_State of Chili, and Conquests made in that Country by the Peruvians,
before the arrival of the Spaniards._
The History of Chili and its inhabitants does not precede the middle of
the fifteenth century, and what little is known respecting it is
contained in the traditionary accounts of the Peruvians, who first
invaded the northern province of Chili about the middle of that century,
not an hundred years before the overthrow of the Peruvian empire by
Pizarro, and the first Spanish invasion of Chili under Almagro.
About the year 1450, while the Inca Yupanqui reigned over the Peruvian
empire which had then extended its limits from Cuzco northwards to the
equator and southwards to the tropic of Capricorn, the ambition of the
Peruvian government was attracted to the acquisition of the important
country of Chili, a rich and delightful region of great extent,
immediately adjacent to the southern extremity of Peru. Favoured by the
fertility of the country and the salubrity of the climate, the
population of Chili may be readily supposed to have then been
considerable, as we know that the whole extent of its territory was
occupied by fifteen independent tribes or communities, each of which was
governed by its respective chiefs, or _Ulmens_. These, tribes, beginning
at the north on the confines of the desert of Atacama, were called
Copaipins, Coquimbans, Quillotans, Mapochians, Promaucians, Cures,
Cauques, Pencones, Araucanians, Cunches, Chilotes, Chiquilanian,
Pehuenches, Puelches, and Huilliches; which last tribe inhabited the
south of Chili, adjoining the archipelago of Chiloé.
Informed of the natural advantages possessed by the inhabitants of this
delightful region, the Inca Yupanqui resolved to attempt the annexation
of Chili to his extensive empire. He accordingly marched with a powerful
army to the frontiers of the country: But, either from apprehensions of
his personal safety, or to be in a favourable situation for reinforcing
the invading army and directing its operations, he established himself
with a splendid court in the province of Atacama, the most southerly
district of Peru, and confided the command of the invading army to
Sinchiruca, a prince of the blood royal of Peru. Preceded, according to
the specious custom of the Peruvians, by several ambassadors, and
attended by a considerable military force, this general reduced under
the Peruvian government, more by persuasion than force, the four most
northerly tribes of the Chilese, named Copaipins, Coquimbans,
Quillotans, and Mapochians. After this, not being able by his
ambassadors to persuade the Promaucians into submission, who inhabit the
delightful country between the river Rapel on the north and Maule on the
south, he passed the river Rapel with his army to reduce them by force
of arms. The name of the Promaucians, which signifies _free-dancers_[56],
had been given them on account of their fondness for every kind of
amusement, and their peculiar attachment to dancing; yet the love of
pleasure had not rendered them effeminate. With the assistance of their
allies, they drew together a formidable army and fought the Peruvians
with such heroic valour as to defeat them in a battle, which, according
to Garcilasso, was continued during three successive days.
[Footnote 56: On a former occasion their name is explained as signifying
_the people of delight_, owing to the beauty, fertility, and charming
climate of their country.--E.]
On learning the defeat of his army and the invincible valour of the
Promaucians, the Inca gave orders that the river Rapel should remain the
southern boundary of his dominions, and all attempts to reduce the rest
of Chili were laid aside. According to Garcilasso, the river Maule was
established as the frontier of the Peruvian conquests: But this is by no
means probable; as in this case the country of the conquerors would have
been included within the territories of the vanquished. In fact, not far
from the river Cachapoal, which with the Tinguiririca forms the Rapel,
the remains of a Peruvian fortress are still to be seen on the top of a
steep hill, which was undoubtedly built to protect that part of the
frontier against the unconquered Promaucians. By this conquest of its
four northern provinces, Chili became divided into two distinct
portions; all to the south of the Rapel remaining free, while the
districts to the north of that river were subjected to the dominion of
the Incas. These four tribes, who had so readily submitted to the Inca
Yupanqui, were subjected to an annual tribute in gold; but the
conquerors never introduced their peculiar form of government into these
provinces, the inhabitants of which remained subject to their own native
_ulmens_, and preserved their original manners until the arrival of the
Spaniards.
