62 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I33 



could be better seen — it being a warm day she had already removed her 

 shawl. She resented the request, said something about modesty, 

 scolded, straightened her apron, put on her shawl and pinned it prop- 

 erly (the kapam was nearly completely covered by now!), shooed 

 away the children, posed, and said, "Bueno!" One day in Alepiie 

 area a man galloped along the Pacific beach on horseback to catch up 

 with me to say that an airplane had come within five yards of the 

 ground where he happened to be examining a fence; in fact, it was 

 so close that he could see the man sitting in the cockpit — something 

 he had not expected to happen in his lifetime. He was filled with 

 surprise and excitement. His horse, with head high, snorted. The 

 setting was perfect for a photograph. When asked to halt a moment 

 to have his picture taken, he answered, "Nothing doing! Nothing 

 doing ! Not in this torn pants." (His pants at the knees showed four 

 distinct layers of patches.) He swung his horse around, called once 

 more with emphasis, "Not in this old pants !" and galloped away. 



FRIENDSHIPS 



Sincere and lasting friendships existed. Close friends were usually 

 relatives. "I have noticed that always two women who are particular 

 friends are related," said a non-Araucanian ; "the same is true of 

 men." A 21 -year-old man wanted his 24-year-old distant relative in a 

 photograph with himself. "He is my best friend," he remarked. "I 

 ask him for things sometimes, and he gives them to me; he seldom 

 asks me for anything, for he is richer than I am. We also ask to use 

 each other's things. He and I are not like brothers ; we are best 

 friends. Everybody has a special friend." It was noted, however, that 

 an occasional man and woman did not have a very close friend. 



Occasionally in former times two unmarried men, or two married 

 men and their families, gave expression to their mutual friendship 

 in a get-together known as konchotun ; if the expression of friendship 

 was one between two women or a woman and a man, it was called 

 mechatun. (Cf. also Cooper, 1946, pp. 727, 743.) Essential character- 

 istics of both konchotun and mechatun were sincere mutual respect and 

 the presentation of a lamb or sheep by one friend to the other followed 

 by eating together an ample meal — not the lamb or sheep received as 

 a gift, but one supplied by the recipient. 



An informant described a konchotun between two men as follows : 

 "This is done only where deep, deep friendship exists. A man will 

 bring a lamb or a sheep to his friend as a gift. The friend accepts 

 the animal but slaughters one of his own lambs or sheep and prepares 



