The Mapuche Culture

Marcelo Andrade Yáñez

Orlando Nieto Burgos

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THE MAPUCHE CULTURE

Marcelo Andrade Yáñez

Orlando Nieto Burgos

2017

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ABOUT THIS BOOK

The purpose of this book is to provide a resource for high school teachers

to develop reading skills in their students. For doing this, we have chosen a topic

which also seeks to promote the traditional lore of the Mapuche people as a way to

preserve our cultural identity. The book has been structured in the following way: there are different text

genres in this book – a legend, a biography, and non-fiction texts with reading

activities. Before each text, there are some exercises to activate or provide the

necessary background knowledge to understand it.

The activities following the texts are organised upon two grounds: the use

of learning and reading strategies found in the specialized literature, and a model of

interactive reading comprehension which has three levels of mental representation,

going from literal to deeper understanding in the way of forming a situation model

of what is read. Some of the questions require literal answers, for some other

questions, students need to make use of the ideas and the ways these are

organised in the text, and in some activities they have to use their knowledge of the

world and the information in the text to make inferences to answer the questions.

Activities addressing the three levels have been included in this book. The

first three texts have exercises developing only one level each. In the rest of the

texts, students will find activities that combine the use of the three levels.

The azümchefe Writing System has been used for all the words in this book

having a mapuche origin according to CONADI’s Agreement 47 of June 18th, 2003,

as well as decree 1092 of October 22nd, 2003 by the Ministry of Education.

The authors would like to thank Jaime Nuyado for his help and orientation

about the mapuche culture. We would also like to thank the Ancestral Paillahueque

Lof for inviting us to their ruka and for sharing a nice talk about their life and

customs. Finally, the authors acknowledge Mauro Reyes, current Regional co-

ordinator of the programme “English Opens Doors” for his important contribution in

this endeavour.

ISBN: 978-956-390-015-6

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CONTENTS

Before you read this book.......................................................................................... 4

The mapuche flag…………………………………………………………………………… 5

Traditional mapuche clothing………………………………………………………… 6

Reading Activities……………………………………………………………………………. 8

Typical items of mapuche life……………..………….……………………………… 11

Reading Activities……………………………………………………………………………. 14

Likarayen….……………………………………………………………………………………… 16

Reading Activities…………………………………………………………….………………. 18

Lautaro…..……………………………………………………………………………………..…… 21

Reading Activities………………………………...……………………………….….………. 23

World view………………………………………………………….……………..………..…… 25

Reading Activities………………………………………………………….………….….…… 28

Ancestral Paillahueque Lof……………………………….………….……………..…… 31

Reading Activities…………………………………………………………..…………….…… 36

The mapuche and the local……………………………………………………………. 37

Reading Activities……………………………………………………………..…………….… 39

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Look at the maps. They show the land of the Mapuche and Williche

peoples separately.

The Mapuche People call all their land ‘Wall Mapu’. This is the name of the territory they have historically inhabited – to different extents – from the Limarí River in the north of Chile to the Chiloé Archipelago in the South. According to the specific territory they live in, different groups can be identified, such as the ‘Pikumche’ (‘Pikum’ = North), the ‘Pewenche’ (‘Pewenh’ = piñon), the ‘Lhafkenhche’ (‘Lhafkenh’ = the coast), and the ‘Williche’ (‘Willi’ = South). The Williche are the people who currently inhabit the Los Ríos and Los Lagos regions in Chile, from Valdivia to the south of the Chiloé Island. One of the williche ‘lof’ or communities that we can find in Alerce village (near Puerto Montt) is the ‘Ancestral Paillahueque Lof’, and you will read about them later!

What do you know about the

Mapuche People?

Write three ideas on the lines below:

1.- ____________________________________________________________________

2.- ____________________________________________________________________

3.- ____________________________________________________________________

Most people in Chile know that the Mapuche speak a language called

‘Mapuzugun’. What words from this language do you know or use? Make a

list and compare it with your partner’s.

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

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Now read the following text about the traditional mapuche

clothes and answer the questions below.

THE MAPUCHE FLAG

As every other human group, the

mapuche people have a symbol that

represents their communities – the

Mapuche Flag or ‘Wenufoye’.

It was created on October 5, 1992, and

the Chilean government recognized it as

a mapuche symbol in the Indigenous

Law of 1993. It was not until 2010 that

the General Comptroller of the Republic

gave the authorization to raise the Mapuche flag next to the Chilean one.

The mapuche flag has 5 parallel rectangles, and on top of the three inner

colours, a kultxüg image is located.

The meanders or ‘gimiñ’, represent writing, science and knowledge. Their

black and white crosses represent the balanced duality (like day and night).

The blue, or ‘kalfu’, stripe represents the purity of the universe or

‘wenumapu’; symbol of spirituality or the sacred.

The green, or ‘karü’, stripe represents nature and the land or ‘wallmapu”; it

is the symbol of femininity..

The red, or ‘kelü’, stripe represents force and power, or ‘newenh’; it

symbolizes memory.

The ‘kultxüg’ in the middle of the flag represents the mapuche world view

and the four cardinal points, and among them, the sun, the moon and the

stars – symbol of their world knowledge.

Next time you see the mapuche flag, you will understand its meaning!

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Non-fiction texts give true information about a topic.

TRADITIONAL MAPUCHE CLOTHING

One of the aspects of the mapuche culture that synthesises and reflects

their world view and their connection to nature is the way they wear

clothes, accessories and jewels. These have special symbols, materials or

ways to wear them depending on the place people live in or the family

they belong to. Gender also plays an important role to giving meaning to

clothing and jewellery. While men’s traditional clothes look simple and

include few pieces of clothing, such as, a poncho and a txarilogko,

women’s clothes have more elements, which include jewellery as a way of

expressing special meanings. However, women do not wear jewels all the

time, but they have to wear them when there is a logko or a machi

around. Surprisingly enough, jewellery is not allowed during their

ceremonies.