When first known to the Spaniards, the Chilese were an agricultural
people, dependent for their subsistence on the cultivation of such
nutritious plants as accident or necessity had made them acquainted
with. The plants chiefly cultivated by them for subsistence were maize,
_magu, guegen, tuca, quinoa, pulse_ of various kinds, the potatoe,
_oxalis tuberosa_, common and yellow pumpkin or gourd, guinea pepper,
_madi_, and the great strawberry; of each of which it may be proper to
give a short account[57].
[Footnote 57: The following account of the plants cultivated by the
Chilese for food, is extracted from the natural history of Chili by
Molina; but the enumeration from the text of his civil history will be
found to differ materially from that given from the natural history of
the same author.--E.]
Maize or Turkey wheat, the _Zea mais_ of botanists, is called _gua_ by
the Chilese. It grows extremely well in Chili, where the inhabitants
cultivate eight or nine distinct varieties. The kind in highest repute
is called _uminta_, from which the natives prepare a dish by bruising
the corn, while in a green unripe state, between two stones into a kind
of paste, which they season with salt, sugar, and butter. This paste is
then divided into small portions, which are separately inclosed in the
skin or husk of the corn, and boiled for use. When ripe, the maize is
prepared for winter use, either by slightly roasting, or by drying in
the sun. From the former, named _chuchoca_, a kind of soup is prepared
by boiling with water: From the latter they make a very pleasant beer or
fermented liquor. The maize is sometimes reduced to meal by grinding
between two stones, being previously parched or roasted by means of
heated sand. For this purpose they prefer a variety of maize named
_curagua_, which is smaller than the other, and produces a lighter and
whiter meal, and in larger quantity. With this meal, mixed with sugar
and water, they make two different beverages, named _ulpo_ and
_cherchan_.
_Magu_ a species of rye, and _tuca_, a species of barley, were
cultivated by the Chilese before the coming of the Spaniards to that
country; but have been entirely neglected since the introduction of
European wheat. They are still used however by the Araucanians, who make
from them a kind of bread called _couvue_, which name they likewise give
to bread made from maize or wheat.
_Quinua_ is a species of _Chenopodium/_, having a black twisted grain of
a lenticular form, from which they prepare a stomachic beverage of a
pleasant taste. A variety of this plant, named _dahue_, produces white
seeds, which lengthen out when boiled like worms, and are excellent in
soup. The leaves of the _quinoa_ have an agreeable taste, and are eaten
by the natives.
_Degul_ is a species of bean, of which the Chilese cultivated thirteen
or fourteen kinds before the arrival of the Spaniards, differing but
little from the common European bean or _Phaseolus vulgaris_, one of
them having a straight stalk, and all the rest climbers[58].
[Footnote 58: These beans are obviously what are called kidney-beans in
this country.--E.]
Chili is considered by naturalists as the native country of that
valuable esculent the potato, or _Solanun tuberosum_, which is known
there by the names of _papa_ and _pogny_. It is found indeed wild all
over the country; but those wild plants, named _maglia_, produce only
small roots of a bitterish taste. It is distinguished into two species,
and more than thirty varieties are cultivated with much care. Besides
the common species, the second is the _cari, Solanum cari_, which bears
white flowers having a large central nectary like the narcissus. The
roots of this species are cylindrical and very sweet, and are usually
roasted under the ashes.
The _Oca_, or _Oxalis tuberosa_, produces five or six tuberosities on
each root, three or four inches in length covered by a thin smooth skin.
It is eaten boiled or roasted, and has a pleasant subacid taste. Like
the potato, it is multiplied by means of its bulbs cut in pieces. There
are several species of this plant; one of which called _red culle_, is
much used in dyeing, and Is considered as a specific remedy for
inflammatory fevers.
