WHOLE VOL. ARAUCANIAN CHILD LIFE — HILGER 305 



man/ana from manzana (apple) ; fanterra from bandera (flag, 

 banner). Words taken from the Quechua are: lacar (lake, Lacar), 

 neuquen (territory, Neuquen), and patagonia; also chiripe, chilipa, 

 and chilipau, all three meaning pants. La pampa is Guarani. Molinari 

 noted that the Araucanian language as spoken in Neuquen territory, 

 and no other area, has many words accented on the last syllable; he 

 did not believe this to be a dialectic difference but due to Guarani 

 influence, the Guarani language having many words accented on the 

 last syllable. It is a historic fact, Molinari pointed out, that the Arau- 

 canians occupied the region around the delta of the La Plata River 

 over a long period of time ; that while doing so they and the Guarani 

 from the northern tributaries of the La Plata associated freely and 

 carried on considerable trade. 



A 59-year-old Araucanian woman told of the method used by the 

 Argentine army in the early days to teach the Araucanians the Spanish 

 language. "Oyartrun was witness to what I am going to tell you," 

 she remarked ; "he was an old man when he told it to me. I also knew 

 the White man about whom I am going to tell you. The cacique of 

 the lofche [governmental unit, pp. 346-351] of which Oyartrun was 

 a member was Katrikura. These Araucanians were living near the 

 place now called Rio Colorado. A troop of armed White men came 

 upon them and fired their revolvers at them. Our people had only 

 boleodoras and lances ; they fought so well that the Whites had to 

 flee. Our people killed everyone they laid hands on, except one White 

 boy, about 15 years old, whom they took captive. The boy screamed 

 and fought for himself. No one came to his rescue ; his parents had 

 fled with the rest of the Whites. Our men tied the boy's hands to his 

 back and brought him to Katrikura. Katrikura said to the boy, 'What 

 are you doing here ?' But the boy did not understand Araucanian, and 

 therefore could not answer. Katrikura then said to the people, 'We 

 shall keep him and rear him and he will teach us Spanish.' And they 

 learned Spanish from him, and this is how they learned it : An 

 Araucanian would point at water or fire or wood or some other things 

 and say to the boy, 'What is this?' The boy would call it by its 

 Spanish name. And our people would repeat it after him. And this 

 went on for a long time. The boy was growing older, always teaching 

 Spanish. One morning, the cacique took the boy out into the open, 

 just as the sun was rising, and said to him, 'My son, when you are 

 20 or 25 years old, and wish to marry a virtuous Araucanian girl 

 whose father is rich, you may do so.' The boy looked at the cacique 

 and said, 'Very well, father.' — He looked upon the cacique as his 

 father. — The cacique said, 'I will help you ; I will give you land and 



