WHOLE VOL. ARAUCANIAN CHILD LIFE — HILGER 337 



too, SO many young persons today have no faith in the rjillatun ; in 

 fact they pay no attention to anything related to our old ways." 



The cacique who called the people together for the ijillatun is the 

 officiating officer at the ceremony. He is assisted by two men from 

 his jurisdiction, inka or kellu, referred to by informants as captain 

 and sergeant. Other persons of importance are the machi and the 

 four piwichen — two boys in early adolescence and two preadolescent 

 girls. All other persons present, except children, are expected to 

 participate; children are nonparticipant observers. "Children know 

 nothing about things yet ; but they are made to observe everything so 

 they will learn. But today, not even children want to learn the old 

 ways ; it is a pity !" 



Since there is no longer a machi in Quilaquina area, an ordinary 

 woman replaces her. It is she who beats the kultrur). Before the 

 ceremonies begin, each of her hands is painted from knuckles to 

 wrist with three pairs of lines, each pair consisting of a black and a 

 white line. A similar pair of lines is painted across her nose, from 

 cheek bone to cheek bone, and another pair across her forehead from 

 temple to temple. On her head she wears a trariilorjko, a silver orna- 

 ment. The two preadolescent girls (piwichen) are decorated in the 

 same manner; the two boys (piwichen) each have only one black line 

 from cheek bone to cheek bone across the nose. 



The complete ceremonial takes two days. Families arrive at the 

 plot reserved for it on the evening preceding the first day. Each 

 family brings a 2-day supply of food, blankets on which to rest and 

 sleep, and sacrificial family offerings of food. Traditional offerings 

 were wheat, corn, catuto (p. 366), tortilla, an eagle, and mudai 

 (p. 371) ; optional offerings were chickens, sheep, and calves. Today, 

 offerings are usually the traditional obligatory ones, "or whatever 

 the people want to offer." Chicha (piilku) has replaced mudai. An 

 occasional family brings one or two of the optional offerings. The 

 cacique provides the traditional tribal sacrifice, a white horse; or in 

 the event no white horse is obtainable, a roan-colored one. Today a 

 sheep or calf often replaces the horse. Only the blood of animals is 

 sacrificed ; their meat is either eaten, or is thrown into the fire, together 

 with the bones, at the end of the ceremonial to be totally consumed. 

 Dogs must be kept from getting any of either. 



The evening of their arrival, persons sit around until midnight, rest- 

 ing and visiting. At midnight the men plant 3- to 4-foot-tall colihiie 

 stalks in a row approximately 20 yards long. This done, each woman 

 places at the base of a stalk her family offerings of food and also a 