A txapelakucha is a silver ornament worn by mapuche

women. It is a breastplate with the shape of two birds on

top. They represent the duality and union of men and

women who are in charge of preserving the mapuche

traditions through the generations. The links in the chains

that hang from the upper part of it represent the origin of

nature and steps of life on Earth. Each family may have a

different design, or it may vary according to the place

where they live. The way it is hung reflects the marital

status of a woman.

A txarilogko is a silver headband worn by women,

most of which has silver coins hanging from it.

This custom of using coins to make it comes 25

Non-fiction

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from the time when Spaniards paid mapuche people with coins and, as

they didn’t use money, women used them as ornamental objects. Its name

comes from txari (=”to tie”) and logko (=head). It represents good

reasoning and wisdom. Some of these headbands have little pearls called

llef-llef. Men also wear a txarilogko, which was originally made of leather

or wood fibres. Today, it is made of wool dyed with different colours.

Chamal is the general word to refer to a large, woven square-shaped piece

of cloth worn by mapuche people over their shoulders or head. Women

wear a black chamal whose name is küpam which covers them to the

ankles. Children also wear a chamal, but in contrast to adults, it has not

been dyed.

A txariwe is a waistband worn by fertile adult women. It works as a belt

holding the küpam. They have different meanings according to their colours

and decorations.

A Makuñ is a poncho worn just by men. It is made of wool usually in

three main colours: black, brown and grey. Their design indicates the place

and lof where men come from. Logkos wear a poncho with symbols which

are special for them and which have a meaning for their community.

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A. Answer these questions:

1. When do women wear jewels?

2. What is a txapelakucha?

3. What do the links in the chains of a txapelakucha mean?

4. Why do txarilogkos contain coins?

5. What does the word “txarilogko” mean?

6. What is a makuñ made of?

B. Choose the answer that best completes the sentences according to the

text.

1. Women are not allowed to wear jewels…

a) when there is a logko

b) when they are at a machi’s place.

c) they are in a ceremony

d) they are in natural place.

2. A txapelakucha…

a) represents two birds

b) reflects the marital status of a woman

c) is a waistband

d) is a silver ornament

3. A txarilogko represents…

a) wisdom

b) Spanish money

c) ornamental objects

d) little pearls

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4. The symbols in a logko’s makuñ are special because…

a) they are colourful

b) they have a special meaning

c) they are just worn by men

d) they indicate the place where they live

C. Write the names of the items of clothing indicated below:

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A. Write the names of the objects below each picture. Choose the

words from the box.

B. Match the words on the left to their definitions on the right. Write the

letters (a-g) on the lines (1-7). Use a dictionary if necessary.

1. ____patch

2. ____rawhide

3. ____horn

4. ____blow

5. ____pole

6. ____dwelling

7. ____hearth

drum drawings roof stalk reeds

a) A house where a person lives.

b) A small piece of material that is used to cover a hole. c) The space for a fire.

d) To send out air from the mouth.

e) Natural leather that has not had any special treatment.

f) A hard pointed part that grows, usually in pairs, on the

heads of some animals.

g) A long thin straight piece of wood used as a support.

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TYPICAL ITEMS OF MAPUCHE LIFE

Kultxüg It is the most representative percussion instrument

of the Mapuche people. It is a ceremonial drum

made of wood with a diameter of between 35-40

centimetres. The instrument has stones inside. It

belongs to the group of drums known as

membranophones. This means that it has a membrane which covers the

hollow wooden structure and it is tied to the body of the drum. This

membrane is made with a patch of rawhide of a lamb, goat or horse. The

kultxüg represents the universe and it is used by the machi during

ceremonies such as gillatun (gratitude ceremony), we txipanthü (mapuche

New Year’s Day), and pewutun (healing rite) among others. The kultxüg has

other names depending on the geographical zone. In some places, it is

known as kawiñ-kura, which seems to be the original name given by the

machis in the eighteenth century to refer to the stones it has inside.

These symbolise the Earth in contrast to the divine powers which are

represented by the drawings on its surface.

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Frame

Trigger

Reed

Arms

Txutxuka

It is a wind instrument used in mapuche rituals or social events. It is

made of the hollow stalk of a colihue (chusquea culeou) which

is between 2-4 metres long and 2-10 centimetres in diameter

and it is covered with the skin of a horse. It has the horn of

a cow at one end, which amplifies the sound after a player

blows through it at the other end.

Txompe

This is an ancient instrument which has been used all over the world and it

was introduced to America by the Spaniards at their arrival. It is also

known as mouth harp. Nowadays, it is made of metal, but in the case of

mapuche people, it was originally made of colihue. The player of this

instrument must take the frame with one of his hands, press the arms of

the instrument with his teeth and pull the trigger with his index finger. The

metal reed then vibrates and the mouth cavity works as a resonator

increasing the volume of the instrument. After the mapuche people learnt

how to forge spears, knives and other similar objects, they developed the

techniques, tools and materials that made it easy to spread the use of the

metal txompe in their territory.

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Ruka

It is the house of mapuche people. It is a circular structure whose walls are

made of colihue stalks and they are reinforced with wood in the inside part

of the house. The whole structure is supported by two wooden poles

located almost in the middle of it and covered with dry grass or reeds,

which are resistant to the weather conditions of the South of Chile. The

entrance to this dwelling is always facing the east because this is the place

where the sun rises in Chile (behind the Andes mountains), which has a

special spiritual meaning for them. In the centre of it, there is an open

hearth made of stones. The fire is constantly burning inside, and the

smoke goes out through a hole in the roof. According to the mapuche

mythology, there is a spirit called gen-kuntxal who is the soul of the hearth

and provides warmth to the people, their food, their home and everything

in it.

