Machi (Shaman)
Encyclopedia
A machi is a traditional healer and religious leader in the Mapuche
culture of Chile
and Argentina
. Machis play significant roles in Mapuche religion. Women are more commonly machis than men.
s for their community. In the past, they advised on peace and warfare.
The term is sometimes interchangeable with the word kalku
, however, kalku has a usually evil connotation whereas machi is usually considered good; this, however, is not always true since in common use the terms may be interchanged.
The Mapuches live in southern South America
mostly in central Chile
(Araucanía
and Los Lagos
) and the adjacent areas of Argentina
.
To become a machi, a Mapuche person has to demonstrate character, willpower, and courage, because initiation is long and painful. Usually a person is selected in infancy, based upon the following:
Machiluwun is the ceremony to consecrate a new machi. The chosen child will live six months with a dedicated machi, where it learns the tools to serve as a machi.
. Machis treat Mapuche people, as was wink, foreign or European people. Mapuche traditional medicine is gaining more acceptance in the broader Chilean society.
Machis can also help communities identify witches or any people using supernatural powers to harm others.
community. The victim, five-year-old José Luis Painecur, had his arms and legs removed by Juan Pañán and Juan José Painecur (the victim's grandfather), and was stuck into the sand of the beach like a stake. The waters of the Pacific Ocean
then carried the body out to sea. The sacrifice was rumored to be at the behest of local machi, Juana Namuncurá Añen. The two men were charged with the crime and confessed, but later recanted. They were released after two years. A judge ruled that those involved in these events had "acted without free will, driven by an irresistible natural force of ancestral tradition." The arrested men's explanation was: "We were asking for calm in the sea and on the earth."
Mapuche
The Mapuche are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina. They constitute a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who shared a common social, religious and economic structure, as well as a common linguistic heritage. Their influence extended...
culture of Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. Machis play significant roles in Mapuche religion. Women are more commonly machis than men.
Description
As a religious authority, a machi leads healing ceremonies, called Machitun. During the machitun, the machi communities with the spirit world. Machies also serve as advisors, and oracleOracle
In Classical Antiquity, an oracle was a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic predictions or precognition of the future, inspired by the gods. As such it is a form of divination....
s for their community. In the past, they advised on peace and warfare.
The term is sometimes interchangeable with the word kalku
Kalku
Kalku or Calcu, in Mapuche mythology, is a sorcerer or witch that works with black magic and negative powers or forces. The essentially benevolent shamans are more often referred to as machi, to avoid confusion with the malevolent kalku...
, however, kalku has a usually evil connotation whereas machi is usually considered good; this, however, is not always true since in common use the terms may be interchanged.
The Mapuches live in southern South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
mostly in central Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
(Araucanía
Araucanía Region
The IX Araucanía Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions and comprises two provinces: Malleco in the north and Cautín in the south....
and Los Lagos
Los Lagos Region
Los Lagos Region is one of Chile's 15 regions, which are first order administrative divisions, and comprises four provinces: Chiloé, Llanquihue, Osorno and Palena. The region contains the country's second largest island, Chiloé, and the second largest lake, Llanquihue.Its capital is Puerto Montt;...
) and the adjacent areas of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.
To become a machi, a Mapuche person has to demonstrate character, willpower, and courage, because initiation is long and painful. Usually a person is selected in infancy, based upon the following:
- premonitory dreams
- supernatural revelations
- influence of the family
- inheritance
- her or his power of healing disease
- own initiative.
Machiluwun is the ceremony to consecrate a new machi. The chosen child will live six months with a dedicated machi, where it learns the tools to serve as a machi.
Role in Mapuche medicine
The machi is a person of great wisdom and healing power and is the main character of Mapuche medicine. She has precise knowledge of medicinal herbs and other remedies. She also have the power of the spirits and the interpretation of dreams, peumo in MapudungunMapudungun
The Mapuche language, Mapudungun is a language isolate spoken in south-central Chile and west central Argentina by the Mapuche people. It is also spelled Mapuzugun and sometimes called Mapudungu or Araucanian...
. Machis treat Mapuche people, as was wink, foreign or European people. Mapuche traditional medicine is gaining more acceptance in the broader Chilean society.
Machis can also help communities identify witches or any people using supernatural powers to harm others.
Attitude of the machi
Machis are expected to follow the path indicated by the admapu, or traditional Mapuche customs. They should not be influenced by evil or bad attitudes. Failure to meet these requirements might lead the machi to be suspected as a witch. Machi should not be envious or greedy or show greater interest in money than curing the needy. They should use their knowledge wisely, help the poor, and protect humans.Controversy
A modern ritual human sacrifice possibly occurred during the devastating earthquake and tsunami of 1960 by a machi of the Mapuche in the Lago BudiBudi Lake
Budi Lake is a tidal brackish water lake located near the coast of Araucanía Region, southern Chile. The lake is part of the boundaries between Saavedra and Teodoro Schmidt commune....
community. The victim, five-year-old José Luis Painecur, had his arms and legs removed by Juan Pañán and Juan José Painecur (the victim's grandfather), and was stuck into the sand of the beach like a stake. The waters of the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
then carried the body out to sea. The sacrifice was rumored to be at the behest of local machi, Juana Namuncurá Añen. The two men were charged with the crime and confessed, but later recanted. They were released after two years. A judge ruled that those involved in these events had "acted without free will, driven by an irresistible natural force of ancestral tradition." The arrested men's explanation was: "We were asking for calm in the sea and on the earth."
See also
- KalkuKalkuKalku or Calcu, in Mapuche mythology, is a sorcerer or witch that works with black magic and negative powers or forces. The essentially benevolent shamans are more often referred to as machi, to avoid confusion with the malevolent kalku...
- Kallawaya
- Medicine manMedicine man"Medicine man" or "Medicine woman" are English terms used to describe traditional healers and spiritual leaders among Native American and other indigenous or aboriginal peoples...
- Lonko
- ToquiToquiToqui is a title conferred by the Mapuche to those who are chosen as their leaders during times of war. The toqui is chosen in an assembly or parliament of the chieftains of the various clans or confederation of clans , allied during the war in question...
- Witches of Chiloé