156 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I33 



Although all informants were willing to tell about the evil effects 

 of black art, no one was found willing to discuss the manner in which 

 it was performed — probably because of lack of knowledge or of fear 

 of being suspected of being a kalku. When a man more than lOO 

 years old was asked about the manner of exercising witchcraft, there 

 was much quiet laughter and exchange of glances among listening-in 

 relatives, men, women, and children, and remarks were made in under- 

 tones in Araucanian. After some hesitation the old man said, "A 

 kalku can be either a man or a woman. Kalku are wicked persons. I 

 do not want to be asked anything more about them. I do not believe 

 in them." Skeptical persons said that they had no belief in the powers 

 of the kalku but noted that certain things that happened to persons and 

 fields could hardly be explained otherwise. Even non-Araucanians 

 remarked about this. Said one, "I myself saw a wheat field in Pucura 

 withering away while adjoining fields were producing a crop. The 

 Mapuche said that they had found rotten eggs in it; that these had 

 been treated with witchcraft." Said another non- Araucanian in an- 

 other area: "It is really true that an entire field sometimes becomes 

 yellow, while adjoining fields stay green. How this can happen I 

 have never been able to explain to myself." 



A non-Araucanian teacher told the following as an example of 

 transfer of misfortune through black art: "I have walked through 

 pastures and woods with children. Invariably when we see a handker- 

 chief or a piece of cloth — maybe it will be lying on a hedge or on a 

 thornbush, or be caught in a fence — the children say, 'Do not touch 

 that! Do not touch that! Somebody put it there to do you harm!' 

 They believe that it is bewitched with the misfortune of someone and 

 that anyone who takes it will receive the misfortune of that person, 

 and that then the other person will be rid of it. I have seen such 

 pieces of cloth or handkerchiefs rot away because everyone believes 

 this." 



CONJURING 



Conjuring is ascribed to the machi, but occasions for resorting to it 

 seem few. In the early days it was done at a machitun only ; today it 

 is resorted to during the machitun (cf. pp. 115-121 for the machitun), 

 and also while the machi smokes or dreams. "I know of an occasion," 

 said an old man, "in which a machi changed her spirit into a sparrow 

 hawk (llelleqkeii) ; she might have chosen any favorite animal. Here 

 is what happened: A woman here [in Chile] was told by another 

 woman that her (the first woman's) husband, who was in Argentina, 

 had died. The first woman wanted to know whether this was true. 



