﻿742 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  fB. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  KELIGION 
  

  

  Mapuche-Huilliche 
  religion 
  may 
  for 
  convenience 
  be 
  treated 
  under 
  

   the 
  following 
  topics: 
  Theism, 
  the 
  Pillan 
  cult, 
  miscellaneous 
  magico- 
  

   religious 
  beliefs 
  and 
  observances, 
  and 
  shamanism. 
  The 
  first 
  three 
  

   will 
  be 
  treated 
  in 
  this 
  section 
  ; 
  the 
  last 
  in 
  a 
  separate 
  section 
  to 
  follow. 
  

  

  Theism. 
  — 
  Theistic 
  beliefs 
  and 
  practices 
  played 
  a 
  very 
  important 
  role 
  

   in 
  the 
  religious 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  modern 
  Mapuche-Huilliche. 
  The 
  difficult 
  

   question 
  of 
  the 
  aboriginality 
  of 
  this 
  theism 
  will 
  be 
  taken 
  up 
  later. 
  

  

  The 
  Supreme 
  Being 
  was 
  looked 
  upon 
  as 
  the 
  maker 
  of 
  everything, 
  

   who 
  had 
  mastery 
  or 
  power 
  over 
  man 
  and 
  nature, 
  who 
  gave 
  life 
  and 
  

   fecundity 
  to 
  man, 
  animals, 
  and 
  plants, 
  and 
  who 
  controlled 
  the 
  forces 
  

   of 
  nature 
  for 
  the 
  happiness 
  or 
  unhappiness 
  of 
  man. 
  He 
  was 
  an 
  active 
  

   rather 
  than 
  an 
  otiose 
  deity. 
  Two 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  common 
  names 
  by 
  

   which 
  he 
  was 
  known 
  were 
  r;8nechen 
  (master 
  of 
  men) 
  and 
  Tjenemapun 
  

   (master 
  of 
  the 
  land). 
  Another 
  form 
  of 
  address 
  was 
  chau 
  (father), 
  

   but 
  he 
  was 
  ambisexually 
  addressed 
  as 
  rey 
  chau 
  (king 
  father) 
  and 
  rey 
  

   kushe 
  (queen 
  ancient 
  one, 
  or 
  mother) 
  . 
  Other 
  names 
  of 
  the 
  Supreme 
  

   Being 
  were 
  "King," 
  "Ancient 
  One," 
  "Ancient 
  King 
  Above," 
  "Ancient 
  

   Queen 
  Above," 
  "Young 
  Man 
  ^onechen," 
  "Young 
  Woman 
  Tjenechen," 
  

   "Blue 
  King 
  Father," 
  "Blue 
  Queen 
  Mother," 
  "Two 
  Faces 
  ^anechen 
  

   (rjenemapun)." 
  "Two 
  Faces" 
  (white 
  and 
  black) 
  apparently 
  referred 
  to 
  

   sunshine 
  and 
  rain 
  prayed 
  for 
  in 
  public 
  rites, 
  and 
  also 
  to 
  ambivalent 
  

   indulgent 
  and 
  severe 
  attitudes 
  of 
  the 
  Supreme 
  Being. 
  "Blue" 
  con- 
  

   noted 
  the 
  residence 
  of 
  the 
  Supreme 
  Being 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  sky, 
  where 
  he 
  was 
  

   supposed 
  to 
  reside 
  in 
  a 
  house 
  of 
  pure 
  gold, 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  sun, 
  According 
  

   to 
  some 
  natives, 
  he 
  lived 
  in 
  volcanos 
  and 
  had 
  a 
  wife 
  and 
  children, 
  but 
  

   no 
  parents. 
  The 
  Supreme 
  Being 
  could 
  be 
  and 
  was 
  commonly 
  ap- 
  

   proached 
  in 
  prayer. 
  He 
  was 
  not 
  concerned 
  with 
  the 
  moral 
  order, 
  

   nor 
  did 
  the 
  state 
  of 
  souls 
  in 
  the 
  future 
  life 
  depend 
  on 
  reward 
  or 
  punish- 
  

   ment 
  meted 
  out 
  by 
  him. 
  He 
  was 
  prayed 
  to 
  for 
  material 
  favors, 
  

   particularly 
  for 
  food 
  and 
  life, 
  but 
  not 
  for 
  forgiveness 
  or 
  spiritual 
  

   strength. 
  

  

  Cult 
  of 
  the 
  Supreme 
  Being 
  took 
  three 
  distinct 
  forms: 
  the 
  public 
  

   ryillatun, 
  private 
  prayers 
  and 
  offerings, 
  and 
  shamanistic 
  practices. 
  

   The 
  last 
  of 
  these 
  will 
  be 
  dealt 
  with 
  later 
  under 
  shamanism. 
  

  

  The 
  private 
  practices, 
  on 
  which 
  fewer 
  details 
  are 
  available, 
  included 
  

   prayers 
  and 
  occasional 
  blood 
  sacrifices 
  of 
  animals 
  (Robles 
  Rodriguez, 
  

   1942, 
  pp. 
  26-27), 
  and 
  also 
  first-fruit 
  offerings. 
  As 
  a 
  regular 
  practice 
  

   before 
  eating 
  or 
  drinking, 
  a 
  bit 
  of 
  the 
  meat 
  or 
  liquid 
  or 
  animal 
  blood 
  

   was 
  offered 
  to 
  the 
  Supreme 
  Being 
  with 
  a 
  short 
  prayer 
  to 
  him 
  to 
  con- 
  

   tinue 
  giving 
  food. 
  (Domeyko, 
  1845, 
  p. 
  46; 
  Guinnard, 
  1864, 
  p. 
  147, 
  

   Argentine 
  Araucanians; 
  Ruiz 
  Aldea, 
  1902, 
  pp. 
  41, 
  65; 
  cf. 
  Latcham, 
  

   1922 
  b, 
  p. 
  522, 
  offering 
  to 
  spirits.) 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  public 
  rite, 
  the 
  rjillatun, 
  we 
  have 
  rather 
  a 
  large 
  mass 
  of 
  data. 
  

   (Felix 
  Jos6, 
  1910; 
  Guevara 
  Silva, 
  1898, 
  pp. 
  268-69; 
  1908, 
  pp. 
  303-10; 
  

  

  