In the Vaupés territory of southeastern Colombia are over twenty exogamous patrilineal descent units, each of which is identified with a distinct language. In the literature on the Vaupés, these units have always been called ‘tribes.’ Although no single generally accepted definition of tribe exists, those most frequently offered in the literature are concerned with the presence of factors such as (1) tribal territory; (2) political, ceremonial, or warrior roles as tribesmen; (3) more intra-tribal as opposed to intertribal interaction; (4) some proportion of marriages occurring within the tribal unit; and (5) some cultural differences between neighboring tribes. None of the definitions utilizing these factors permits calling the Vaupés units tribes; at present these units mainly function as marriage classes, even though they are each identified with different languages. Hence, thinking of them as tribes is misleading and in this paper they are called ‘language-aggregates.’

This paper is concerned with the role language plays in the Vaupés as a symbol of membership in a language-aggregate, and with the relationship between language and Vaupés social structure. The first section gives a brief ethnographic introduction and description of Vaupés multilingualism. The second section analyzes Vaupés languages as emblems of the language-aggregates and as badges of identity for individual Indians. Finally, some ways in which the Vaupés data apply to some of the current issues on sociolinguistics and the ethnography of speaking are suggested.