WHOLE VOL. ARAUCANIAN CHILD LIFE — HILGER 4I 



schoolchildren in order to fill in reports demanded by the Chilean 

 department of education. The following given names of men are 

 today surnames of school children in Panguipulli and Coiiaripe areas. 

 Meanings follow, if names lend themselves to translation — some can- 

 not be translated "any more than you can translate John or Joseph." 

 Calif iihuala (blue gulls), Paillaman, Caniu, Caniucura (? stone), 

 Calif uqaru (blue fox), Hueitra, Hueicha, Huaquifilo (land of 

 snakes), Catrifilo (cutting snakes), Neuculfilo (running snakes), 

 Neyeual, Catrihual, Huaiquipan (lance of the lion), Marifilo (ten 

 snakes), Maripan (ten lions), Mashipan, Mariluan (ten guanacos), 

 Coliiluan (guanaco), Namcupan (eagle lion), Namculef, Paillaan, 

 Paillafiamco (the back of the eagle). 



At present schoolchildren and adults frequently follow the Spanish 

 custom of including the mother's name in their surname, as do 

 Chileans. 



NICKNAMES 



A nickname (iiielkachen) is attached to an individual because of 

 an atypical physical trait, a unique similarity to something, or an 

 unusual or amusing event associated with the individual. Nicknames 

 today are both Araucanian and Spanish. Quoting informants: "A 

 boy who lived near us had a harelip; so I nicknamed him Mellfii 

 (harelip), something he resented. That was when we were boys. 

 Maybe I was punished, for now that I am married one of my children 

 was born with a harelip and cleft palate." "My father gave me the 

 nickname Kushe (old woman)," said a teen-age girl ; "he said I acted 

 like my grandmother." 



Teachers told of nicknames of school boys and girls. "Many girls 

 in the school and nearly all the boys have nicknames ; some have sev- 

 eral," said one teacher. "One boy is called Wekufu (devil) ; another 

 Tordo (thrush) ; another Piden (name of a small bird that lives 

 near water). One of the girls is called Perdiz (partridge)." Children 

 in another school enjoyed telling their own nicknames or embarrassing 

 others by telling theirs. One boy was nicknamed Pellifi (the core of 

 a tree) because he was tall and lanlcy; another, Chucao (name of a 

 bird) because he was a good whistler; another Sambo (from a story 

 in a reader) . One boy was called Ojo because he began every sentence, 

 hesitatingly, with "ojo" when he was learning to read; another boy 

 was dubbed Mercurio (mercury) because he was quick of action; 

 another Diablo (devil) because of his mischievousness. A girl was 

 called Zapatallo (small shoe) ; another, Zorzal (a bird's name; also 

 a crafty person). "Whenever we read about that bird, all the children 



