WHOLE VOL. ARAUCANIAN CHILD LIFE — HILGER 253 



or pick, the wooden spade or shovel, and perforated stones for smash- 

 ing lumps of earth ; today a wooden or metal plow drawn by oxen is 

 the chief implement. Cultivated lands today, as formerly, lie in 

 burnt-over areas or natural glades. Fields are not fertilized but are 

 allowed to lie fallow for one or two seasons. Seeding is done by hand. 

 Both fields and gardens, many believe, should be planted when the 

 moon is waning. Parrots are a pest both at planting and at harvest 

 time. 



Grain is cut with a sickle, unless a small amount is needed before 

 harvest time, in which case ears are plucked by hand, as formerly. 

 Usually harvesting is done by all the family. Formerly threshing was 

 done by persons tramping on ears of grain to the rhythm of songs, or 

 by horses tramping on the ears in an enclosure ; both methods are used 

 today. In Cofiaripe, in 1947, threshing was done by a steam-propelled 

 engine owned by Chileans. Threshing done, an abundant meal is 

 served with an oversupply of chicha. 



Each family plants a good-sized potato patch and a garden of vege- 

 tables ; many gardens have plants used in seasoning. Fruit trees are 

 often found near gardens, and so are flowers. 



In the early days, according to Cooper's sources, domesticated ani- 

 mals were the dog, llama, guanaco, and maybe the guinea pig ; neither 

 bees nor alpacas were kept. At the beginning of the sixteenth century, 

 horned cattle, sheep, pigs, and chickens were owned; and after the 

 middle of the century, the horse. Today domesticated animals are 

 horses, oxen, cattle, sheep, chickens, turkeys, geese, dogs, and cats. 

 Some animals are owned by children. 



Horses, cattle, and sheep are branded to show ownership. These 

 animals are not placed under shelter, but sheep are put into corrals 

 to protect them against pumas. Grazing lands are selected along a 

 water's edge, and are fenced in, as are wheat fields and gardens. 

 Medicinal remedies for sick animals are known. 



Hunting and trapping, according to Cooper's sources, played a 

 minor role in Araucanian economy; they are practically nonexistent 

 today. The bow and arrow, the sling, and the two-balled bolas were 

 used as weapons in the early days; snares, deadfalls, pitfalls, and 

 nets were also used. The puma was hunted with dogs. Old informants 

 described the setting of snares and deadfalls and the making of traps. 



According to Cooper's sources, fish were taken with nets, ponchos, 

 and baskets baited and put under water, fykes, line and hook, spears, 

 clubs, and weirs ; small lagoons and still waters in streams were 

 poisoned. 



Fish and shellfish were, and still are, an important Araucanian 



