﻿Vol. 
  2] 
  ANDEAN 
  HIGHLANDS— 
  BENNETT 
  43 
  

  

  Bio-Bio, 
  are 
  united 
  linguistically 
  but 
  apparently 
  never 
  formed 
  a 
  

   political, 
  physical, 
  or 
  cultural 
  unit. 
  Instead, 
  the 
  Araucanians 
  were 
  

   composed 
  of 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  independent 
  tribes, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  Picunche, 
  

   Mapuche, 
  Huilliche, 
  Pehuenche, 
  and 
  Moluche. 
  A 
  summary 
  of 
  the 
  

   salient 
  features 
  of 
  the 
  Araucanian 
  pattern 
  is 
  difficult 
  because 
  much 
  

   depends 
  on 
  the 
  time 
  period 
  selected. 
  The 
  Araucanian 
  groups 
  have 
  

   been 
  decidedly 
  eclectic, 
  acquiring 
  much 
  from 
  the 
  Inca 
  and 
  perhaps 
  

   pre-Inca 
  peoples, 
  changing 
  radically 
  after 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  Spaniards, 
  

   and 
  continually 
  absorbing 
  new 
  elements 
  of 
  Western 
  civilization 
  today. 
  

  

  In 
  Central 
  Chile 
  there 
  are 
  several 
  passes 
  through 
  the 
  Andes 
  which 
  

   permitted 
  migration 
  and 
  contact 
  with 
  Argentina. 
  The 
  Araucanian 
  

   tribes 
  were 
  once 
  quite 
  similar 
  to 
  the 
  nomadic 
  hunters 
  of 
  Patagonia. 
  

   They 
  depended 
  largely 
  on 
  hunting, 
  fishing, 
  and 
  gathering 
  for 
  subsist- 
  

   ence; 
  used 
  skin 
  clothing; 
  lived 
  in 
  skin 
  tents 
  or 
  shelters; 
  and 
  were 
  

   organized 
  on 
  a 
  hunting 
  basis. 
  Undoubtedly, 
  some 
  influences 
  from 
  

   the 
  Central 
  Andes 
  reached 
  them 
  in 
  pre-Inca 
  times. 
  However, 
  many 
  

   of 
  the 
  cultural 
  features 
  by 
  which 
  the 
  Araucanians 
  are 
  classified 
  in 
  

   the 
  Highland 
  pattern 
  were 
  firmly 
  established 
  only 
  after 
  the 
  Inca 
  

   conquest. 
  The 
  Inca 
  actually 
  conquered 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  Araucanian 
  

   tribes; 
  others 
  withdrew 
  southward 
  but 
  still 
  received 
  considerable 
  in- 
  

   fluence. 
  The 
  resulting 
  culture 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  Spanish 
  Conquest 
  

   was 
  a 
  mixture 
  of 
  the 
  Archipelago 
  or 
  Patagonian 
  with 
  the 
  Central 
  

   Andean. 
  In 
  general, 
  the 
  groups 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  were 
  closer 
  to 
  the 
  An- 
  

   dean 
  pattern, 
  those 
  in 
  the 
  rain 
  forests 
  of 
  southern 
  Central 
  Chile 
  closer 
  

   to 
  the 
  hunting-fishing 
  pattern. 
  

  

  Most 
  of 
  the 
  Andean 
  domesticated 
  plants 
  were 
  known 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  

   of 
  the 
  Conquest. 
  Although 
  both 
  men 
  and 
  women 
  participated 
  in 
  

   agricultural 
  activities, 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  was 
  left 
  to 
  the 
  women. 
  

   Planting 
  and 
  harvesting 
  were, 
  however, 
  communal 
  labor. 
  Cultiva- 
  

   tion 
  was 
  done 
  with 
  weighted 
  digging 
  sticks, 
  stone 
  shovels, 
  and 
  rakes. 
  

   In 
  the 
  north 
  some 
  irrigation 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  practiced, 
  while 
  in 
  the 
  

   southern 
  forests 
  the 
  slash-and-burn 
  techniques 
  were 
  employed 
  and 
  

   there 
  was 
  no 
  use 
  of 
  terraces 
  or 
  fertilizers. 
  Llamas 
  were 
  introduced 
  by 
  

   the 
  Inca. 
  Fishing 
  and 
  the 
  gathering 
  of 
  pifion 
  nuts, 
  numerous 
  wild 
  

   roots, 
  berries, 
  and 
  greens 
  were 
  always 
  important 
  subsistence 
  activi- 
  

   ties. 
  Coca 
  was 
  chewed, 
  and 
  tobacco 
  was 
  smoked 
  in 
  T-shaped 
  pipes. 
  

  

  The 
  weapons 
  followed 
  the 
  hunting 
  pattern: 
  bows 
  and 
  arrows, 
  

   bol 
  as, 
  spears, 
  flat 
  clubs, 
  slings, 
  and 
  bone 
  daggers. 
  The 
  warriors 
  used 
  

   skin 
  armor, 
  shields, 
  and 
  helmets. 
  The 
  Araucanians 
  were 
  always 
  

   fierce 
  and 
  organized 
  fighters 
  who 
  put 
  up 
  stiff 
  resistance 
  first 
  to 
  the 
  

   Inca 
  and 
  later 
  to 
  the 
  Spaniards. 
  Killing 
  of 
  captives 
  and 
  victory 
  

   celebrations 
  were 
  standard 
  practices. 
  

  

  In 
  contrast 
  to 
  the 
  Central 
  Andean 
  pattern, 
  water 
  transportation 
  

   was 
  well 
  developed, 
  including 
  dugout 
  canoes, 
  special 
  boats 
  built 
  of 
  

   planks, 
  and 
  reed 
  balsas. 
  After 
  the 
  horse 
  was 
  introduced, 
  Arauca- 
  

   nians 
  became 
  skilled 
  riders. 
  

  

  