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A. Answer these questions about the text:

1. What is the importance of a kultxüg?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………....

2. What does the word ‘these’ in line 15 refer to?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………....

3. Is nature represented in the kultxüg? How?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………....

4. What are colihue stalks used for? Mention two uses.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………....

5. What animal parts are used to make a txutxuka?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………....

6. According to the text, where are the Andes mountains in Chile?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………....

7. Who is gen-kuntxal?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………....

B. Write True or False according to the text. Correct the wrong information.

1. _____ The diameter of the kultxüg is smaller than half a metre.

2. _____ The kultxüg has two names.

3. _____ The stones in the kultxüg have a special meaning.

4. _____ The horn of a txutxuka makes the sound louder.

5. _____ The txompe was played in Asia hundreds of years ago.

6. _____ The txompe player uses both hands to play the instrument.

7. _____ Mapuche people make their own txompes.

8. _____ The plants used in the construction of a ruka cannot get wet.

9. _____ Mapuche people do not have their own myths.

10. _____ There is smoke inside the ruka.

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A. What do you know about Likarayen? Talk and discuss with the class and

write the information you know.

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

B. Find these words in a dictionary: write down the Spanish word for it.

1.-Chief 7. Spear

2. Flames 8. Ravine

3. Worrisome 9. Guts

4. Council 10. Cleansing

5. Leaves 11. Molten

6. Axe 12. Gorge

C. Of the words in exercise B, which ones are synonyms?

________________________ ________________________

D. Draw a map including the following geographical features: Lake

Llanquihue, Osorno Volcano, Calbuco Volcano, Puerto Varas

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“Likarayén” is a story from the past that is believed by many people but cannot be proved to be true. This legend has been handed down by tradition from earlier times, and belongs to the area where the Osorno and Calbuco Volcanoes are located, in the Los Lagos region.

LIKARAYEN

Once upon a time, when no white man had still set foot on this land, there

lived several ‘williche’ (‘willi’ = south; ‘che’ = people) families around Osorno

and Calbuco Volcanoes. Their princess was Likarayen - the most beautiful

and purest young woman, who was in love with Kitralpi, a handsome and

brave ‘toki’ – a military chief. Both had fallen in love at first sight, and they

were meant to get married the next spring.

However, Peripillan – an old ‘pillan’ or spirit who lived inside Osorno

Volcano – envied Kitralpi. He could not resist the young couple’s true love

and decided to interfere in their happiness. He

started to vomit smoke and fire from Osorno

Volcano, and made the earth tremble. The other

mountains and volcanoes seemed to burn with

fire, too. Their craters looked like the entrance

to hell itself. The nights near Osorno and

Calbuco volcanoes were lit with the huge flames

coming from these giants.

The situation was worrisome, and the williche people decided to hold a

council in order to find a way to stop the pillan’s anger. When they were in

the middle of the discussion, an old ‘machi’ suddenly appeared among

them. Nobody had noticed him before or knew him, but he said:

“If you want to get to the crater, you must sacrifice the most beautiful

virgin of the community. You must take her heart and place it

at the top of Pichi Juan’s hill covered with canelo leaves.

Then you will see that a bird will appear soaring in the sky

which will eat the heart and afterwards will take the canelo

leaves to let them fall inside the crater of the pillan’s home”.

And after saying these words, he disappeared as fast as he had appeared.

Legend

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The ‘logko’ – the leader of the mapuche community – wanted to know who

the purest virgin was. Unfortunately, he found out it was his own daughter

Likarayen. With tears in his eyes, the logko gave the bad news to his

daughter – she was chosen to save them from Peripillan’s anger.

“Don’t cry, father” – answered the young princess – “I’ll die happily to save

our people. Just do me a favor. Please, don’t use axes or spears to kill

me, and I want my dying bed to be prepared by Kitralpi, who can be the

only one to touch my heart, because he has been its owner since I met

him.”

The next day, Kitralpi had everything prepared. A group of young mapuches

escorted the beautiful virgin to a ravine, where the toki had a bed with the

most perfumed flowers of the forest of the region. Likarayen arrived at the

site and, without a word or complaint, lay on the flowery spot.

When her beautiful eyes closed forever, Kitralpi kissed her on the forehead,

and trying not to burst into tears because of the pain in his heart, he

opened her chest and took her heart out and

handed it to the virgin’s father.

The strongest man of the place was in charge of

taking the heart and the canelo leaves to the top of

the hill. At the very moment he placed the heart

and the leaves on the highest rock of Pichi Juan’s

Hill, a condor appeared soaring in the sky and, with

amazing speed, came down to eat the heart and, taking the canelo leaves,

the bird flew to the crater of Osorno Volcano, spiraled three times over it,

and dropped the sacred leaves inside the crater.

As if by art of magic, at that very moment, flakes of snow of the whitest

colour started to pour down from the clouds. It was as if the pure soul of

the princess was coming back to earth in search of her beloved Kitralpi.

And at that very moment, the young toki threw himself against his spear,

piercing his wide chest to tear his heart in two and in this way he could

be reunited with his loved Likarayen.

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And it snowed and snowed – days, weeks, months, and whole years. It was

a real battle between the fire coming out from the guts of the volcanoes

and the cleansing snow that fell upon them.

In the end, the molten snow ran down the mountains forming torrents of

water that washed the slopes of Osorno and Calbuco volcanoes, and

ended at their feet filling their gorges up. That is how the lakes Llanquihue,

Todos los Santos and Chapo were formed.