Two species of gourds are known in Chili. The first species, with a
white flower, called _quada_, has twenty-six varieties, several of which
produce sweet and edible fruit, while that of the others is bitter. With
one of these last, after extracting the seeds, the Chilese give a
pleasant perfume or flavour to their cyder. The yellow-flowering gourd,
called _penca_, has two kinds or varieties, the common and mamillary,
owing to the fruit of the latter having a large nipple-shaped process at
the end. Its pulp is sweet, and resembles in taste a kind of potato
named _camote._
The _quelghen,_ or Chili strawberry has rough and succulent leaves, and
its fruit is sometimes as large as a hens egg. This fruit is generally
red and white; but in the provinces of Puchacay and Huilquilemeu, where
they attain the greatest perfection, the fruit is yellow. "The Chili
strawberry is _dioecial_, and has degenerated much in Europe by the want
of male plants, and the females producing hybrid fruit by impregnation
from the ordinary strawberries growing in the neighbourhood; in
consequence of which circumstance the cultivation of this kind has been
abandoned in Europe."
The _madi,_ a new genus of plants peculiar to Chili, has two species,
one wild and the other cultivated. From the seeds of the latter an
excellent oil is procured, either by expression, or by boiling in water,
of an agreeable mild taste, and as clear as the best olive oil. This
plant, hitherto unknown in Europe, would be a most valuable acquisition
to those countries in which the olive cannot be raised.
Many species of the capsicum, or guinea pepper, are cultivated in Chili,
under the name of _thapi_, and are used as seasonings in the food of the
natives.
The _illmu,_ or Bermudiana bulbosa, produces bulbous roots, which are
excellent food either boiled or roasted, and are very pleasant in soups.
The _liuto_ produces a bulbous root, which yields a very white, light,
and nutritious flour, which is much used as food for the sick.
To these enumerated provisions from the vegetable kingdom, may be added
the _cuy_ or little rabbit, _Lepus minimus,_ and the Chilihueque, or
Araucanian camel; the flesh of which last affords an excellent food, and
its wool furnishes clothing for the natives. If tradition may be
credited, they had also the hog and the domestic fowl before the Spanish
invasion. Besides these, the country produced the _guanaco,_ and the
_pudu,_ a species of wild goat, and a great variety of birds. With these
productions, which required only a moderate degree of industry, they
subsisted with a sufficient abundance considering their situation and
numbers; insomuch that, when Almagro invaded Chili, his army found
abundance of provisions to recruit after the famine they had endured in
their imprudent march through the deserts intervening between Peru and
that country. With these advantages of abundant provisions in a fertile
soil and mild climate, it appears that the first writers who treated of
Chili cannot have greatly exaggerated in saying that it was filled with
inhabitants at the first arrival of the Spaniards. Even the circumstance
of one language being spoken through the whole country, is a proof that
all the tribes were in the habit of continual intercourse, and that they
were not isolated by vast unpeopled deserts, as is the case in many
other parts of America.
Agriculture appears to have made no inconsiderable progress among the
Chilese, who cultivated a great variety of alimentary plants, all
distinguished by peculiar and appropriate names, which could not have
been the case except in consequence of an extensive and varied
cultivation. They even had aqueducts in many parts of the country for
watering or irrigating their fields; and, among these, the canal which
runs for many miles along the rough skirts of the mountains near the
capital, and waters the lands to the north of that city, remains a
remarkably solid and extensive monument of their ingenious industry.
They were likewise acquainted with the use of manure, called _vunalti_
in their language; but, from the great fertility of the soil, little
attention was paid to that subject. They used a kind of spade or
breast-plough of hard wood for turning the soil, which was pushed
forwards by their breasts. At present the native Chilese use a very
simple plough, called _chetague_, made of the branch of a tree crooked
at one end, having a wooden share and a single handle by which it is
guided. Whether this simple implement has been taught them by the
Spaniards, or is of their own invention I know not; but should believe
it original, as Admiral Spilsberg observed a plough of this kind, drawn
by two Chilihueques, used by the natives of the Isle of Mocha in the
Araucanian Sea, where the Spaniards never had a settlement. The Fathers
Bry add, that the Chilese tilled their lands by means of these animals
before the arrival of any European cattle. However this may have been,
it is certain that this Araucanian camel was employed by the natives as
a beast of burden before the arrival of the Spaniards, and the
transition from burden to draught is not difficult.
