﻿42 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  simple 
  and 
  largely 
  utilitarian. 
  How 
  much 
  of 
  their 
  metalwork 
  was 
  

   manufactured 
  locally 
  is 
  hard 
  to 
  say. 
  Artifacts 
  of 
  wood 
  and 
  bone 
  are 
  

   the 
  most 
  characteristic. 
  Among 
  the 
  typical 
  wooden 
  objects 
  are 
  tog- 
  

   gles 
  for 
  llama 
  harnesses, 
  carved 
  snuffing 
  tubes 
  and 
  tablets, 
  spoons, 
  

   knives, 
  and 
  daggers 
  which 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  used 
  as 
  agricultural 
  imple- 
  

   ments, 
  weave 
  swords, 
  spindle 
  shafts 
  and 
  whorls, 
  carved 
  idols, 
  cups 
  or 
  

   goblets, 
  boxes 
  with 
  covers, 
  combs, 
  tubes, 
  drums, 
  and 
  flat 
  slabs 
  which 
  

   are 
  sometimes 
  leather-covered 
  and 
  designated 
  today 
  as" 
  prayer 
  books." 
  

   Bone 
  pins 
  and 
  spatulas 
  and 
  small 
  spoons 
  were 
  decorated 
  with 
  circle 
  

   designs, 
  and 
  common 
  bone 
  counters 
  were 
  probably 
  used 
  in 
  some 
  game. 
  

   The 
  principal 
  weapon 
  was 
  the 
  bow 
  and 
  arrow. 
  The 
  arrows 
  had 
  a 
  

   wooden 
  foreshaft 
  and 
  an 
  attached 
  point. 
  The 
  bola 
  and 
  the 
  spear 
  

   thrower 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  found. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  evidence 
  of 
  large 
  public 
  

   works 
  or 
  of 
  strong 
  political 
  or 
  social 
  organization. 
  In 
  general, 
  the 
  

   position 
  of 
  the 
  Atacameno 
  is 
  intermediate 
  between 
  the 
  Cential 
  Andean 
  

   pattern 
  and 
  Diaguita. 
  

  

  THE 
  ARAUCANIANS 
  

  

  THE 
  ENVIRONMENT 
  

  

  The 
  rift 
  valley 
  of 
  Central 
  Chile 
  is 
  the 
  heart 
  of 
  the 
  contemporary 
  

   country 
  and 
  includes 
  two 
  environmental 
  zones. 
  Northern 
  Middle 
  

   Chile 
  extends 
  from 
  the 
  Rio 
  Aconcagua, 
  north 
  of 
  Valparaiso, 
  to 
  the 
  

   Rio 
  Bio-Bio. 
  Here 
  the 
  valley 
  is 
  flanked 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  by 
  the 
  high 
  

   Andes 
  and 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  Pacific 
  Ocean 
  by 
  a 
  low 
  Coastal 
  range. 
  

   The 
  climate 
  is 
  temperate 
  and 
  the 
  soil 
  fertile. 
  The 
  region 
  was 
  once 
  

   occupied 
  by 
  tribes 
  of 
  Araucanian-s^esiking 
  Indians. 
  Later, 
  the 
  Inca 
  

   invaded 
  the 
  area 
  and 
  extended 
  their 
  Empire 
  as 
  far 
  south 
  as 
  the 
  Rio 
  

   Maule, 
  but 
  their 
  political 
  control 
  was 
  not 
  very 
  secure, 
  and 
  they 
  were 
  

   constantly 
  struggling 
  with 
  the 
  independent 
  Araucanians 
  to 
  the 
  

   south. 
  However, 
  Inca 
  iufluence 
  was 
  great 
  enough 
  to 
  create 
  a 
  marked 
  

   cultural 
  difference 
  between 
  the 
  Araucanians 
  of 
  northern 
  Middle 
  

   Chile 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  southern 
  Middle 
  Chile. 
  The 
  Spaniards 
  were 
  at- 
  

   tracted 
  to 
  the 
  temperate 
  valley 
  and 
  soon 
  replaced 
  the 
  Indian 
  culture. 
  

  

  Southern 
  Middle 
  Chile 
  extends 
  from 
  the 
  Rio 
  Bio-Bio 
  to 
  the 
  Island 
  

   of 
  Chiloe\ 
  The 
  valley 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  formation 
  as 
  ia 
  the 
  north, 
  but 
  

   the 
  climate 
  is 
  decidedly 
  wet, 
  resultiag 
  in 
  a 
  heavy 
  rain-forest 
  cover- 
  

   age. 
  This 
  region 
  was 
  long 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  wilder 
  tribes 
  of 
  Aran- 
  

   canian 
  Indians, 
  who 
  successfully 
  blocked 
  Inca 
  invasion 
  and 
  held 
  off 
  

   the 
  Spaniards 
  for 
  several 
  centuries. 
  Today 
  it 
  is 
  still 
  the 
  homeland 
  of 
  

   the 
  surviving 
  Indians. 
  Further 
  south, 
  the 
  long 
  Chilean 
  Archipelago 
  

   was 
  occupied 
  by 
  primitive 
  fishing 
  and 
  gathering 
  groups 
  which 
  

   show 
  little 
  if 
  any 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  Andean 
  pattern. 
  

  

  THE 
  CULTURE 
  

  

  The 
  numerous 
  Araucanian-speakmg 
  peoples, 
  who 
  once 
  occupied 
  

   most 
  of 
  the 
  Central 
  Chile 
  Valley 
  and 
  who 
  live 
  today 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  Rio 
  

  

  