WHOLE VOL. 



ARAUCANIAN CHILD LIFE — HILGER 



173 



chief ; kura, stone), which he wore suspended from his neck (fig. 4, a), 

 and by an earring (he wore only one) which was distinctly different 

 from those worn by other persons (fig. 4, b). "1 saw a machi [man] 

 wear an iil'me kura. Why he did so I do not know." 



Fig. 4. — Emblems distinguishing a cacique : a. An ul'me kura, a stone worn 

 suspended from the neck of the cacique. (Courtesy Father Sigifredo Fraun- 

 hausl of Panguipulli.) b. Earring. (Courtesy Museo Araucano de Temuco.) 



LAW AND ORDER 



As previously stated, in the early days maintaining order and pun- 

 ishing offenders were duties of the cacique. Quoting informants : "In 

 very early days, if it was positively known that a person was a kalku 

 [witch], the cacique ordered such a person to be killed, my mother told 

 me. He was usually pierced with a lance at the qillatun." "My 

 father who was a cacique saw to it that there was order among his 

 people. Everybody who had a complaint about anything came to him ; 

 complaints were usually about stealing or fighting with either fists or 

 knives. He would threaten punishment, even to having a man shot." 

 "My father was a cacique. I remember when I was a child that some- 

 one was beaten up by my father's nephew. My father ordered both 

 men to come before him. After hearing both sides, he corrected his 

 nephew. If someone was known to have stolen cattle, my father sent 

 for him and told him either to pay for the cattle or return them to the 

 owner." 



If an offense involved persons from the jurisdiction of more than 

 one cacique, joint action regarding both the offender and his punish- 

 ment was taken by the caciques concerned. "A cacique from one 

 witran mapu would go to the cacique in another witran mapu, maybe 

 to tell him of a murder, or maybe of a death caused by witchcraft, or 