The Chilese cooked their grain for food in various ways, by boiling in
earthen pots, or roasting it in hot sand, and by grinding it into meal,
which they prepared in the form of gruel, of cakes, and of bread. Meal
made of parched grain was called _murque_, and when made from grain
merely dried in the sun _rugo_. Of the first they made gruels, and a
kind of beverage still used for breakfast. Of the second they made
cakes, and a kind of bread called _covque_, which was baked in holes dug
in the sides of hills or the banks of rivers, in the form of ovens, many
of which are still to be seen. They had even invented a kind of sieve,
called _chignigue_, to separate the bran from the flour, and employed
leaven in baking their bread. From the grains already mentioned, and the
fruits or berries of different trees, they made nine or ten different
kinds of fermented liquors, which they made and kept in jars of
earthen-ware.
Having adopted the settled mode of life indispensable to an agricultural
people, the Chilese were collected into families or septs more or less
numerous, in those situations which were best suited for procuring
subsistence, where they established themselves in large villages, called
_cara_, or in small ones called _lov_. These villages consisted only of
a number of huts irregularly dispersed within sight of each other, and
some of them still subsist in several parts of Spanish Chili. The most
considerable of these are _Lampa_ in the province of St Jago, and _Lora_
in the province of Maule. In each village or hamlet they had a chief
named _Ulmen_, who was subject in certain points, to the supreme ruler
of the tribe, or _apo-ulmen_. The succession of these chiefs was by
hereditary descent; and from their title of office, which signifies a
rich man, it would appear that wealth had been the original means of
raising these families to the rank they now occupy, contrary to the
usages of other savage nations in which strength, skill in hunting, or
martial prowess appear to have been the steps by which individuals have
risen to rank and power. The authority of these chiefs or _ulmens_
appears to have been extremely limited, being merely of a directive
nature and not absolute. The right of private property was fully
established among the Chilese, as every individual was the absolute
master of the land he cultivated, and of the produce of his industry,
both of which descended to his posterity by hereditary succession.
The houses or huts of the Chilese were built in a quadrangular form, of
wood covered with clay, and the roof covered with rushes; though in some
instances the walls were of brick, the use of which they seem to have
learned from the Peruvians, as they used the Peruvian term _tica_ for
that material. From the wool of the Chilihueques they manufactured cloth
for their apparel, using the spindle and distaff for spinning this wool
into yarn, and two different kinds of looms for weaving the yarn into
cloth. One of these, called _guregue_, is not very unlike the ordinary
loom of Europe; but the other is vertical or upright, and called
_uthalgue_, from the verb _uthalen_, signifying to stand upright. From
a verb in their language, _nudaven_, which signifies to sew, they must
have used some kind of needle to sew their garments; but I know not of
what substance it was composed. They seem even to have been acquainted
with the art of embroidery, called _dumican_ in their language. From
excellent clay which is found abundantly in Chili, they made pots,
plates, cups, and large jars to hold their fermented liquors, baking
these vessels in holes or ovens made in the declivities of hills; and
they even used a kind of mineral earth called _colo_, for varnishing
these vessels. Besides these vessels of clay, they made others of hard
wood, and even of marble; some vases of which excellently polished have
been dug out from under a large heap of stones in the mountains of
Arauco. From the earth they extracted gold, silver, copper, tin, and
lead, and employed these metals in a variety of useful and curious
works. Particularly from their native copper, which is a kind of
bell-metal and very hard, they made axes, hatchets, and other edged
tools, but in small quantities, as these are very rarely met with in
their ancient sepulchres; where, on the contrary, hatchets made of a
species of basalt or very hard stone are very often found. They seem
even to have known the use of iron, as it is called _panilgue_ in their
language, and weapons made of it are termed _chiuquel_, while those made
of other materials are called _nulin_. A smith likewise is called
_ruthavé_, from _ruthan_, signifying to work in iron.