When the mapuche went back to the place where the sacrifice was

consummated, they saw with amazement that the flowers that served as a

dying bed for Likarayen had already grown roots and that their branches

had formed the most beautiful palace that no man has ever seen.

That palace still exists today at Devil’s Gorge near Puerto Varas. Many have

climbed down to see the palace and admire its beauty, but only a few

have been able to really see it, for it is only visible for those who have no

stain in their mind or soul.

A. Answer these questions about the text:

1. The Spanish conquerors came to the South of Chile after 1541, was this

legend started before or after this year?

..........................................................................................................................................................................

2. In the text, “canelo leaves” are mentioned. Why do you think the canelo

tree may be so important?

........................................................................................................................................................................

3. In your opinion, what did Kitralpi use to open Likarayen’s chest? Why?

........................................................................................................................................................................

4. Why did the strongest man of the Mapuche take the heart to the top of

Pichi Juan’s Hill? Give two reasons.

........................................................................................................................................................................

5. How much time passed until the Mapuche went back to the place where

the sacrifice was consummated?

.......................................................................................................................................................................

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B. Complete the following pyramid with information from the text:

C. Draw your favourite part of the legend

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A. COMPLETE THE K-W-L chart.

What you KNOW about the topic (K), and

What you WANT to know about the topic (W)

K W L

B. Complete the sentences with the words or phrases in the box.

Tasks Page boy Defeated Loot

Punishment Spears Disease

1. If people commit a crime, they deserve _______________.

2. During protests some people _______________ stores or supermarkets.

3. The king ordered his _______________ to serve wine to the visitors.

4. I have several _______________ to do at home, like cleaning or cooking.

5. Alzheimer is a terrible _______________. It destroys people’s minds.

6. In the Ice Age, men killed Mammoths with long _______________.

7. The Chilean national soccer team _______________ Ronaldo’s Portugal in

the Confederations Cup.

Once you have read the biography of “Lautaro”, write

what you LEARNT from it in the ‘L’ column.

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“Lautaro” is the story of a real person’s life written by somebody else. A biography is a non-literary, expository text proceeding chronologically through the stages of a person’s life.

LAUTARO

Lautaro; (circa 1534, Peteroa - 1557) is a legendary figure,

considered one of the most important Mapuche leaders and

warriors during the Arauco War against the Spanish

conquerors. His name comes from ‘Lef’, which in Mapuzugun

means ‘fast’, and ‘Txaru’, which means ‘hawk’. He was an

excellent strategist and had a key role in the war by applying

his knowledge of the Spanish culture in favor of the Mapuche

resistance.

Lautaro was born around 1534, probably near Tirúa, in the Nahuelbuta

Mountain Range. He was the son of an important logko named Kuriñamku

(‘Kuri’ = black, ‘Ñamku’ = Small eagle). At the age of 11, he was taken

prisoner and turned into a ‘yanacona’ (a servant aborigin). After several

years as a prisoner, he became a personal page boy for Pedro de Valdivia

himself. As the Spaniards could not pronounce his name correctly, they

named him Felipe Lautaro.

Among his many tasks as a servant, Lautaro was in charge of Pedro de

Valdivia’s horses and he accompanied the conqueror in battles and military

exercises. This experience gave him great knowledge of the Spanish culture,

and he learnt not to fear the horses, he also learnt how to ride a horse

until he became a good rider, and he watched the battle exercises of the

Spaniards, learning from Valdivia their military tactics and strategies.

In 1550, Lautaro witnessed the cruel punishments inflicted to the native

population after the battles of Andalién and Penco as an example to avoid

future rebellions. This fact had a great impact on him, and he decided to

escape and join his people.

In 1553, after abandoning the Spaniards, Lautaro appeared as the main

leader in the Battle of Tucapel – he was appointed Toki (Main Chief in

Biography

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times of war). With thousands of his peers, he destroyed the Tucapel

fortress. Besides, this also resulted in Pedro de Valdivia’s death. This was a

big success for the Mapuche warriors. After the victory in Tucapel, Lautaro

became highly respected and he assembled a great army with the help of

other mapuche communities.

In February 1554, Lautaro showed his leadership and talents again at the

Battle of Mariweñu, where they crushed the Spanish soldiers under the

command of Francisco de Villagra. This allowed them to continue to

Concepción, which was looted and burned to ashes the same year.

In 1555, Lautaro and his army destroyed Angol because its inhabitants

escaped to La Imperial, and the Mapuche warriors continued to Concepción

where they defeated the Spaniards again and destroyed it a second time.

During these years, some diseases brought by the Spanish people and the

lack of food because of the war affected the mapuche population. This

meant a decrease in the intensity and frequency of the battles. However,

Lautaro started combat again in 1556 in order to reach his main objective

– the total expulsion of the Spanish from the central area of our country.

In his attempt to arrive in Santiago, he could only get to the northern bank

of the Maule river, but he had to retreat after a defeat in the Peteroa

Battle.

Finally, on April 30, 1557, Lautaro found his death at the Battle of

Mataquito, where the leader established a ‘malal’ or fortress. A group of

Spanish conquerors and about 1000 yanaconas attacked Lautaro and his

men by surprise. When he was coming out of his ruka, a spear went

through his body and ended his existence. He was betrayed by a

Promaucae native, who told the Spanish about his position in Mataquito.

The body of Lautaro was dismembered and his head was placed in a spear

and shown at the Main Square in Santiago for a long time.

With Lautaro’s death, his figure was catapulted to legendary heights in the

hearts of his people, and got the respect of his enemies. He is definitely

one of the most prominent characters in Mapuche and Chilean history.

