WHOLE VOL. ARAUCANIAN CHILD LIFE — HILGER 193 



50, I and j) or a wilal (pi. 58, i), a netted carrying bag (pp. 234- 

 235) ; occasionally she carries things in her apron. Heavy loads, such 

 as bark or pieces of wood used in dyeing, she carries on her back in a 

 wilal suspended by a headband ; bundles of grain, either in her arms 

 or on her head. 



Men on foot carry things under the arm or slung over the shoulder 

 (pi. 54, 2). Small things they carry in a wilal ; in the early days they 

 also used sacks made of hides. A child is transported for a short 

 distance in its mother's or father's arms. 



Children walk to school. They were seen carrying bundles of wheat 

 on the head (pi. 35, 2) and wood in the arms (pi. 11,5). Little girls 

 transported small children on their backs (pi. 5, j). A boy carried 

 grass for his chicks in his poncho (pi. 7, 2). 



Long distances are generally traveled on horseback, and heavy loads 

 are either carried by horses or are hauled by oxen. Unless the family 

 is very poor, every man and woman and every child old enough to 

 ride owns a riding horse. In Alepue area three families owned no 

 horse ; in Coiiaripe area, two. 



All Araucanians ride horseback astride — adults, in saddles ; children 

 in saddles only when old enough to ride a long distance alone. When 

 playing around on horseback, or on errands in the area, or on short 

 journeys, children usually ride bareback, holding onto the mane. 

 Children too young to sit astride on a horse or to ride a horse alone 

 on long journeys sit in the saddle in front of father or mother or 

 behind their saddle on the horse's buttocks. 



The saddletree is made of wood. (Cf. pis. 12, 2, and 38, 2, for sad- 

 dles.) In order to give the rider security in ascending and descending 

 steep embankments, hills, and mountainsides, the saddle has a bow 

 front and back. Folded sheep pelts are used to cushion the saddle and 

 over these a piece of woven cloth is placed — formerly it was a choa- 

 pino, a thickly woven, hooked and fringed cloth of wool (pi. 59, 5) . An 

 occasional rider uses a choapino today ; in general, those made today 

 are sold, to good advantage, to Chileans who use them as throws. To 

 protect the horse's back, pieces of woolen cloth, tightly woven like 

 ponchos, are placed under the saddle. Belts of horsehide are used to 

 secure the saddle on the horse's back. Stirrups are attached to the 

 saddle with leather bands that can be adjusted to the length of the 

 rider's legs; today these are of wood decorated with carvings (pis. 

 12, 2 ; 38) ; spurs are of metal ; bits, if used, of wood ; reins and head- 

 stalls, of leather. Blinds have never been used. Formerly all metal 

 parts of a man's saddle gear, such as stirrups, spurs, and bits, were of 

 silver, and all leather parts were trimmed with silver, unless he was 



