Mapuches

The term of Mapuche , literally " Populate of Terre" in mapudungun, indicates the communities aboriginals of the zone center-south of the Chile and the Argentine (Royaume of Araucanie and Patagonie), also known under the term fallen in disuse D Araucans .

Population mapuche

According to the official census of 2002, Mapuches account for 4% of the Chilean population (87,3% of the natives), that is to say a little more 600 000 people. Other statistics give a higher number of it. They live mainly in the rural areas of the area of the Araucanía like in the area of the Lakes and the metropolitan region (in other words the capital, Santiago of Chile).

One estimates at approximately 200 000 their number in Argentina, distributed mainly on the province of the Neuquén, but also on those of Río Negro and Chubut. The other populations autochtones of Chile, fewer are Aymara S and Rapa harmed S.

The Communities mapuches

The culture mapuche extended to the communities:

Picunche S (people of north). They lived between the rivers Choapa and Itata. Some as of theirs were integrated into the Empire INCA. Their dialect is known under the name of chilidengu or chilidungun .

Huilliche S (people of the south)

Pehuenche S (people of the Pehuén (apple of the pine), they live in the mountains)

Cunco S

Mapuches (or Araucans , protagonists of the War of Arauco against the Conquistadors)

Puelche S (people of the east)

Poyas

Ranquel S ( Rankul-che : populate canes)

Tehuelche S (or Patagons according to Spanish), for the large majority of Tehuelches of north ( Gününaküna , in tehuelche) and a minority of Tehuelches of the south ( Aonikenk , in tehuelche).

Lafquenche S (people of the coast)

History

Originating in the the Chilean Andes, they propagated their culture with the tribes het and Tehuelche S, of the Pampa to the Argentinian Patagonie, between 18th and the 19th centuries. Neither the Incas nor the Conquistador S succeeded in subjecting them. This formidable resistance inspired the famous poem epic Araucana (1569, 1578 there 1589) of Alonso de Ercilla.

The resistance of Lautaro, which learned the tactics and the strategy soldiers when he was prisoner of the Spaniards, and later the rebellion of Pelantaro in 1602, fixed the military border between Spaniards and Mapuches at the level of the river Biobío. The Spaniards will not risk themselves too much any more in territory mapuche.

About 1880, Argentina and Chile undertook wars of conquest against the Indians (Mapuches and Patagons) who lived in the south of the continent in uncontrolled and not easily penetrable areas. These wars of extermination which made tens of thousands of died among the Indians pursued also another goal: the access to Bi oceanity. Chile wanted to open on the Atlantic by the south and Argentina on the Pacific, there too by the south. Finally, the border was stabilized in its current form at the end of the XIXe century.

After Independence, the autoproclamation of Orélie Antoine de Tounens as a King of Araucanía alarmed the Chilean authorities which feared that this push of independantism divides the country in two geographically. Cornelio Saavedra then undertook the Pacification of Araucanía , a series of military campaigns of conquest and extermination which led to the complete tender of Mapuches in 1882. Mapuches were integrated then little by little into the Chilean nation, even if hearths of resistance continued the armed struggle until the end of the 20th century.

In the Argentinian zone, the pacification carried out by the future Argentinian president Julio Argentino Roca was also cruel.

Culture

At the 16th century, Mapuches or Araucans, organized in separated groups, lives of hunting and fishing and a little agriculture and breeding. Frightening warriors, they have an extreme skill in the handling of the arc, the javelin and the headache. Mapuches lived primarily of agriculture (horticulture). Their culture is of oral tradition and their social and religious control was governed by the Admapu (together of ancestral traditions, laws and standards).

Their language is the Mapudungun literally " spoken about the terre". They practiced a sport rather close to the known Hockey under the name of Palín (or chueca ) which was played with a bent stick.

Social organization

Their social organization turned around the family, they were polygamous. The mapuche families having ancestral family ties lived in communities known under the name of Lof (the basic shape of social organization of the mapuche bringing together several families dividing of the grounds) and directed by a lonko (" tête" in mapudungun). In period of war, they met in groups called Rehue S , composed of several Windward sides and thus formed a group equivalent to that of the tribe. Each Rehue S was directed by a military chief named 'Toqui . In the event of great catastrophes like drynesses, epidemics, enemy invasions, or any other problem which affected most of the territory, many Rehue S met to form gatherings named Aillarehue S and directed then by the Mapu-toqui (military chief of an area in war). Because of fight against the Spanish conquistadores, Mapuche were obliged to form alliances between several Aillarehues. These groups thus formed were called Butalmapu S or Zone of war. The chiefs of Butalmapus were elected by Toquis and were known Spanish like the Gran toqui.

The three Butalmapu S principal are:

Lafquen-mapu : the coast

Lelfun-mapu : the valley

Inapire-mapu : the précordillère

Beliefs and religion

The beliefs of the Mapuche people are based on the worship of the spirits of the ancestors (the spirits Pillán), and of the spirits and/or elements of nature (the spirits Ngen). These spirits do not correspond to " divinités" as one could hear it in the western world. In spite of the d'" number; êtres" present in their beliefs they never set up panthéons with their image as it is the case in other civilizations of Andean origin.

The most important figures are par excellence the Machi (shaman) and the Ngenpin (religious authorities). The beliefs and the Mapuche mites are characterized by single characteristics which belong to their idiosyncrasy.

A ritual festival is named Nguillatun .

The most important myths are, the legend of Trentren Vilu there Caicai Vilu, the spirits Pillán, the spirits Ngen, the Kalku, the Chonchón, the spirits Wekufe S (example: Peuchen), etc

Music

The traditional music is mainly nun, it also exists of many compositions on the Earth Mother (Ñuke Mapu). They use various instruments such as the Cultrún (drum), for a ritual use exclusively, the Cascahuilla (bells), the Pifilca a whistle out of wooden, the Trutruca , a hollow stem of coligüe (kind of bamboo) finished by a horn, or the Torompe (kind of oral toothing-stone).

Mapuches famous

Galvarino

According to the legend the Spaniards would have cut the hands to him but it would have continued the combat after having attached to its arms of the knives.

Caupolican

One of most famous: he was war leader (he was strongest of the tribe: he had carried a tree trunk on his shoulders during 6 days).

Lautaro

He learned the techniques from combat of Spanish whom he taught thereafter with his after being flees.

Colo Colo

He directed several engagements against Spanish in particular the destruction of Santiago and Concepcion.

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