.svg) Map of the percentage of Colombian indigenous people (2005) The Kankuamo are located in the north of Colombia; the dark brown "J" | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 15,000 (2006)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Colombia(Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta) | |
| Languages | |
| Sánha | |
| Religion | |
| Traditional beliefs | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Arhuaco,Wiwa,Kogui[1] |
TheKankuamo,Kankuaka,Kankui orKankuané are anindigenous people ofColombia, living on the southern slopes of theSierra Nevada de Santa Marta up until the north of theCésardepartment (corregimientos:Atánquez,Guatapurí,Chemesquemena,Los Haticos,La Mina and Rio Seco).[2] The Kankuamo people, estimated at 15,000 individuals, speakSánha, a dialect of theAtanque language of theChibcha family. Their laws are borne from nature and they consider the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the highest mountain range closest to the sea, as sacred. In their native tongue they call thisUmunukunu.[1] Many Kankuamo, mostly merchants, do not speak their native language.[3]
Traditionally, of the four indigenous groups of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the Kankuamo people are the least contacted by others, having developed strategies to survive away from the outside world.
The Kankuamo people are characterized for their different way of dressing from the other peoples of the Sierra Nevada; the women wear two overlapping cloths, and the men wear short trousers and a hat of reed. Their living space is bordered by theKogui,Wiwa andArhuaco.[4]
From the late 1980s to 2006 over 300 Kankuamo people were murdered during theColombian conflict.[5]
The economy of the Kankuamo is based on agriculture. The main products areyuca,ñame,pigeon peas,corn,bananas,coca leaves,fique,arracacha andstarch.
