Could be.


7 posted on 10/05/2006 8:18:41 PM PDT by YdontUleaveLibs
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To: NormsRevenge

BTTT


8 posted on 10/05/2006 8:27:00 PM PDT by AliVeritas (Gay democrats... you are about to go the way of blacks for illegals votes... your party.)
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To: NormsRevenge

Could this be the burial ground of the "Wild Tchapatulas"?


9 posted on 10/05/2006 8:28:34 PM PDT by tet68 ( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
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To: NormsRevenge

Wait, I thought the Incas were innocent natives conquered ruthlessley by Europeans? They couldn't possibly have conquered another tribe? \s


10 posted on 10/05/2006 8:31:30 PM PDT by Slowsky
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To: Pharmboy
They even had their own logo...

11 posted on 10/05/2006 8:34:24 PM PDT by keithtoo (Moveon.org is a cult, Freerepublic is the cure.....)
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To: Pharmboy; NormsRevenge; Coyoteman
Excellent find.

Not much is known about the Chapapoyas. It sure would be nice if we could get a DNA sample from one of these mummies and compare it with 9,400 year old Spirit Cave Man and the 8,000 year old Windover mummies found in Florida.

Something I posted previously on the Chapapoyas:

Pre-Inca Ruins Emerging From Peru's Cloud Forest (Chapapoyas)

12 posted on 10/05/2006 9:23:04 PM PDT by blam
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To: Pharmboy; All

"Extreme eastern Celts?"

It will be interesting to see if DNA studies can be made and determination made of their origin. Other candidates beside Celts, might be Iberians, or Scandinavians.


13 posted on 10/05/2006 9:25:32 PM PDT by gleeaikin
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To: Pharmboy

I think they invented toilet paper.


14 posted on 10/05/2006 9:28:57 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (If I had a nut allergy, I'd be outta here. https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: NormsRevenge; Pharmboy; blam; FairOpinion; StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 24Karet; ...
Thanks Pharmboy for the ping, and NormsRevenge for the topic.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. Thanks.
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the
"Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list or GGG weekly digest
-- Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)

15 posted on 10/05/2006 9:29:54 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (If I had a nut allergy, I'd be outta here. https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: NormsRevenge

2004: Top (Archaeological) Finds On Bolivian Highlands

“By comparing small details, such as clothing, headgear, jewellery and even facial characteristics, to other finds from the highland area, we can actually start drawing conclusions about the ethnic identities of the people who lived there at the time. The discovery also provides new information on the relationship between the Inca and Tiwanaku cultures,” Korpisaari says. "

16 posted on 10/05/2006 9:34:14 PM PDT by blam
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To: gleeaikin
"Other candidates beside Celts, might be Iberians, or Scandinavians."

King Solomon's miners? (Ofir)

17 posted on 10/05/2006 9:36:30 PM PDT by blam
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To: NormsRevenge

Interesting find. I have read that these White Indian tribes could be related to Basques, Celts, Berber, Guanche, and Dals. I wonder if Anasazi could be related to them too? I have seen Anasazi relics and they look very Celtic like.


18 posted on 10/05/2006 11:27:23 PM PDT by Ptarmigan (Ptarmigans will rise again!)
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To: SunkenCiv; blam

http://www.inkanatura.com/interiorchachapoyaskuelap.asp

remind you of anything?

19 posted on 10/06/2006 4:47:38 AM PDT by Fred Nerks (ENEMY + MEDIA = ENEMEDIA)
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To: keithtoo

LOL!


20 posted on 10/06/2006 7:01:58 AM PDT by BenLurkin ("The entire remedy is with the people." - W. H. Harrison)
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