﻿730 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  rels; 
  not, 
  however, 
  to 
  extend 
  territory. 
  Most 
  of 
  our 
  information, 
  

   however, 
  concerns 
  warfare 
  as 
  carried 
  on 
  between 
  the 
  Araucanians 
  and 
  

   the 
  Spaniards. 
  

  

  Preparation 
  for 
  war. 
  — 
  The 
  first 
  step 
  toward 
  deciding 
  upon 
  war 
  was 
  

   usually 
  the 
  sending, 
  by 
  a 
  headman 
  or 
  group, 
  of 
  a 
  messenger 
  to 
  headmen 
  

   and 
  groups 
  desired 
  as 
  confederates. 
  The 
  messenger 
  carried 
  an 
  arrow 
  

   tied 
  with 
  a 
  red 
  string, 
  symbolic 
  of 
  blood, 
  or, 
  if 
  hostilities 
  had 
  already 
  

   begun, 
  with 
  the 
  finger 
  of 
  a 
  slain 
  enemy 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  arrow. 
  He 
  

   also 
  carried 
  a 
  quipu 
  for 
  each 
  headman 
  or 
  group, 
  to 
  indicate 
  the 
  day 
  

   of 
  assembly. 
  When 
  all 
  had 
  assembled 
  on 
  the 
  appointed 
  day, 
  a 
  black 
  

   llama 
  was 
  killed 
  and 
  the 
  arrows 
  and 
  spears 
  were 
  dipped 
  in 
  or 
  anointed 
  

   with 
  the 
  animal's 
  blood, 
  while 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  headmen 
  ate 
  a 
  bit 
  of 
  the 
  heart 
  

   of 
  the 
  animal 
  as 
  a 
  pledge 
  of 
  unified 
  purpose. 
  The 
  war 
  decision 
  was 
  

   made 
  by 
  general 
  agreement. 
  A 
  leader 
  was 
  chosen 
  by 
  preference 
  from 
  

   among 
  the 
  existing 
  headmen 
  or 
  prominent 
  warriors. 
  His 
  authority 
  

   was 
  considerable 
  but 
  lasted 
  only 
  so 
  long 
  as 
  war 
  lasted 
  . 
  His 
  mark 
  of 
  

   office 
  was 
  the 
  toki, 
  the 
  name 
  by 
  which 
  he 
  himself 
  was 
  called. 
  In 
  

   the 
  later 
  18th 
  century, 
  at 
  least, 
  the 
  toki-ax 
  was 
  kept 
  in 
  hiding 
  during 
  

   peacetime 
  and 
  brought 
  out 
  in 
  time 
  of 
  war. 
  The 
  fighting 
  men 
  before 
  

   going 
  to 
  war 
  shaved 
  their 
  heads, 
  leaving 
  only 
  a 
  circle 
  of 
  hair, 
  abstained 
  

   from 
  sex 
  relations, 
  and 
  ate 
  and 
  drank 
  sparingly 
  for 
  8 
  days 
  before 
  start- 
  

   ing 
  out. 
  

  

  Tactics 
  and 
  weapons. 
  — 
  As 
  early 
  as 
  1568, 
  the 
  Araucanians 
  had 
  begun 
  

   to 
  use 
  cavalry 
  in 
  battle 
  on 
  a 
  fairly 
  large 
  scale; 
  later, 
  they 
  used 
  it 
  much 
  

   more 
  frequently. 
  In 
  battle 
  formation, 
  the 
  infantry 
  advanced 
  in 
  the 
  

   center 
  and 
  the 
  cavalry 
  on 
  the 
  wings. 
  The 
  use 
  of 
  advance 
  guards, 
  sen- 
  

   tinels 
  at 
  night, 
  trenches 
  protected 
  with 
  thorn 
  branches, 
  pitfalls 
  and 
  

   ditches 
  with 
  sharp 
  stakes 
  at 
  the 
  bottom, 
  spies 
  and 
  fifth-column 
  work, 
  

   and 
  log 
  forts 
  and 
  palisades 
  was 
  common. 
  Each 
  warrior 
  carried 
  with 
  

   him 
  a 
  small 
  bag 
  of 
  parched 
  meal 
  which, 
  with 
  salt 
  and 
  aji, 
  constituted 
  

   his 
  food. 
  A 
  common 
  war 
  cry 
  was 
  to 
  strike 
  the 
  open 
  mouth 
  rhyth- 
  

   mically 
  with 
  the 
  palm 
  of 
  the 
  hand 
  while 
  shouting 
  and 
  to 
  repeat 
  this 
  

   four 
  times 
  (Moesbach, 
  1936, 
  p. 
  126). 
  

  

  Infantry 
  weapons 
  were 
  chiefly 
  the 
  following: 
  Bows 
  and 
  arrows, 
  

   spears, 
  clubs, 
  and 
  slings. 
  The 
  spears 
  were 
  20, 
  30, 
  or 
  more 
  palms 
  long 
  

   (circa 
  14 
  to 
  20 
  feet), 
  with 
  fire-hardened 
  or 
  stone 
  points. 
  Spears 
  were 
  

   sometimes 
  thrown 
  as 
  javelins 
  (Frezier, 
  1716, 
  p. 
  58; 
  cf. 
  "gorguz," 
  in 
  

   Ercilla, 
  canto 
  25, 
  1910, 
  p. 
  415, 
  and 
  Oiia, 
  canto 
  6, 
  1917, 
  p. 
  225). 
  The 
  

   bow 
  was 
  short, 
  according 
  to 
  Gonzalez 
  de 
  Najera 
  (1889, 
  p. 
  95, 
  5 
  palmos) 
  

   with 
  sinew 
  string; 
  the 
  arrows, 
  according 
  to 
  Gonzalez 
  de 
  Najera 
  (ibid., 
  

   pp. 
  95-96), 
  about 
  2}i 
  palmos 
  long, 
  of 
  cane, 
  usually 
  with 
  bone 
  heads, 
  

   not 
  poisoned 
  but 
  lightly 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  shaft 
  and 
  apt 
  to 
  come 
  off 
  in 
  the 
  

   wound, 
  were 
  carried 
  in 
  a 
  quiver. 
  The 
  clubs 
  were 
  of 
  two 
  kinds, 
  a 
  very 
  

   long 
  two-handed 
  elbow 
  club 
  of 
  heavy 
  wood, 
  about 
  15 
  palmos 
  long, 
  

   according 
  to 
  Gonzalez 
  de 
  Najera 
  (1889, 
  p. 
  96); 
  and 
  another 
  type 
  of 
  

  

  