The ancient Chilese had discovered the art of making salt, both from sea
water and from inland salt springs; calling the former _chiadi_, and the
latter _lilco-chiadi_, or salt from the water of rocks. They procured
dyes of various colours for their clothes, both from the juice of plants
and from mineral earths, and had discovered the art of fixing them by
means of the _polcura_, an aluminous or astringent mineral. Instead of
soap, they used the back of the _quillai_, which is an excellent
substitute. In their language there are many words discriminative of
various kinds of baskets and mats, which they manufactured from various
vegetables. From a plant called _gnocchia_, they procured a strong
fibrous substance resembling hemp, of which they made ropes and fishing
nets of different kinds; and the inhabitants on the coast used canoes of
different kinds and sizes, and floats or rafts of wood, or of inflated
seal skins. Though not peculiarly addicted to hunting, they were
accustomed to kill the wild animals and birds of the country, both for
amusement and subsistence; for which purpose they used bows and arrows,
and the _laque_ or running noose which is employed with so much
ingenuity by many of the South American natives. It is a singular fact
that they had the same device as the Chinese, for catching wild ducks in
their lakes and rivers, covering their heads with perforated gourds, and
wading among the flocks.
They had advanced so far in the knowledge of numbers, as to have
distinctive names for the ten units, and for an hundred and a thousand,
with all the intermediate numbers compounded of decimal terms. To
preserve the memory of their transactions, they used a bunch of threads
of several colours called _pron_, similar to the _quippo_ of the
Peruvians, oh which they cast a number of knots according to
circumstances. The subject was indicated by the colour of the threads,
and the knots designated the number or quantity, but I have not been
able to discover any other purpose to which this species of register
could be applied. The _quippo_ is still used by the shepherds in Peru,
to keep an account of the number in their flocks, to mark the day and
hour when the different ewes yeaned, or when any of their lambs are
lost.
The religious system of the Araucanians, formerly that of all the native
tribes of Chili, resembles in a great measure the freedom of their modes
of life and government. They acknowledge a Supreme Being, the creator of
all things, whom they name _Pillan_, a word derived from _pulli_ or
_pilli_, the soul. He is likewise named _Guenu-pillan_, the soul or
spirit of heaven; _Buta-gen_, the great being; _Thalcove_[59], the
thunderer; _Vilvemvoe_, the creator of all things; _Vilpepilvoe_, the
omnipotent; _Mollgelu_, the eternal; _Avnolu_, the omnipotent; and is
designed by many other similar epithets. Their ideas of the government
of heaven form in a great measure a prototype of the Araucanian system
of civil polity; Pillan is considered as the great _Toqui_ of the
invisible world of Spirits[60], and is supposed to have his _Apo-ulmens_
and _Ulmens_, or subordinate deities of two different ranks, to whom he
entrusts the administration of lesser affairs. In the first class of
these inferior deities, are _Epunamun_, or the god of war; _Meulen_, a
benevolent being, the friend of the human race; and _Guecubu_, a
malignant being, the author of all evil, who is likewise called _Algue_.
