WHOLE VOL. ARAUCANIAN CHILD LIFE — HILGER 22$ 



for 3 or 4 years in boarding schools did not keep them from wearing 

 the kapam as adult women, noted the interpreter. "I have noticed, 

 too," she added, "that as soon as they marry, they wear the kapam. 

 One young woman told me recently that, in any event, the lopam was 

 more comfortable." Girls of school age wore modern dresses, unless 

 they came from very isolated areas, in which case they wore the 

 kapam ; older ones wore calico dresses ; younger ones, either calico or 

 jumperlike knitted ones. (Pis. 5> 3) 7> ^> 3 > '^'^> ^'> i/O 



Children are barefoot. If shoes are owned they are usually worn 

 only at church services and when going to Chilean towns. One little 

 Alepue girl wore her sister's shoes to school, "because I have a cold." 



Women today who own traditional silver accessories and ornaments 

 quite evidently wear them with a feeling of distinction. (Pis. 27, 55.) 



Fig. 6.— Women's earrings. (Courtesy Museo Araucano de Temuco.) 



They are highly prized, and are always worn at festivals, "or when 

 the Mapuche meet in large crowds anywhere." At a festival in 

 Alepue area, nine women, probably older than 50, who wore silver 

 ornaments were pointed out by other women as being dressed in the 

 "real Mapuche way of old times." With few exceptions, silver orna- 

 ments were heirlooms, and in nearly all instances had belonged 

 to an old relative of the owner, usually the woman's mother. "All 

 these on my head were given to my mother when she was a young 

 girl." Silver things worn by women were stickpins, safety pins, large 

 ornamental pins, ear pendants, headbands, and head ornaments. (Cf. 

 pp. 59-61 for personal adornments.) 



Clothes are washed on flat rocks or on wooden slats in running 

 water found near the ruka, usually the same brook from which drink- 

 ing water is obtained, but below the source of the drinking water. 

 Women and older girls do the washing, with, occasionally, a boy of 

 school age helping. Several hours previous to washing, things to be 

 washed are soaked in water at home, and soap, if there is any, is added. 

 In most areas the water is soft, and even non-Araucanians used 



