﻿750 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  by 
  the 
  governor 
  of 
  heaven 
  and 
  earth 
  (Robles 
  Rodriquez, 
  loc. 
  cit.), 
  or, 
  

   it 
  seems, 
  more 
  often, 
  by 
  his 
  own 
  heart, 
  eyes 
  or 
  head, 
  or 
  by 
  his 
  father, 
  

   mother, 
  wife, 
  or 
  children 
  (Havestadt, 
  1883, 
  1:149, 
  398; 
  Robles 
  Rodri- 
  

   guez, 
  loc. 
  cit.; 
  Guevara 
  Silva, 
  1898, 
  p. 
  211; 
  1908, 
  p. 
  203). 
  Havestadt 
  

   (1883, 
  2:709-10) 
  described 
  certain 
  solemn 
  pledges 
  bearing 
  some 
  resem- 
  

   blance 
  to 
  gesture 
  oaths: 
  spitting 
  on 
  and 
  then 
  clasping 
  right 
  hands 
  to 
  

   bind 
  a 
  friendship; 
  shaking 
  right 
  hands 
  on 
  committing 
  someone 
  to 
  

   another's 
  care 
  to 
  be 
  taken 
  to 
  a 
  fourth 
  party; 
  touching 
  of 
  a 
  "stro- 
  

   phiolum" 
  (small 
  garland?) 
  by 
  blood 
  kin 
  on 
  both 
  sides 
  to 
  denote 
  that 
  

   composition 
  paid 
  over 
  has 
  settled 
  the 
  matter. 
  In 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  above 
  

   oaths, 
  a 
  magico-religious 
  element 
  is 
  fairly 
  clear; 
  in 
  others, 
  perhaps 
  

   quite 
  absent. 
  

  

  SHAMANISM 
  

  

  Mapuche-Huilliche 
  shamanism 
  has 
  been 
  very 
  thoroughly 
  and 
  criti- 
  

   cally 
  treated 
  in 
  a 
  recent 
  paper 
  by 
  Metraux 
  (1942 
  b). 
  In 
  the 
  following 
  

   outline, 
  based 
  very 
  largely 
  on 
  Metraux's 
  study, 
  most 
  source 
  references 
  

   are 
  omitted, 
  as 
  his 
  work, 
  with 
  full 
  bibliographical 
  data 
  and 
  extensive 
  

   citations, 
  is 
  easily 
  accessible. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  common 
  name 
  for 
  the 
  Mapuche-Huilliche 
  shaman 
  was 
  

   machi. 
  Other 
  much 
  used 
  names 
  were 
  voigueboye 
  and 
  dngul 
  (each 
  

   with 
  many 
  variants). 
  In 
  earlier 
  times, 
  the 
  male 
  shamans 
  were 
  very 
  

   commonly 
  transvestites, 
  dressing 
  as 
  women 
  and 
  practicing 
  sodomy. 
  

   By 
  the 
  second 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  18th 
  century, 
  the 
  machis 
  were 
  ordinarily 
  

   women 
  (pi. 
  156, 
  top 
  left). 
  In 
  more 
  recent 
  times, 
  the 
  profession 
  has 
  

   been 
  followed 
  almost 
  exclusively 
  by 
  women. 
  

  

  There 
  were 
  no 
  shaman 
  societies. 
  In 
  earlier 
  times, 
  candidates 
  were 
  

   instructed 
  secretly 
  in 
  caves 
  or 
  hidden 
  places 
  by 
  practicing 
  shamans 
  and 
  

   were 
  initiated 
  into 
  the 
  profession 
  at 
  a 
  solemn 
  feast 
  marked 
  by 
  the 
  sac- 
  

   rifice 
  of 
  a 
  llama 
  and 
  by 
  an 
  exhibition 
  of 
  powers. 
  In 
  the 
  initiating 
  rite, 
  

   too, 
  the 
  initiator 
  symbolically 
  exchanged 
  tongue 
  and 
  eyes 
  with 
  the 
  

   candidate. 
  

  

  In 
  more 
  recent 
  times, 
  a 
  person 
  was 
  called 
  to 
  the 
  shamanistic 
  pro- 
  

   fession 
  by 
  the 
  Supreme 
  Being 
  or 
  by 
  a 
  spirit 
  through 
  an 
  interior 
  rev- 
  

   elation. 
  A 
  person 
  took 
  the 
  profession 
  not 
  by 
  free 
  choice 
  or 
  quest; 
  the 
  

   calling 
  was 
  rather 
  imposed 
  supernaturally 
  upon 
  her. 
  She 
  was 
  then 
  

   taught 
  by 
  a 
  professional 
  machi 
  over 
  a 
  long 
  period 
  before 
  she 
  was 
  con- 
  

   secrated. 
  At 
  the 
  consecration 
  itself, 
  lasting 
  several 
  days, 
  the 
  candi- 
  

   date 
  was 
  given 
  more 
  intensive 
  training 
  in 
  the 
  formulas, 
  songs, 
  dances, 
  

   and 
  dram 
  beats 
  of 
  the 
  consecration 
  rite. 
  A 
  rewe, 
  a 
  sacred 
  tree, 
  was 
  

   put 
  up 
  before 
  her 
  hut. 
  Among 
  the 
  very 
  elaborate 
  rites 
  of 
  consecration 
  

   were 
  prayers 
  addressed 
  to 
  the 
  Supreme 
  Being 
  or 
  to 
  the 
  celestial 
  sha- 
  

   mans 
  for 
  granting 
  of 
  machi 
  powers 
  to 
  the 
  candidate, 
  and 
  exchange 
  of 
  

   blood 
  between 
  the 
  shaman 
  consecrator 
  and 
  the 
  candidate. 
  

  

  The 
  functions 
  of 
  the 
  shaman 
  were 
  many: 
  To 
  discover 
  the 
  sorcerer 
  

   or 
  being 
  responsible 
  for 
  death; 
  to 
  bring 
  rain; 
  to 
  predict 
  the 
  outcome 
  of 
  

  

  