44 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I33 



head of the family and are final. He tolerates no contradiction or 

 questioning of his orders. Women were not displeased about this. 

 During the present study a woman refused to take her place when 

 the family was arranging itself for a kodak picture. The older girls 

 in the family explained that their mother had the old belief that she 

 would die if she allowed herself to be photographed. Her husband 

 tried to explain away her fears, and her children coaxed her, but 

 neither availed. Then, in very angry tones, the husband pointed to 

 her place in the group and ordered her to fill it. She did so. Later I 

 asked her why a man could order a woman to do something against 

 her will. She answered, "That is most certainly a man's right. After 

 all it is he who is the progenitor of the human race, and because of 

 this he has rights to give orders." She harbored no ill feelings because 

 of the rebuff. The same prerogative of a father was recognized by a 

 daughter. A non-Araucanian related the following: "We were out 

 walking and saw an intoxicated Mapuche on horseback with his 

 daughter riding back of his saddle. He kept turning around and strik- 

 ing her in brutal fashion. We chided him for it, to which he replied, 

 'The girl is mine ; I can do with her as I please,' and continued striking 

 her. We told the girl to slide down and go with us ; that we would 

 give her protection. But she replied, 'He is the master ; he can do with 

 us children as he pleases.' " 



No woman admitted when interviewed alone or in the presence of 

 other women that the woman's status is lower than the man's, or that 

 men consider women inferior to themselves. When asked why, then, 

 was a woman so silent in her husband's presence and why did women 

 in gatherings of the people sit together so listlessly and talk only in 

 whispers or not at all, an answer from the spokesman of one group 

 was: "What woman with any training would talk when a man is 

 present to do the talking? Most certainly should women keep still 

 then ! Men are trained from boyhood on to talk." To which another 

 woman added, "We do our talking when men are not around," to 

 which the other women nodded assent and all had a hearty laugh. 



Regarding many things the husband confers with his wife. During 

 numerous interviews a man would confer with his wife regarding 

 details of customs; she often injected bits of information while he 

 was talking, but always in a subdued voice, probably a courteous way 

 of interrupting. On the whole, however, women sat by quietly when 

 men were present ; men did the talking. In no instance did a man 

 suggest that his wife give information; if I asked whether his wife 

 would be willing to do so, he answered that he was willing that she 