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A. Answer these questions:

1. What tasks did Lautaro have to do as a servant of Pedro de Valdivia?

2. Why did the Spaniards call him Felipe Lautaro?

3. What does the underlined phrase ‘This fact’ refer to?

4. What is the 10th paragraph about? Summarize.

5. What year was Lautaro taken prisoner and turned into a yanacona?

6. How old was Lautaro when he died?

B. Chronological Order: Complete the chart with the correct information

about Lautaro’s life.

YEAR / DATE EVENT(S)

ca. 1534

1550

1553

February 1554

1555

1556

April 30, 1557

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Before you read the following text, guess if the

sentences are true or false.

A. Name what gods or concepts these people believe in:

CATHOLICS:

BUDDHISTS:

ISLAMISTS:

MAPUCHE:

B. Go to the dictionary or the web and find out what WORLD VIEW means.

Write the definition in the space below.

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

C. Write ‘Yes’ on the space if the information is correct and ‘No’ if it is

incorrect.

1. _______ There is only one belief among all the mapuche communities.

2. _______ The mapuche world view can be taught using the kultxüg.

3. _______ They believe in many spirits, and a Divine Family.

4. _______ They think there are four ‘lands’ or dimensions.

5. _______ For them, the circle is important, starting from the North.

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“The Mapuche World View” tells us about how people understood the world they lived in.

MAPUCHE WORLD VIEW Understanding the mapuche world view implies understanding their whole

culture. One of the most important ideas in their point of view is that the

natural and the supernatural worlds coexist, because the mapuche people

assume that the latter is as real and tangible as the former. In the

mapuche culture, everything is understood as a duality – there is ‘Anthü’,

the sun, and ‘Küllem’, the moon; there is man, and there is woman; there is

the old man and the child. And most important is the belief that human

beings are part of the earth, and people live in harmony and balance with

it.

Before looking into the mapuche spirituality, it is important to notice that

when describing the religious tradition of the mapuche people there are no

written records of the old legends and myths, since their world view was

transmitted orally. This means that their beliefs are not totally

homogeneous among the different ‘Lof’ or communities.

The world view in the mapuche religious thought can be taught using the

‘Kultxüg’ and can be summarized in two planes: a vertical plane, which is

spiritual, and a horizontal plane, which is earthly.

The Vertical Plane In general terms, in the vertical plane

(fig. 1) the mapuche people describe the

‘Wall Mapu’ or ‘all the land’ where they

identify the existence of a central earth

and two other dimensions or levels.

The central earth’s name is ‘Nag Mapu’,

which is the visible space where human

beings and nature inhabit. The ‘Wenu

Mapu’, above the Nag Mapu, is the sacred and invisible space where the

divine family, the good spirits and the ancestors live, and which

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corresponds to the dimension of goodness. The third dimension is the

‘Miñche Mapu’ – the underworld – which is below the Nag Mapu and is the

space where the bad spirits or evil forces live. These are the three

dimensions which shape the structure of the mapuche universe in the

vertical plane.

It is important to notice that the Wenu Mapu is depicted in the kultxüg as

the sacred space where the sun, the

moon, the stars and the Divine Family

dwell. ‘Kuse’ or old woman, ‘Fücha’ or

old man, ‘Ülche’ or young woman, and

‘Weche’ or young man (Fig. 2) compose

the family that reproduces the Nag

Mapu, and also reproduces itself in the

mapuche family on earth. This means

that the elder give their wisdom and

knowledge to the young people, and they, in turn, hand over what they

learnt from the elder to the new generations.

The Horizontal Plane In the horizontal plane of the world

(fig. 3) – represented by the

rawhide of the kultxüg – we have

the ethical and spatial orders.

This space is the world as it is –

the Nag Mapu or ‘the land we

walk’. It is the earth and its

division in the four cardinal points.

The mapuche people give the four

cardinal points a hierarchical order

of opposition between good and evil. They are oriented in a circular shape

starting from the East counterclockwise. They always start at the ‘Puel

Mapu’ or the East, which is the place of the gods, the good spirits, their

ancestors and the divine help. Then we have the ‘Pikun Mapu’ or the North,

which is a place of bad luck. Afterwards, we have the ‘Lhafkenh Mapu’ or

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the West, where the spirits of evil dwell, and finally the ‘Willi Mapu’ or the

South, which is a place of good luck. According to some specialists, the

negative representation of the North and the West is associated to negative

historical events. The Inca and the Spanish invasions arrived from the north,

and some tsunamis (coming from the west) devastated the coastal villages.

This understanding of the four points also regulates the ceremonies and

rituals of the mapuche people – such as the ‘Ngillatun’ or rogation

ceremony – starting from the East and moving counter-clockwise to the

South. In the rituals where there is dancing, the dancers follow the same

direction. Time is also perceived as the eternal return of the circle to the

East around the ‘Rewe’ or sacred Tree, which represents the centre of the

world. Even the ‘Ruka’, or house, is built following the same pattern, starting

from the door from East to West.

Colour Symbology Finally, among the mapuche people the

colours of earthly nature have been

intimately related to their world view and

its platforms.

White and Blue – in its three hues:

violet, dark blue and light blue –

represent the four natural colours of the

sky and the clouds. They are the best

colours for daily use in clothing, make-

up, and decorations. They are also used in rituals, and they are the main

emblems for the ‘Machi, and the Gillatun. Black symbolizes night, darkness,

witchcraft, the bad spirits, and death. Red is war and blood, and it is

prohibited at the Gillatun, which is a ritual for social cohesion and

fraternity. However, red also has a positive connotation, since it is related

to the flowers, especially the Copihue. Finally, Green symbolizes Earth and

Nature in all its splendour. It is a symbol of fertility.

The Earth in this culture is divided as a projection of the symbology of

colour of the natural and supernatural worlds (Fig. 3). The East and the

South are associated to Blue and/or White for the platform of good. The

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North and the East are associated to the platform of evil, and the centre

of the Earth is associated to the green of the natural world.

