Welcome to the Mapuche Region. Here you will find interesting information about this Chilean Indigenous People.
The region contains four main subjects: People (History, Social Organization, environment), Language (Gramma, Vocabulary) and Customs (Spiritual World, Rituals, mythology) and Art. Use the interactive map to take an animated tour of this people´s region. The teachers and students will find contents (texts and images) to be able for Printing.
There is also a Resources section in which you will find a virtual Library with Dictionaries, Texts, Books and a complete Llinks Directory. In addition you could listen to music or watch documentaries in our Videos, Music and Storytelling sections. Finally if you have a question relating to something other than one of these topics, you can use our Search Engine or the Site Map or write to us through the Contact form. You are cordially invited invited to Subscribe our monthly Newsletter to be informed about the site and our Chilean Indigenous Cultures news.
Ingredients
Floor
yeast
Salt
Water
Bicarbonate of soda
Preparation
Mix flood, water, salt and yeast. Knead in a wooden bowl or “trae queple”. Round off and let dough rest. Then bury in the rescoldo (ashes) of the fire (try to keep the heat of the fire). In some places, the ashes are mixed with sand to improve the cooking
(Source: "Mapuche cooking". Amanda Ibacache).
Here you will find a different way to make empanadas.
The digüeñes are edible fungus that grow in the oak tree and ripen in october in souther Chile*.
Ingredients (for the dough)
6 cup floor
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups hot water
1 teaspoon baking powder
Salt
Ingredients (for the filling)
Digüeñes
Parsely
Onion
Red pepper
Hard-boiled egg
In spite of meat use digueñes to prepare the filling. Make the dough and form the empanadas with the filling and one slice of egg. Bake. Serve hot.
The "Curanto en Hoyo " is a traditional dish from the Great Island of Chiloé. The Island was inhabitated by the Chono people. Nowadays the Williche communities maintain the Chono people´s traditions.
The word "curanto"; comes from mapudungun "curantü";, that means "stone warmed up by the sun".
The original "curanto"; must be prepared outside of the house in a pit , in contact with "the warm mother earth";, stones, and leaves of nalca, which allow to seal the ingredients through steam cooking.
Receipe
( Ingredients for more than 30 people)
Seafood:
- 1 coat of oyster
- 1/2 coat of clams or "tacas";
- 1/2 coat of mussels
- "Picorocos"; and "navajuelas"; to taste (optative)
- 1 coat of Potatoes
- 5 kgs smoked pork
- 5 kgs lamb
- Chicken
- Broad bean
- Leaves of cabbage
- Onions
- 4 kgrs pork sausage
- Milcaos *
- Chapaleles *
Preparation:
First of all it is necessary to dig a hole in the ground about one meter in diameter and some one-half meter deep.
Put firewood, coal and stones of regular size into the hole. Start a fire under the stones. When the stones are very hot, clear away the large pieces of burning wood and debris, leaving the hole filled with scalding rocks and embers.
Over the hot stones dump a first layer of clams followed by meat (chicken, smoked prok ribs), pork sausages, potatoes, vegetables, onions, leeks and finally mussels that require less cooking time.
These are covered with cabbage leaves upon which the "chapaleles" and "milcaos" are spread. All of this is covered by nalca leaves and
the large patch of earth and grass that was cut away from the earth to dig the hole is placed grass side down over the hole.
The curanto must be left alone to cook for 45 minutes. Then open the hole carefully so that don´t introduce dust in the baking.
A curanto is also served with "pebre,” a type of salsa made from diced tomatoes and onions, cilantro, lemon juice, cumin, garlic, aji, oil and salt.
* Milcao: a soft potato bread made out of grated potatoes. They are filled with chicharrones.
* Chapalele: a soft potato bread made out of mashed potatoes and raw grated potatoes.
According to the Mapuche medicine, there are four types of medicinal herbs: "Weychafeke Lawen" (strong herbs), "füshku lawen" (soft herbs), "reke lawen" (native herbs of common use but dificult to get) and rukake lawen" (of common use)
This time we will talk about the strong herbs.
Weychafeke Lawen - Strong herbs.
Palgiñ o Palqui: it is used like a "contra" (to weaken negative energies generally caused by envy). It is used to bring down a fever, to ease toothache and paralysis, in this case the body is rubbed with a mix of leaves and egg yolk.