Hence they appear to entertain the doctrine of two adverse principles,
improperly called Manicheism. _Guecubu_, or _Huecuvu_, is named
_Mavari_ by the natives on the Orinoco, and is the same with the
_Aherman_ of the ancient Persians. To him every evil is attributed. If a
horse tire, he has been ridden by _Guecubu_. In an earthquake, _Guecubu_
has given the world a shock; and the like in all things. The _Ulmens_,
or subaltern deities of their celestial hierarchy, resemble the genii,
and are supposed to have the charge of earthly things, and to form, in
concert with the benevolent Meulen, a counterpoise to the prodigious
power of the malignant Guecuba. These _ulmens_ of the spiritual world
are conceived to be of both sexes, who always continue pure and chaste
without propagation. The males are called _Gen_, or lords; the females
_Amei-malghen_, or spiritual nymphs, and are supposed to perform the
same friendly offices to men which were anciently attributed to the
_lares_, and every Araucanian imagines he has one of these attendant
spirits in his service. _Nien cai gni Amchi-malghen_, I keep my nymph
still, is a common expression when any one succeeds in an undertaking.
Pursuant to the analogy of their own earthly government, as their
_Ulmens_ have no right to impose any service or contribution on the
people whom they govern, so they conceive the celestial race require no
services from man, having occasion for none. Hence they have neither
idols nor temples, and offer no sacrifices, except in case of some
severe calamity, or on the conclusion of a peace, when they sacrifice
animals, and burn tobacco as a grateful incense to their deities. Yet
they invoke them and implore their aid on urgent occasions, chiefly
addressing _Pillan_ and _Meulen_.
[Footnote 59: _Pillan_, according to Dobrizhoffer, is likewise the word
for thunder. In a similar manner, _Tupa_ or _Tupi_, among all the Tupi
tribes of Brazil, and the Guaranies of Paraguay, signifies both God and
thunder.--E.]
[Footnote 60: Among the Moluches, the general name of the Supreme Being,
according to Falkner, is _Toqui-chen_, or the supreme ruler of the
people.--E.]
[Illustration: Map of CHILI]
Notwithstanding the small regard which they pay to their deities, they
are extremely superstitious in matters of less importance, and are firm
believers in divination, paying the utmost attention to favourable and
unfavourable omens, to dreams, the singing and flight of birds, and the
like, which they believe to denote the pleasure of the gods. They have
accordingly jugglers or diviners, who pretend to a knowledge of
futurity, who are called _Gligua_ and _Dugol_, some of them call
themselves _Guenguenu_ or masters of heaven, _Guenpugnu_ or masters of
disease, _Guen-piru_, or masters of worms, and the like. These diviners
pretend to the power of producing rain, of curing diseases, of
preventing the ravages of the worms which destroy the grain, and so on.
They are in perpetual dread of imaginary beings, called _Calcus_ or
sorcerers, who in their opinion remain concealed in caverns by day,
along with their disciples or servants, called _lvunches_ or
man-animals, who transform themselves at night into owls and shoot
invisible arrows at their enemies.
They all believe in the immortality of the soul, which they call _am_ or
_pulli_, and which they say is _aneanolu_ or incorporeal, and _mugealu_,
or existing for ever; but they are not agreed as to the state of the
soul after this life. All say that it goes after death to the west
beyond the sea, to a place called _Gulcheman_, or the dwelling of the
men beyond the mountains. Some believe this country is divided into two
provinces; one that is pleasant and filled with every thing delightful,
the abode of the good; the other desolate and devoid of every comfort,
the dwelling of the wicked. Others again conceive that all enjoy eternal
pleasure after this life, and that the deeds done in the body have no
influence on the future lot. They believe the soul retains its original
attachments and dislikes, and that the spirits of their departed
countrymen frequently return and fight furiously with those of their
former enemies, when they meet in the air; and to these combats they
attribute the origin of tempests and of thunder and lightning. When a
storm happens on the Andes or the ocean, they ascribe it to a battle
between the spirits of their departed countrymen and those of the
Spaniards. If the storm take its course towards the Spanish territory,
they exclaim triumphantly, _Inavimen, inavimen, puen, laguvimen!_ Pursue
them friends, pursue them, kill them! If the storm tends towards their
own country, they cry out in consternation, _Yavulumen, puen,
namuntumen_! Courage friends, be firm!