As it can be seen, the world view of the Mapuche Culture is a dual one,

where good and evil coexist on earth, not as a fusion but as a dynamic

interplay.

A. Answer the following questions about the text:

1. How many planes does the Mapuche world view have? Name them.

2. What is the second paragraph about?

3. What do the expressions ‘the latter’ and ‘the former’ in line 4 refer to?

4. If you are wearing a black jacket, a red shirt and blue jeans, Can you

go to a Gillatun? Why?

5. What does the underlined word ‘which’ in line 21 refer to?

6. What is the main idea of this text?

B. SUMMARY CORRECTION: read the following summary of the text and

correct the mistakes:

“The mapuche believe the natural world and the supernatural world are

separate. Their world view can be divided in three dimensions. In the

vertical plane, they have the four cardinal points, and in the horizontal

plane, there are three spaces. Finally, colours are associated to the

cardinal points. Black, for example, is good and is associated to the East

and South.”

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C.- Complete the following chart with information from the text.

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A. Before you read the following text, what do you know about these

topics:

Gillatun mapuche families Mapuzugun mapuche games

Talk to your partner and compare your answers.

B. Write “Yes” on the space if you think the information is correct and

“No” if it is incorrect.

1. _________ The community has a gillatun every year.

2. _________ They celebrate the New Year’s Day in June.

3. _________ There is a machi in the community.

4. _________ All the members speak Mapuzugun.

5. _________ They have more than one writing system.

6. _________ Their ancestors lived in Frutillar.

7. _________ Their surname, Paillahueque, has a meaning.

8. _________ They teach children different aspects of their culture.

C. Now read the text on the next page and check your answers.

Before you read about the Ancestral Paillahueque

Lof, guess if these sentences are true or false.

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This is a non-fiction text. It provides information about a mapuche community in Alerce village. You will also read an interview to the members of this community.

ANCESTRAL PAILLAHUEQUE LOF

On a cold winter evening, we got

to the ruka where the local

mapuche community called

Ancestral Paillahueque Lof usually

gather for different activities. Lof

is the word to refer to a mapuche

family living in the same place.

This mapuche-williche family living

in Alerce village had kindly invited

us in order to tell us how they

live, where they come from, what

they do and what being a

mapuche means.

We all sat round the fire, which

was burning in the middle of the

ruka. We could feel the warmth

of the flames and the warmth of the people who kindly shared some dried

apple chips, known as orejones, and mate. As soon as the logko arrived,

we started talking about their daily life. The word Logko, means “head”

and it is also used to refer to the leader of a mapuche community. They

were not wearing their traditional clothes this time though, but they always

do when they celebrate some rituals or carry out special public activities.

Mapuche ceremonies In the course of a year, the community may have different traditional

rituals such as the gillatun, the we txipanthü, or a machitun. A gillatun is a

rogative which they perform whenever they feel there is a necessity in the

community. For example, when they want a good harvest, good weather 25

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conditions or they wish for the spiritual well-being of all its members. Their

last gillatun was performed after the last eruption of Calbuco volcano on

22nd April, 2015. They asked for the welfare of all the people in the area. A

gillatun may also be celebrated whenever the logko of the community calls

for it. this means he has has a deam in which the spirits have told him

when to do so.

Another ceremony is the one called We Txipanthü which is the mapuche

New Year’s Day and it is celebrated on 24th June. This is the only

celebration that has a fixed date in the community.

The mapuche people also practise some healing rituals, which are

performed by a machi, who is a person that has a connection with the

spirits and with nature. The Paillahueque lof community does not have a

member who has this role, so they have to call a machi from another

place. He comes to the ruka and performs two kinds of rituals: a machitun

and a lepuntun. The former is done when he wants to heal a person from

an illness, and the latter is carried out in order to heal people spiritually.

The machi has a health programme which could be a complement to the

traditional medicine given by doctors. In fact, this lof suggested the

National Health Service to implement this programme as alternative

medicine to heal people, but there is some resistance to this view on the

part of doctors.

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Nguillatuwe in Alerce, after the ritual.

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The language One of the members of this community teaches their language in a public

school in the area and she states the difference between the terms

Mapuzugun and Chezugun. She says that the first one is the language of

the land (mapu=land and zugun= language) used by the machi to talk to

all living beings in nature. And Chezugun is the language used by the

people to communicate among them (che=people and zugun=language).

She says that they wish they could all speak Mapuzugun – that is, speak

with mother land. She adds that there is a decree of the Ministry of

Education to teach the subject “Mapuche Language and Culture”, but for

this, 20 per cent of the students in a school must have a mapuche origin.

In spite of this, the new generations are revitalising the language in the

Llanquihue province, but it has not been an easy task, since most of the

native speakers were exterminated through time. This community has made

several proposals to the City Council of Puerto Montt in order to preserve

and teach their language, but there has not been a concrete answer in this

regard. They say that communities in our country today are discussing the

writing system to be used and told us that there are 33 different systems

that major mapuche families have created to represent their sounds, but

the Ministry of Education have adopted the Azümchefe, proposed by

CONADI, in their textbooks. The teacher in this lof uses the Unified Writing

System because she says it is more similar to the Spanish writing system

and, therefore, it is easier for children to learn it.

Their history We asked them a little bit about their history, and this is what they said:

Are you all just one family or do you belong to different families?

We are all direct descendants from a cacique who lived in Frutillar, Juan

Paillahueque, and who was killed in 1916. There are other mapuche people

around, but they are not relatives and they are not interested in keeping

their traditions. In this lof, we are all relatives and we make alliances with

other families. This means that if a member of this family marries a

person from another mapuche lof, he or she becomes part of this

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community, too. We get to know each other because of the names.