Chakay or Espino blanco (Hawthorn): "contra". It is used for stomachache and gastritis.
Küla o Quila: for rogations. It sap is used for disease of the eyes.
Kurü Mamüll o Palo negro: "contra". It use for the period pains, indigestions and flatulence In infusions.
Foye o Canelo: The sacred tree of the mapuche people. It is used like "contra" in night ( (Machitun) and daytime (Nguillatun) ceremonies. It is used for bruises and low blood presure too. It have a lot of vitamine-c. It is an "antiescorbútico".
Wülwe o Contrayerba, huilhue: it is used like "contra", for indigestion or constipation.
Refü o Tomatillo: "contra". It is used for rubbing the body and to ease "frío interno".
Trafen Trafen o Quebracho: It is used like "contra" for children "ojeados".
Triwe o Laurel: "contra". To rub the body (warm). In the Machitun , the triwe is plant in the sick person´s house and is used alternate with canelo, in the head and feet. It is used for Flatulence and fever too.
Trupa o Tabaco del Diablo: "contra" in Machitunes. Its strong sap is used like an anesthetics for toothache.
Source: Knowledges and experiences about Mapuche Medicine of two Wenteche families. Mapuche Lawentuwün Epu Reyñma Wenche Ñi Kimün Mew.
Mapuche authors: Luis Alberto Huaiquimil Mulato Elvira Carmen Pichun López Francisca Caniulaf Pichun José Quidel Lincoleo Zoila Maria Hinostroza Cea Olga Ines Alchao Hinostroza Segundo Ceferino Caniulempi Painevil Marcelina Pichun López
Other authors: Teresa Duran Pérez Enrique Hauenstein Barra
Quillay - Indigenous Tree of Chile
Quillay grows between Coquimbo and Malleco. It is an evergreen tree that grows 15 meters high and 1 meter in diameter. The saponins are natural tensoactive constituents of the Quillay. It was known as the shampoo which was used for washing the indigenous hair and body. The indigenous people knew it and valued these properties.
Spiritual, scientific and practical elements are contained in the rich Mapuche tradition which has a special vision about health and disease.
The herbs used by the Mapuche medicine has been effective in the healing and relief of many pains. Some herbs have historically been used but some others have been revealed by produce improvement in the people's health.
Here we describe briefly only 5 combinations of 29 from the document "The Mapuche Women. Traditional Knowledge in the Treatment of Common Diseases " compiled by Sonia Montecinos and Ana Conejeros in 1985.
The Mapuche Philosophy lies in the balance between the forces of nature and spirit. They have to maintain equilibrium between positive and negative forces to heal sick person. For example, pain, happiness, resentment or hatred often could be the root cause of diseases. The use of medicinal herbs is combined with some common ways of diagnosis such as looking at the urine or the clothes of the sick person.
There are two types of medicinal herbs. One is used for healing and the other one is used for revealing disease. The last one allow machi to contact with the spirit world or ngenmapu. Laurel tree, Canelo tree and wilel lawen (herb of the fortune teller) are plants that allow the contact: foye (canelo tree) talks with kila and thus each one is put in contact with another natural element.
Before the Spaniards arrived , boldo was a widely used medicinal plant by several indigenous groups in the country. Specifically, the Mapuche people used boldo for dislocations and rheumatism (Gusinde, 1917).
Boldo is a highly valued herb because of its medicinal effects, that has been subject of attention of naturalists and scientists from beginnings of the last century. Nowadays, the use of boldo is spread throughout all the national territory as well as in many places of the world. In fact, at world-wide level it is one of the most spread national species because of its verified and exceptional curative properties, that include alkaloids, essential oils, and flavonoides at the same time.
Boldine is an alkaloid present in boldo which stimulates the production of gastric juice and bile, increasing the secretion of urea and uric acid. It has a slightly hypnotic effect. Within their essential oils there are eucaliptol, ascaridiol and p-cimol which are substances with antiinflammatory and carminative properties. The properties of boldo can be summed up as follows: it is a digestive stimulant, colagogo and colerético. It also has sedative effects on the nervous system. All researchersl are agree about these medicinal properties, although some suggest to use boldo for other health problems such as: alleviate toothache, rheumatic pains, etc.