They have a tradition of a great deluge, in which only a few persons
were saved by taking refuge on a high mountain, named _Thegtheg_, the
thundering or sparkling, which had three points, and had the property of
floating on the waters. On the occurrence of violent earthquakes, they
fly for refuge to the mountains, fearful that the sea may again deluge
the world; and on these occasions, every one takes a good supply of
provisions, and a large wooden platter to protect the head, in case the
_Thegtheg_ when raised by the waters should approach the sun.
The year of the Araucanians is solar, and begins on the 22d of December,
or immediately after the southern solstice, which they call
_Thaumathipantu_, or the head and tail of the year, and are able to
ascertain this period with tolerable precision by means of watching the
shadows. The 22d of June is called _Udanthipantu_, the divider of the
year, as dividing it into two equal parts. The whole year is called
_Tipantu_, or the course of the sun, and is divided into twelve months
of thirty days each, to which they add five intercallary days to
complete the tropical year, but in what way I have not been able to
determine. The months are called _cujen_, or moons, and have the
following names:
Avun-cujen, the month of fruit, -------------January
Coji-cujen the month of harvest, ------------February
Glor-cujen, the month of maize, ---------------March
Rimu-cujen, the 1st month of rimu, ---------------April
Inarimu-cujen, the 2d month of rimu, -----------------May
Thor-cujen, the 1st month of foam, ----------------June
Inanthor-cujen, the 2d month of foam, ----------------July
Huin-cujen, the unpleasant month, --------------August
Pillal-cujen, the treacherous month, ---------- September
Hueul-cujen, 1st month of new winds, -------------October
Inan-hueul-cujen, 2d month of new winds, ------------November
Hueviru-cujen, the month of new fruits, ----------- December
The year is divided into four seasons; the spring being called
_Peughen_, the summer _Ucan_, the autumn _Gualug_, and the winter
_Pucham_. The natural day is divided into twelve parts or hours, called
_gliaganiu_, six of which belong to the day and six to the night, all of
which have particular names. Commencing at midnight, there are Puliuen,
Ueun, Thipanantu, Maleu, Vutamaleu, Ragiantu, Culunantu, Gullantu,
Conantu, Guvquenantu, Puni, Ragipun. The stars in general are named
_huaglen_, which they distribute into constellations called _pal_ or
_ritha_. The pleiades are named _Cajupal_, or the constellation of six;
the antarctic cross _Meleritho_, the Constellation of four, and so on.
The milky-way is named _Rupuepen_, the fabulous road. The planets are
called _gau_, a word derived from _gaun_ to wash, as they suppose them
to dip into the sea when they set; and some conceive them to be other
earths inhabited like our own. The sky is called _Guenu-mapu_, or the
heavenly country; the moon _Cuyenmapu_, or the country of the moon.
Comets are called _Cheruvoc_, as believed to be terrestrial exhalations
inflamed in the upper region of the air. The eclipses of the sun and
moon are called _Lay-antu_ and _Lay-cujen_, or the deaths of the sun and
moon.
Their measures of length are the _nela_ or palm, the _duche_ or foot,
_namun_ the pace, _the can_ the ell, and _tupu_ the league, which
answers to the marine league or the pharasang of the Persians: But they
estimate long distances by mornings, corresponding to our days journeys.
The liquid measures are the _guampar_, about a quart; _can_ about a
pint; and the _mencu_, which is still smaller. The dry measures are the
_chiaique, about six pints; and the _gliepu_, which is double that
quantity.
