174 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I33 



of a land dispute. The two caciques then planned together how to get 

 the murderer, and how to punish him." Today such disputes are taken 

 to the Chilean civil authorities for punishment or settlement. Also, if 

 land disputes arise between persons from different witran mapu, 

 Chilean civil engineers are hired to establish a boundary. At the 

 Conaripe meeting of February 9, a controversy which had existed for 

 some years past regarding a boundary line between Mapuche in the 

 Conaripe-Lliuco area and those of the Llancahue settlement was dis- 

 cussed. Mapuche on the Llancahue side of the boundary had culti- 

 vated not only the land on their side, but also that adjoining it on the 

 Lliuco side. The men at the meeting decided to hire Chilean engineers 

 to fix the boundary line. 



As previously stated, in recent times the Chilean Government has 

 taken the enforcement of law and order upon itself and, hence, a 

 cacique no longer has these responsibilities. The Araucanian country, 

 like all parts of Chile, has its allotted resident Chilean police guard, 

 the carabineros. Offenses such as theft, destruction of another's prop- 

 erty, and injuries received during quarrels, are reported to them, as 

 are also violations of laws, such as neglecting to keep fences in repair 

 and thereby permitting animals to do damage to crops, or not building 

 prescribed gates in fences that cross bridle paths. They gather evi- 

 dence, hold hearings, and give orders. If their efforts are unsuccessful, 

 reports are sent to authorities at Government seats in the area, and 

 the case is tried by the Chilean courts of justice for Indians (Juzgado 

 de Indios). Such courts were established, within recent years, in the 

 towns of Victoria, Temuco, Nueva Imperial, Pitrufquen, and Valdivia. 

 Murder is reported at once to these seats, and action is taken there. 



FRANCHISE AND TAXES 



An Araucanian man today may, and does, vote in all Chilean elec- 

 tions and affairs, provided he presents a carnet at the polls — that is, 

 an identification card issued by the Chilean Government, a requirement 

 for all voters in Chile. Women possessing a carnet may vote in local 

 elections but not in general elections. No Araucanian woman was 

 known to have voted at any time. Few of them ever leave the area in 

 which they reside. Araucanian men had voted in the 1946 Chilean 

 presidential election. 



A tax is levied against land owned by Araucanians, something the 

 Araucanians find incomprehensible and talk about with animated re- 

 sentment. "I must now pay the Government 1,000 pesos in tax. For 

 years, I have had to pay the Government for land that belongs to me, 