Surnames have a meaning. They represent the things or the animals of

the place where a family lives.

And what does your surname mean?

Well, hueque is the mapuche name for a kind of guanaco that existed in

the area. And pailla means tamed, quiet or wise. So literally paillahueque

means ‘tamed guanaco’. And this describes our family because we consider

ourselves quiet, wise and we love home life.

How long has this lof been here in Alerce?

We have been here for more than twenty years now, working actively as a

mapuche community, but in 2010 we were obliged to become a legal

organisation. In that way, we can plan projects and apply for different

resources, even though these are scarce. We also seek for recognition of

our rights as indigenous people who are native to this land.

What type of recognition do you expect from the authorities?

We hope they can accept that we have rights to the land that our great-

grandfather had when he was killed. Through time, the Chilean governments

have taken our lands. The mapuche people became tenant of their own

land; in the end, they were expelled.

The Chilean government gave the German settlers a piece of land, building

materials and animals, and we expect to have, at least, the same from the

state. If we could return to our great-grandfather’s land, we could recover

our energy (newenh). That is a never-ending fight we will have. Through

violence, they forced us to acquire the language we speak now. The

different governments have passed different laws to benefit the mapuche,

but nothing has actually been done. We seek to revitalise our whole

culture.

What are you doing for that?

We have opened our space to the local community. We sometimes invite

students to our ruka and we teach them how to make tortillas or clay

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pots. They often think that rukas exist only in the ninth region and they do

not know that there is one near their homes. They also think that our

traditional clothes are costumes, maybe because their parents have taught

them about that. We sometimes invite other native speakers to teach them

our language, tell them stories and children feel happy about this because

they usually see all these as elements of a distant culture, and they realise

they can learn them near their school. Teachers at their school have also

proposed to build a ruka in their yard, but that is not possible because it

is part of our cultural heritage which does not belong to them.

Do you play your traditional games?

Yes, we play two kinds of games: palin and linao. Palin is similar to

hockey and it is played barefoot with a curved stick called wiño. We have

20 wiños to play in teams. These sticks are also used in some traditional

ceremonies. And linao is a mixture of rugby, handball and basketball. The

ball is made of wet kelp and it is the same size as the handball.

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A. Answer these questions using the information in the text.

1. What are “orejones”?

2. When do the mapuche community wear their traditional clothes?

3. In what year was the last gillatun performed?

4. Do they have a specific date for all their ceremonies?

5. What is special about a machi?

6. What is a lepuntun?

7. Do doctors support the use of mapuche medicine?

B. Write these mapuche words next to their meanings according to the

information in the text.

Wiño Lof Linao Newenh Chezugun

Azümchefe Machitun Logko We txipanthü

1. leader of the community. ………………………………………..

2. new year’s day ………………………………………..

3. language of the people ………………………………………..

4. healing ceremony ………………………………………..

5. one of the mapuche writing systems ………………………………………..

6. family or mapuche community ………………………………………..

7. mapuche ball game ………………………………………..

8. energy ………………………………………..

9. curved stick to play palin. ………………………………………..

37

THE MAPUCHE AND THE LOCAL

As with every human activity, the mapuche people also continue to evolve

and develop in different ways, according to their environment and the

context around them, looking for symbols that reflect their unique and local

identities. Just like a Chilean person from Santiago is not the same as a

person from Puerto Montt, the mapuche communities share common

customs and traditions, but they have also created, adapted or integrated

different and singular aspects of their contexts into their culture.

On the previous pages, we have shown various aspects of mapuche people

which are common to them no matter the geographical areas where they

live. In the next section, we will describe ways in which local mapuche

people have created their own identity by either having their own flag, that

represents their community, or by using a different musical instrument that

distinguishes their music from other groups.

Mapuche flags On page 5 of this book, you were shown the Mapuche Flag called

Wenufoye, which was created in 1992 after a call carried out by the

Council of All Lands. Apart from the Wenufoye, other flags were created on

that date to represent the different mapuche territories in Chile, such as

the Williche (willi=south, che= people) flag (fig 1).

Apart from the williche flag (fig. 1), you can see how the local identity is

symbolised in the flag of the General Council of Chiloé, and the flag of the

mapuche-williche people of Osorno.

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The mapuche banjo or bandio As with the flags, the mapuche also have

slowly incorporated a musical instrument

into their daily life – the banjo.

The banjo was introduced in America by

black slaves coming from Africa in the

17th century to what is now the United

States. It was originally made of a half

pumpkin covered by leather to which a

wooden neck and strings were attached.

This instrument became part of American

folk music in the middle of 19th century.

At that time, the pumpkin had been

changed for a ring covered with a patch

of rawhide on one side. The result of

this was a mixture of a percussion and

string instrument having a neck to which

metal frets were added.

During the early 20th century, the banjo appeared in different musical

events in the South of Chile, especially in the coastal area of Osorno

Province. Due to its attractive sound, the mapuche people started to build

their own banjos. At first, they used an old saucepan, which was covered

with goat rawhide on one side and they added a neck made of wood from

native trees, such as, lingue, mañío or boldo, and strings.

Nowadays, a mapuche banjo is made of a

metal ring having a patch of rawhide of a

sheep, goat or cow in one of the sides,

while the other side remains open. The

neck is installed across the diameter of the

ring (as shown in the picture on the right).

Then the tallpiece and the bridge are fixed to the instrument by using

screws. Next, frets are put into the neck as well as the nut (made of

animal bone or plastic). Then, the tuners are put in it. The mapuche

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banjo has six metal strings which are tuned in the same way as a guitar.

Unlike the acoustic guitar, a pick is used to play the banjo.

Due to the fact that the banjo

can be easily made, it became

popular and accepted as part of

the traditional rituals of the

mapuche people in Osorno and

its surroundings.