Oratory is held in high estimation, and is the road to honour and the
management of public affairs; insomuch that the eldest son of an
_Ulmen_, if deficient in that talent, is excluded from the right of
succession, which devolves upon a younger son, or the nearest male
relative who happens to be an able speaker. On this account, parents
accustom their sons to speak in public from their early youth, and carry
them to the national assemblies, where the best orators of the nation
display their eloquence. Hence the universal attention to speak the
language correctly and to preserve its purity. They are so careful to
avoid the introduction of any foreign words into their language, that
when any stranger settles among them he is obliged to adopt a new name
in the _Chili-dugu_ or language of the country, and even the
missionaries must conform to this singular regulation, if they would
obtain favour; and so fastidious are they in attention to the purity of
their language, that the audience will interrupt a missionary while
preaching, to correct the mistakes in language or pronunciation. Many of
them are well acquainted with the Spanish language; and, from being
accustomed to a soft regular and varied language, they are able easily
to learn the pronunciation of the different European dialects, as was
observed by Captain Wallis of the Patagonians, who are real Chilese.
They are so unwilling however to use the Spanish, that they never use it
in any of the assemblies or congresses between the two nations, and
rather choose to listen to a tiresome interpretation than to degrade the
dignity of their native tongue by using another on such occasions.
Their style of oratory is highly figurative, elevated, allegorical, and
replete with peculiar phrases and expressions that are only used on such
occasions; whence it is called _coyag-tucan_ or the style of public
harangues. They commonly divide their subject into regular heads, called
_thoy_, and usually specify the number they mean to enlarge upon; saying
_Epu thoygei tamen piavin_, "what I am going to say is divided into two
heads." Their speeches are not deficient in a suitable exordium, a clear
narrative, a well-founded argument, and a pathetic peroration; and
usually abound in parables and apologues; which sometimes furnish the
main substance of the discourse.
Their poets are called _gempin_, or lords of speech; and their poetry
generally contains strong and lively images, bold figures, frequent
allusions and similitudes, new and forcible expressions, and possesses
the power of exciting sensibility. It is every where animated and
metaphorical, and allegory is its very soul and essence. Their verses
are mostly composed in stanzas of eight or eleven syllables, and are for
the most part blank, yet rhyme is occasionally introduced, according to
the taste or caprice of the poet.
They have three kinds of physicians. Of these the _ampives_, who are
skilful herbalists, are the best, and have even some skill in the pulse
and other diagnostics of disease. The _vileus_ pretend that all
contagious diseases are produced by insects or worms, and are therefore
often called _cutampiru_, which signifies vermiculous diseases, or
diseases proceeding from worms. The _machis_ are a superstitious class,
or pretenders to sorcery, and allege that all diseases proceed from
witchcraft, and pretend therefore to cure them by supernatural means,
for which reason they are employed in desperate cases, when the
exertions of the _ampives_ and _vileus_ have proved ineffectual; They
have likewise a kind of surgeons, called _gutarve_; who are skilful in
replacing luxations, setting fractured bones, and curing wounds and
ulcers. Before the arrival of the Spaniards, the Chilese doctors used
bleeding, blistering, emetics, cathartics, sudorifics, and even
glysters. They let blood by means of a sharp flint fixed in a small
stick; and for giving glysters they employ a bladder and pipe. Their
emetics, cathartics, and sudorifics are all obtained from the vegetable
kingdom.
Their commerce, both internal and external, is all carried on by barter,
as they have not adopted the use of money; and this is regulated by a
conventional tariff according to which the values of all articles in
commerce are appraised under the name of _cullen_, or payment. Their
external trade is with the Spaniards, with whom they exchange _ponchos_,
or Chilese cloaks, and animals, for wine or European articles. The
Spaniards of the province of Maulé supply the Araucanians with iron
ware, bits for bridles, cutlery, grain, and wine; and are paid in
_ponchos_ of which they receive above 40,000 yearly, in horned cattle,
horses, ostrich feathers, curious baskets, and other trifles; for it has
never been possible to induce them to open their gold mines. The Spanish
merchant has in the first place to obtain permission from the ulmens or
heads of families of a district, after which he proceeds to all the
houses, distributing his merchandize indiscriminately to all, who
present themselves. When he has completed his sale, he gives notice of
his departure, and all the purchasers hasten to an appointed village,
where they deliver the articles agreed for with the utmost punctuality.