﻿44 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  Pottery 
  was 
  everywhere 
  simple, 
  but 
  proceeding 
  from 
  north 
  to 
  south 
  

   it 
  becomes 
  cruder 
  and 
  has 
  less 
  ornamentation. 
  At 
  first 
  only 
  bark 
  

   and 
  llama 
  wool 
  were 
  available 
  for 
  weaving. 
  Only 
  after 
  the 
  intro- 
  

   duction 
  of 
  sheep 
  did 
  weaving 
  become 
  truly 
  important. 
  In 
  Colonial 
  

   and 
  modern 
  times 
  the 
  Araucanians 
  have 
  been 
  noted 
  silversmiths, 
  

   but 
  metallurgy 
  probably 
  does 
  not 
  predate 
  the 
  Inca 
  conquest. 
  

   Many 
  artifacts, 
  such 
  as 
  bowls 
  and 
  spoons, 
  were 
  carved 
  of 
  wood. 
  

   Basketry 
  was 
  well 
  developed, 
  and 
  skin 
  tanning 
  was 
  a 
  leading 
  craft. 
  

   The 
  Central 
  Andean 
  pattern 
  of 
  dress 
  replaced 
  the 
  earlier 
  skin 
  cloth- 
  

   ing, 
  and 
  was 
  itself 
  replaced 
  by 
  European 
  clothing. 
  In 
  general, 
  dress 
  

   was 
  always 
  simple. 
  No 
  footgear 
  was 
  used, 
  and 
  there 
  were 
  few 
  dis- 
  

   tinctions 
  in 
  class, 
  occupational, 
  or 
  ceremonial 
  garments. 
  However, 
  

   face 
  and 
  body 
  painting 
  was 
  common. 
  

  

  The 
  thatched-roof 
  houses 
  were 
  oval 
  or 
  rectangular 
  in 
  ground 
  plan 
  

   and 
  built 
  of 
  stone, 
  wattle-and-daub, 
  adobe, 
  or 
  planks. 
  Some 
  were 
  of 
  

   large 
  size 
  with 
  many 
  occupants. 
  Villages 
  were 
  composed 
  of 
  from 
  

   three 
  to 
  eight 
  houses 
  arranged 
  in 
  a 
  spread-out 
  pattern. 
  Cooperative 
  

   labor 
  was 
  a 
  feature 
  in 
  house 
  building, 
  but 
  there 
  were 
  none 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  

   construction 
  units 
  which 
  characterize 
  the 
  Central 
  Andean 
  pattern. 
  

  

  Villages 
  were 
  composed 
  of 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  extended 
  families 
  (kugas), 
  

   each 
  of 
  which 
  had 
  a 
  head 
  man. 
  The 
  village 
  recognized 
  a 
  chief. 
  

   Position 
  and 
  inheritance 
  followed 
  patrilineal 
  descent 
  from 
  father 
  to 
  

   son. 
  Standard 
  marriage 
  was 
  by 
  purchase, 
  but 
  a 
  mock 
  ceremony 
  of 
  

   bride 
  capture 
  was 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  ceremony. 
  Important 
  men 
  were 
  

   polygynous. 
  The 
  political 
  organization 
  was 
  based 
  on 
  the 
  village 
  unit. 
  

   Each 
  village 
  had 
  its 
  hereditary 
  chief, 
  who 
  was 
  controlled 
  by 
  a 
  council 
  

   of 
  elders. 
  The 
  villages 
  of 
  a 
  district 
  were 
  also 
  ruled 
  by 
  a 
  higher 
  chief. 
  

   Finally, 
  the 
  tribe, 
  representing 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  districts, 
  had 
  a 
  head 
  chief, 
  

   advised 
  by 
  a 
  council 
  of 
  five 
  district 
  chiefs. 
  Although 
  in 
  times 
  of 
  war 
  

   some 
  chiefs 
  attained 
  considerable 
  power 
  and 
  influence, 
  class 
  distinc- 
  

   tions 
  were 
  not 
  sharp, 
  and 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  true 
  caste 
  system. 
  Instead, 
  

   the 
  total 
  political 
  structure 
  was 
  basically 
  democratic. 
  

  

  The 
  religion 
  was 
  strongly 
  animistic. 
  There 
  were 
  no 
  formal 
  priests, 
  

   but 
  medicine 
  men 
  were 
  prominent. 
  The 
  ceremonies 
  were 
  of 
  the 
  

   occasional 
  type 
  rather 
  than 
  based 
  on 
  the 
  agricultural 
  cycle. 
  In 
  

   general, 
  Araucanian 
  crafts 
  and 
  material 
  culture 
  show 
  a 
  close 
  resem- 
  

   blance 
  to 
  the 
  Central 
  Andean 
  pattern, 
  while 
  the 
  social, 
  political, 
  and 
  

   religious 
  organization 
  reflects 
  the 
  hunting 
  pattern. 
  

  

  Following 
  the 
  Spanish 
  Conquest, 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  Araucanian 
  Indians 
  

   adopted 
  the 
  horse 
  and 
  became 
  nomadic 
  hunters 
  and 
  raiders. 
  They 
  

   spread 
  to 
  Argentina, 
  where 
  they 
  caused 
  considerable 
  disturbance 
  for 
  

   a 
  long 
  period 
  of 
  time. 
  Although 
  pushed 
  out 
  of 
  much 
  of 
  their 
  territory 
  

   by 
  the 
  Spaniards, 
  they 
  continued 
  to 
  resist 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  year 
  1887, 
  when 
  

   they 
  were 
  granted 
  special 
  reservation 
  privileges 
  by 
  the 
  Chilean 
  

   Government. 
  

  

  