WHOLE VOL. ARAUCANIAN CHILD LIFE — HILGER 319 



to forty white beans, about the length of the first joint of the thumb 

 from tip to knuckle, are split into halves and the flat side of each half 

 blackened, A throw is spread on the ground, and players squat about it. 

 An informant demonstrated the playing of the game. In the absence of 

 beans, he took buttons from a sewing basket nearby, shook them 

 loosely in his closed hand with fingers downward, saying, "Mariche, 

 mariche, mariche" (lo persons, lo persons, lo persons). — He might 

 have said, "Mari kachu, mari kachu, mari kachu" (20, 20, 20), or 

 "Wewan, wewan, wewan" (I shall win, I shall win, I shall win), or 

 a similar repetition of words. — Without warning he threw the buttons, 

 with some force, upon the throw. The player wins and is awarded the 

 stake when either all the blackened sides or all the white sides of the 

 beans turn up simultaneously. Each player takes his turn. Large 

 stakes formerly included several horses, silver parts of harnesses, and 

 clothing. Today large stakes — rarely played for, however — are a 

 horse, a pig, a sheep, a goat, several chickens, and, on rare occasions, 

 a bridle, or a piece of homespun clothing such as a poncho. Usually 

 today stakes are a bottle of wine, a package of yerba mate or some- 

 thing similar in value bought at a store. Formerly boys staked tops 

 that were spun by hand, which were more highly prized than those 

 spun by means of a cord. 



A hockey game known as chueca (palin) is played today when a 

 goodly number of people from different sections come together. Op- 

 posing teams of six or seven men play. Each player deals a common 

 ball a blow with his hockey stick to get the ball either into the goal of 

 his side or to keep it from the goal of the opposite side. Ground 

 reserved for playing chueca is called lelfiin in all areas except Malleo, 

 where it is called palitun. 



TOYS, IMITATIVE PLAY, PETS 



No informant had had a real doll or even a semblance of one carved 

 of wood or made of grass or rags. Play objects, when old informants 

 were children, generally were things found about the place, such as 

 sticks, stones, or insects, or those that children could make, like tops 

 or miniature pieces of pottery "like my mother made." 



Children, today, too, have few toys, if any. "When my children 

 were babies I gave them a spoon to play with. When they were older 

 they played around outside and amused themselves with whatever they 

 found." A 30-year-old father, however, believed that children should 

 have toys, and therefore he made a 2-wheeled toy (pi. 62, 2) for his 

 4-year-old son, and also smoothed off a cow's knuckle for the boy for 



