WHOLE VOL. ARAUCANIAN CHILD LIFE — HILGER 393 



mudai, was served. Toldos were either shaped Hke an inverted V or 

 were 4-walled, not unlike a lean-to in shape. Both consisted of a 

 framework covered with tanned hides of guanaco, horse, or cattle. 

 Women tanned the hides. Women, too, sometimes painted the inside 

 of the toldo with white or red earth mixed with grease of rhea. Today, 

 in general, dwellings are i- or 2-room gable-roofed houses. They may 

 consist of a framework of poles overlaid with thatch or straw or 

 overlapping boards or shingles, or they may be of logs or slats of 

 wood with bark; or they may be made of the leafy ends of cohhue 

 stalks, with the spaces in between filled with adobe or covered with 

 pieces of tin. 



House furnishings are very meager. Sleeping is usually done on 

 blankets or pelts on the floor; the floor, in general, is the ground. 

 Food is stored in the home dwelling ; other things, in an attached or 

 separate shed. 



In the early da}'s, clothing was woven of guanaco wool. The man's 

 traditional clothing consisted of a chiripe (pants) and a poncho. In 

 general men were barefoot ; ojotas were worn by some. A woman's 

 complete outfit consisted of a kapam (dress), an ekull (shawl) secured 

 with a tapu (stickpin), a headband, silver neck and breast ornaments, 

 and earrings. Women were barefoot. Boys' and girls' clothing fol- 

 lowed the pattern of adults. Today, everyone wears factory-made 

 clothes like those worn by Argentines. 



Clothing was, and is, washed in rivers or creeks ; crushed leaves of 

 chacay are used as a detergent. 



Domestic handicrafts. — Formerly, guanaco wool was spun and 

 woven into clothing and into household and saddle equipment. Today, 

 sheep's wool is used for any weaving done. The traditional spindle 

 is still in use, and spinning is done by women in the traditional way, 

 either while sitting down, standing, or walking. Girls old enough to 

 learn are taught to spin. 



Women do the weaving, also, and teach their daughters as soon as 

 they are old enough to learn to do so. The loom is a rectangular 

 framework of poles, and the weaving is done upward. 



Articles woven today for family use or for sale are ponchos, bed 

 blankets, saddle blankets and saddle bags, throws, and rugs. Occa- 

 sionally designs are woven into articles ; in general, designs have no 

 meaning. 



Guanaco wool was not dyed, but was bleached white when it was 

 desired for borders on shawls ; white clay was used in bleaching it. 

 Sheep's wool is dyed after being spun into yarn by being boiled either 

 in a decoction which contains the dye substance of barks and roots. 



