﻿748 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  the 
  air 
  with 
  the 
  invocation: 
  "Accept 
  this, 
  Pillan." 
  Molina 
  (1901, 
  

   p. 
  169) 
  by 
  way 
  of 
  exception 
  calls 
  the 
  "Supreme 
  Being, 
  the 
  author 
  of 
  

   all 
  things/ 
  ' 
  Pillan. 
  Pillan, 
  while 
  in 
  some 
  respects 
  fear-inspiring, 
  was, 
  

   it 
  seems 
  obvious, 
  also 
  helpful. 
  

  

  Pillan, 
  in 
  the 
  plural, 
  was 
  also 
  used 
  as 
  a 
  term 
  for 
  spirits 
  of 
  the 
  de- 
  

   parted, 
  especially 
  the 
  spirits 
  of 
  prominent 
  headmen 
  and 
  ulmens, 
  and, 
  

   seemingly, 
  at 
  times 
  for 
  other 
  benevolent 
  or 
  malevolent 
  supernatural 
  

   beings 
  (see 
  infra) 
  , 
  and 
  even 
  for 
  prominent 
  men 
  still 
  living. 
  

  

  Other 
  beliefs 
  and 
  observances 
  : 
  

  

  (a) 
  Wekufu. 
  — 
  Nearly 
  all 
  evil, 
  particularly 
  evil 
  of 
  a 
  noncatastrophic, 
  

   secret, 
  subtle, 
  or 
  treacherous 
  nature, 
  was 
  ascribed 
  to 
  the 
  impersonal 
  

   power 
  or 
  personal 
  being 
  or 
  beings 
  called 
  wekufu 
  (huecuvu, 
  gtiecubu, 
  

   and 
  variants). 
  Wekufu, 
  impersonal 
  or 
  personal, 
  was 
  always 
  malef- 
  

   icent. 
  In 
  contrast 
  to 
  Pillan 
  and 
  ??9nechen, 
  no 
  cult 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  sacri- 
  

   fice 
  or 
  supplicatory 
  prayer 
  was 
  offered 
  to 
  wekufu. 
  Kites 
  in 
  connection 
  

   with 
  wekufu, 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  carried 
  out 
  by 
  the 
  shaman, 
  had 
  the 
  purpose 
  

   of 
  driving 
  wekufu 
  away. 
  

  

  (b) 
  Animistic 
  spirits. 
  —A 
  number 
  of 
  animistic 
  spirits 
  are 
  mentioned 
  

   in 
  our 
  sources, 
  such 
  as 
  Mareupuantu 
  (twelve 
  suns), 
  Meul'en 
  [wekufu] 
  

   (whirlwind 
  [wekufu]), 
  Anchimallen 
  aramko 
  (a 
  certain 
  green 
  toad 
  

   considered 
  as 
  master 
  of 
  waters; 
  also 
  known 
  as 
  rjen'ko 
  shompallwe, 
  

   and 
  other 
  names), 
  Epunamufi 
  (two 
  feet), 
  Nguenpiru 
  (master 
  of 
  the 
  

   worms). 
  Somewhat 
  different 
  functions 
  are 
  assigned 
  to 
  these 
  various 
  

   beings 
  by 
  different 
  observers. 
  Meul'en, 
  for 
  example, 
  is 
  usually 
  

   reported 
  as 
  beneficent; 
  Epunamufi, 
  as 
  god 
  of 
  War. 
  "Maruapoante" 
  

   was 
  supposed, 
  according 
  to 
  Marcgrav 
  (1648, 
  p. 
  287), 
  to 
  give 
  infor- 
  

   mation 
  in 
  dreams 
  as 
  to 
  what 
  woman 
  a 
  man 
  should 
  marry; 
  if 
  he 
  chose 
  

   the 
  one 
  indicated, 
  she 
  would 
  without 
  fail 
  become 
  pregnant. 
  Some 
  

   of 
  these 
  beings 
  were 
  invoked 
  in 
  shamanistic 
  rites; 
  others, 
  seemingly 
  

   in 
  nonshamanistic 
  ones. 
  Traces 
  only 
  of 
  a 
  solar 
  cult 
  existed; 
  oaths 
  

   were 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  sun 
  (cf 
  . 
  infra) 
  ; 
  the 
  wife 
  of 
  the 
  sun 
  was 
  believed 
  to 
  

   be 
  benign. 
  (Olivares, 
  1864, 
  pp. 
  51-52; 
  on 
  moon 
  as 
  wife 
  of 
  sun, 
  see 
  

   Lehmann-Nitsche, 
  1918, 
  pp. 
  45-49.) 
  

  

  In 
  some 
  localities, 
  the 
  puma 
  was 
  spoken 
  of, 
  not 
  by 
  its 
  proper 
  name, 
  

   but 
  by 
  respectful 
  circumlocutions 
  (Guevara 
  Silva, 
  1913, 
  p. 
  282). 
  

  

  (c) 
  Manistic 
  beings.— 
  All 
  in 
  all, 
  animistic 
  cult 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  bulked 
  

   more 
  largely 
  in 
  Mapuche-Huilliche 
  religion 
  than 
  did 
  manistic. 
  The 
  

   deceased 
  ancestors, 
  often 
  called 
  Pillanes, 
  were 
  prayed 
  to 
  to 
  help 
  in 
  

   martial 
  expeditions. 
  Deceased 
  shamans 
  played 
  an 
  important 
  part 
  

   as 
  helpers 
  of 
  living 
  shamans. 
  (See 
  infra 
  under 
  Shamanism, 
  p. 
  750.) 
  

  

  (d) 
  Magic— 
  A 
  great 
  number 
  of 
  magical 
  practices, 
  apart 
  from 
  those 
  

   followed 
  in 
  shamanistic 
  rites, 
  have 
  been 
  recorded, 
  such 
  as: 
  Love 
  and 
  

   jealousy 
  procedures; 
  eating 
  parts 
  of 
  an 
  animal 
  to 
  acquire 
  its 
  qualities; 
  

   rubbing 
  the 
  body 
  with 
  otter 
  genitals 
  as 
  an 
  aphrodisiac; 
  transferring 
  

  

  