ONIC

OTHER NAMES:
Achagua, ajagua, xagua, "people of the river".  

LOCATION:
Indigenous reservation of Umapo and El Turpial, in the municipality of Puerto López (Meta) and some families in La Hermosa (Casanare).

POPULATION:
Its population is estimated at 796 individuals (DANE 2005)

LANGUAGE:
Achagua. It belongs to the Arawak linguistic family. The use of their language takes precedence over Spanish, in addition to their continued relationship with the piapoco people, neither they also speak this language. This language was classified by the ethno-linguistic diversity protection program of the Ministry of Culture among the 19 languages ​​that are in serious danger of extinction.  

CULTURE: 
Since the 18th century they have been strongly affected by evangelical missionary activity and by the expansion of colonization. Despite the process of cultural reworking and appropriation of new elements, they retain their rituals where psychotropic plants are used, essential for their ceremonies. 

In Achagua groups, a type of family organization based on the father-in-law's authority prevails. The production and consumption unit and the residential unit are generally made up of an adult couple, young sons and daughters and married daughters, with their respective families. With the growth of the group, the sons-in-law tend to build separate houses.

ECONOMY:
Its main activity is agriculture. They especially cultivate bitter yucca (aliri), from which they extract the starch to make "casabe" (beri, tortilla) and "fariña" (toasted flour). They also produce corn (kana). During the summer, fishing and smaller scale hunting are important. Craftsmanship is another outstanding activity.

Sources:
_{-Romero, María Victoria. “Achagua“, en: Comunidades Indígenas de Colombia, Ican, Santa Fe de Bogotá, 1994. 
-Romero, María Victoria. “Achagua“, en: Geografía Humana de Colombia, Región de la Orinoquia, Tomo III, Vol., 1, Instituto Colombiano de Cultura Hispánica, Santa Fe de Bogotá,1993.
-Los Pueblos Indígenas de Colombia en el umbral del Nuevo milenio – DNP –Departamento Nacional de Planeación}

_{Recovered from: TodaColombiaPuebloACHAGUA}

_{-República de Colombia. Ministerio del Interior. Pueblos Indígenas. Etnias de Colombia – Achagua}

_{-Lenguas Nativas y Criollas de Colombia. Pueblo ACHAGUA.}