BETOYAN, an important linguistic stock of South American Indians, so called from the Betoyes, one of its important tribes. The Betoyan stock occupies an extensive area in the region drained by the north-western tributaries of the Amazon system, from the Napo river in the south, northwards to the upper Apure in south western Venezuela, and from the eastern slopes of the Andes east wards to approximately 7o° W. long. At least 6o or 70 tribes are included in the group.
Among the Betoyan tribes in general, the men wear a small apron or breech-clout, and the women wear an apron or go naked. The labret in the lower lip is common as an ornament. In general they are a sedentary, agricultural folk, growing manioc and maize, and living in large communal houses, usually rectangular and built of thatch. Some tribes, however, use a conical circular type of dwelling. Many make considerable use of coca, and most employ one or other narcotics and narcotic snuffs, inhaled by means of V-shaped bone tubes. The bow, spear (often poisoned), sword club and blow-gun are their most important weapons. Most tribes make use either of great wooden signal drums, hollowed out of tree trunks, or of huge trumpets or flutes. The pan-pipe is also used. Dugout canoes are used on the rivers. Pottery is made, but tree bast takes the place of textiles. Boys are obliged to pass through a puberty ceremony, involving whipping. The dead are buried (often in a canoe for a coffin) under the floor of the house. Several tribes exhume the bones after several years, burn them, and drink the ashes mixed with corn beer. The funeral ceremonies are elaborate, and involve the use of characteristic conical, fringed bast masks which cover the wearer to the knees, and are supposed to represent supernatural beings.
See J. Rivero, Historia de los Missiones de los Llanos de Casanare, .etc., 1736 (Bogota, 1883) ; J. Gumilla, Historia natural, civil y geogrcifica, etc. (Madrid, 1745) ; T. Koch-Kriineberg, Zwei Jahre unter den Indianern (Berlin, 1909-10) ; H. Beuchat and P. Rivet, "La famille Betoya ou Tucano" (Mem. Soc. Linguistique de Paris, vols. xvii., xviii.)