As you can see, the mapuche traditions can also change to give way to

new customs and traditions. They may incorporate already known items,

such as the banjo, or they may create new symbols to represent their own

identity, such as the flags. However, these new changes have one and only

objective, which is to bring to light their own way of expressing as a

mapuche community or people – the importance of the local.

A.- COMPARE AND CONTRAST: complete the Venn Diagram. On the left and

right sides of the circles, write the differences between the Wenufoye Flag

and the Williche Flag, and in the centre, write the similarities between them.

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B.- How do the mapuche people differentiate their local identity and culture

from the general culture? Think of four ways in which people do that and

complete the chart.

C. According to the text, what materials are these parts of the mapuche

banjo made of?

Head: ________________________

Tension hoop: ________________________

Neck: ________________________

Nut: ________________________

Tuners: ________________________

D. Answer these questions using the information on the text:

What is the main difference between a Mapuche and an American banjo?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Name one similarity and one difference between a banjo and an acoustic

guitar.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

If a person knows how to play the guitar, can s/he play the banjo? Why?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

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WRITER’S CORNER WRITE A BIOGRAPHY

Write a biography of a Mapuche leader or a famous mapuche person.

Choose someone you want to know more about (e.g. Colo Colo, Cayenel,

etc.).

Your biography should be 5 paragraphs long. Use all the materials you

need (books or the internet).

STEP 1: Research the person

Write questions about this person.

Here are some questions you can

use as a guide to get information

a.- When and where was the

person born?

b.- What are 3 or 4 important

events in this person’s life?

c.- When did these events

happen?

d.- Why were they important?

Write the answers in your

notebook. DO NOT COPY word

for word.

STEP 2: Use a timeline to

organise dates and events.

Organise your information in

chronological order. Then put the

dates and events on a ‘Timeline’.

You may add more events or

dates to the timeline

STEP 3: Write your first draft

a.- Use the biography about

Lautaro on page 21 to help you.

2.- Begin with a strong opening.

b.- Use details to describe

important events.

c.- Use the timeline to put events

in the correct order.

d.- Use the past tense to tell what

happened.

e.- Choose title for your

biography.

f.- WRITE IT DOWN!

STEP 4: Outline

Use the outline given on the next

page to write your biography.

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OUTLINE FOR BIOGRAPHY

STEP 6: PUBLISH YOUR BIOGRAPHY!

1.- If you wrote your biography by hand, rewrite it in your best handwriting,

or type it in the computer and print it.

2.- Write a good title and your name.

3.- Include a picture of the person in the biography.

4.- Hand your biography to the teacher and share with your classmates!

STEP 5: Revise, Edit and

Proofread

Re-read your biography, and

check if you have all the

information, if your grammar is

correct, and if you spelled the

words correctly. If you can, make

changes to improve your draft.

1.- The biography has a strong

opening. YES ____ NO ____

2.- The events are in the correct

order. You used transition words.

YES ____ NO ____

3.- The writer includes details and

adjectives. YES ____ NO ____

4.- The writer gives reasons for

his/her opinions. YES____ NO ____

Good luck with your work! Küme küzaw!

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R E F E R E N C E S

Consejo Nacional de Cultura y Las Artes. (2012) Conociendo la Cultura

Mapuche. Publicaciones Cultura. Santiago, Chile.

Ñanculef, J. (2016) Tayiñ Mapuche Kimün Epistemología mapuche- Sabiduría

y conocimientos. Universidad de Chile. Santiago de Chile.

https://inchewarriache.wordpress.com/cosmovision-mapuche

http://www.newfield.cl/2015/08/27/espiritualidad-y-cosmovision-mapuche

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religi%C3%B3n_mapuche

http://www.mapuche.info/news01/merc000816.html

http://comunidadecologicapenalolen.bligoo.com/content/view/463414/Patrimonio-en-

Penalolen-Ruca-Mapuche.html#.WW-G634vfIU

http://www.icarito.cl/2009/12/247-1821-9-lautaro.shtml

http://www.memoriachilena.cl/602/w3-article-721.html

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lautaro

https://www.veoverde.com/2009/03/la-ruca-mapuche/

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngen-k%C3%BCtral

http://ehamuy.uchilefau.cl/investigaciones/sitio_mapu/significado.htm

http://www.beingindigenous.org/index.php/es/component/content/article/136-

biblioteca/monografias/17138-el-telar-mapuche?start=5

http://www.educarchile.cl/ech/pro/app/detalle?ID=215088

The illustrations on pages 5, 9, 22, 24, 25 of this book were shared by the Ancestral

Paillahueque Lof.

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

This is the second reader written by the authors to develop reading skills

in public schools in Chile. The first one was “Myths and legends from

Chiloé” published in 2014 as a project financed by Dirección de vinculación

con el Medio belonging to Universidad Austral de Chile.

MARCELO ANDRADE YÁÑEZ Professor at Universidad Austral de Chile. He has B.A. in English and a Master’s Degree in Higher Education. He has taught at universities in Puerto Montt in the areas of Phonetics and Phonology, Writing, ELT methodology and ICT. He has also been a teacher trainer for different initiatives carried out by the Chilean Ministry of Education and speaker in some international ELT conferences.

ORLANDO NIETO BURGOS Teacher of English, B.A. in English, B.A. in Education, and Master of Applied Linguistics is a professor at Universidad Austral de Chile, Puerto Montt. With 20 years of experience teaching at high school and university level, he is interested in reading comprehension as a tool to improve quality of education. With this work, he wishes to rescue the identity gathered in his native Puerto Montt.

ISBN: 978-956-390-015-6

ISBN (Digital version): 978-956-390-016-3 Printed in Puerto Montt, Chile

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ISBN: 978-956-390-015-6