{"id":1330,"date":"2022-11-28T19:46:02","date_gmt":"2022-11-28T19:46:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lecturaeninglesuach.cl\/?page_id=1330"},"modified":"2025-11-17T19:12:27","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T19:12:27","slug":"typical-items-of-mapuche-life","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.lecturainglesuach.cl\/index.php\/typical-items-of-mapuche-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Typical items of mapuche life"},"content":{"rendered":"

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TYPICAL ITEMS OF MAPUCHE LIFE<\/h2><\/div>
THE MAPUCHE CULTURE<\/strong><\/div><\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=\u00bb1\/2″][vc_column_text]Kultx\u00fcg <\/strong><\/p>\n

It is the most representative percussion instrument of the Mapuche people. It is a ceremonial drum made of wood with a diameter of between 35-40 centimetres. The instrument has stones inside.\u00a0 It belongs to the group of drums known as membranophones.\u00a0 This means that it has a membrane which covers the hollow wooden structure and it is tied to the body of the drum. This membrane is made with a patch of rawhide of a lamb, goat or horse. The kultx\u00fcg<\/em> represents the universe and it is used by the machi during ceremonies such as gillatun<\/em> (gratitude ceremony), we txipanth\u00fc<\/em> (mapuche New Year\u2019s Day), and pewutun<\/em> (healing rite) among others.\u00a0 The kultx\u00fcg<\/em> has other names depending on the geographical zone. In some places, it is known as kawi\u00f1-kura<\/em>, which seems to be the original name given by the machis in the eighteenth century to refer to the stones it has inside.\u00a0 These symbolise the Earth in contrast to the divine powers which are represented by the drawings on its surface.<\/p>\n

Txutxuka<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is a wind instrument used in mapuche rituals or social events. \u00a0It is made of\u00a0 the\u00a0 hollow\u00a0 stalk\u00a0 of\u00a0 a colihue (chusquea culeou) which is\u00a0 between\u00a0 2-4 metres \u00a0\u00a0long and 2-10 centimetres in\u00a0 diameter<\/p>\n

and it is covered with the skin of a horse.\u00a0 It has the horn\u00a0 of a cow at one end, which amplifies the sound after a player blows through it at the other end.<\/p>\n

Txompe<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is an ancient instrument which has been used all over the world and it was introduced to America by the Spaniards at their arrival. It is also known as mouth harp.\u00a0 Nowadays, it is made of metal, but in the case of mapuche people, it was originally made of colihue.\u00a0 The player of this instrument must take the frame with one of his hands, press the arms of the instrument with his teeth and pull the trigger with his index finger.\u00a0 The metal reed then vibrates and the mouth cavity works as a resonator increasing the volume of the instrument.\u00a0\u00a0 After the mapuche people learnt how to forge spears, knives and other similar objects, they developed the techniques, tools and materials that made it easy to spread the use of the metal txompe in their territory.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Ruka<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is the house of mapuche people. It is a circular structure whose walls are made of colihue stalks and they are reinforced with wood in the inside part of the house. The whole structure is supported by two wooden poles located almost in the middle of it and covered with dry grass or reeds, which are resistant to the weather conditions of the South of Chile. The entrance to this dwelling is always facing the east because this is the place where the sun rises in Chile (behind the Andes mountains), which has a special spiritual meaning for them. In the centre of it, there is an open hearth made of stones.\u00a0 The fire is constantly burning inside, and the smoke goes out through a hole in the roof.\u00a0 According to the mapuche mythology, there is a spirit called gen-kuntxal who is the soul of the hearth and provides warmth to the people, their food, their home and everything in it.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=\u00bb1\/2″][vc_column_text css=\u00bb.vc_custom_1763406753903{padding-bottom: 40px !important;}\u00bb]<\/p>\n

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