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priests, most female machi gain status and virtue by marrying and having children." Thus, machi still abide by gender roles and norms of
Mapuche culture, but during spiritual ceremonies and rituals they challenge traditional roles and perceptions of gender, and embrace cogendered identities. Machi are perceived to fluidly move between genders throughout different ceremonies, but then face discrimination from Chilean society and fellow Mapuche themselves. While machis accept many different and even conflicting identities, Chilean society often does not. Homophobia and transphobia are rampant in Chilean and Mapuche culture, and machi who do not fit into traditional gender roles may face discrimination and
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down from the maternal grandmother. Gender is not determined by sex, as it typically is in
Chilean society, but rather by identity and spirituality, and is ambiguous among machi. Some scholars have coined this as "cogender," which is a partly feminine and partly masculine identity. Most of this research has focused on males and femininity versus females and masculinity, but all forms of gender fluidity are present within machi culture. During some ceremonies, gender is transcended and transformed spiritually, where binaries between genders do not exist and new gender identities are explored.
261:, or the giver of life, is balanced by four identities: the man, the woman, the young man, and the young woman. During ceremonies, machis seek to embody some or all of these identities at different times in order to perform healing. When someone is sick, machis believe it is because the four identities are out of balance. Within Mapuche culture, there are “well defined notions of gender, but Machis are able to manipulate them." To the machi, gender exists in two realities that they are able to flow between freely: the earthly where gender is fixed, and the spiritual where gender is fluid.
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these feminine male machis are made outcasts and called derogatory names. As a result, many male machi have reinvented themselves as “celibate priests” or “spiritual warriors” in order to avoid further criticism and protect their masculinity. One
Mapuche says that, although he discriminates against machi men, “when is sick, when needs a ngillatun, goes begging to the male machi." Another Mapuche states, “They may be stronger, but they wear women’s clothes...He must like pigs legs."
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simultaneously regarded as more powerful than female machis due to traditional gender stereotypes of women being inherently weaker. Yet, some view males as “not possessing as many powers as the machis” because “females are more connected to nature." Male machis are not permitted to participate in some healing ceremonies and rituals, because “they are not close enough to nature” and “ are more patient with the sick and know more about herbs…the spirits get along with women better."
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312:, a distinguished anthropologist in the field of machi gender roles, urges people to see the nuances in machi gender identity and allow complexity to exist.” According to Bacigalupo, the gendered identities and practices of machis can be experienced and interpreted endlessly along different paths and for different purposes that simultaneously bind people together and draw them apart.”
274:. One machi states, “People don’t talk much about homosexuality because it is looked down upon." The machis are respected, but also shunned - machi women are not viewed fully as women by Mapuche society because of their "masculine power," and machi men are not viewed fully as male because of their "femininity."
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The gender identity and construction of the machi is nuanced and complex. Gender in machi culture is filled with contradictions, paradoxes, and complications because they simultaneously exist within the gender binary while also defying it. “Whereas male machi legitimate their sexuality as celibate
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Becoming a machi is a spiritual transformation that also fosters a place where people can flow between spectrums of gender. Within machi rituals and ceremonies, gender is fluid and dynamic. The majority of machi are female, but males can also be machis; the machi power is said to usually be passed
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in
Chilean society plays a large role in such discrimination, as men are ostracized from groups because they are seen as “too feminine." Many male machi dress in women’s clothing, as this is perceived to be more pious and connected to nature. Since they do not fit conventional gender stereotypes,
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The machi is a person of great wisdom and healing power, and is the main character of
Mapuche medicine. Machis have detailed knowledge of medicinal herbs and other remedies, and are said to have the power of the spirits. In addition, it is claimed that machis have the ability to interpret dreams,
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then carried the body out to sea. The sacrifice was rumored to be at the behest of the 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
252:
Within
Mapuche culture, plants and spirits are given gender; these assigned genders are usually based upon perceptions of masculinity and femininity. As examples, Laurel is a feminine plant because it is regarded as soothing and soft, whereas Triwe is masculine because it has protective powers.
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Both male and female machi face discrimination, but gendered stereotypes also create complicated power dynamics in which some circles perceive female machi as more powerful than male machi, and others vice-versa. To some, male machis are perceived as weak for taking feminized roles, but are
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These genders are fixed and do not change; machi, however, transcend static gender and dynamically flow between them. During healing ceremonies, machis can flow between male, female, and cogendered identities in order to balance the spirit of the person they are healing. As
289:(derogatory term of homosexual). One machi describes that machi women are given a higher status than other Mapuche women because “they are sent here by god” and are therefore divine. An example of this would be the machi being served before others at meals.
240:. Machis are also said to help communities identify witches or other individuals who are using supernatural powers to do harm. Allegedly, Mapuche traditional medicine is gaining more acceptance within broader Chilean society.
612:, CAPITULO XIX En que se refiere lo que el dia siguiente hicimos, y lo que vimos hacer a un machi, que son hechiceros y curan por arte del demonio, y de la suerte que se apodera de ellos, con las cerimonias (sic) que se dirán;
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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
616:, Sociedad Chilena de Historia y GeografĂa, Instituto Chileno de Cultura Hispánica, Academia Chilena de la Historia, Imprenta del Ferrocarril, Santiago, 1863. Original from Harvard University, Digitized May 18, 2007.
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To become a machi, a
Mapuche person has to demonstrate character, willpower, and courage, because initiation is long and painful. A person is usually selected in infancy, based upon the following:
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Although machi women are sometimes cast-out from traditional
Mapuche gender roles, they are also simultaneously feared and revered. Masculine female machi are called derogatory terms such as
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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."
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Machiluwun is the ceremony to consecrate a new machi. The chosen child will live six months with a dedicated machi, where he or she learns the skills to serve as a machi.
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As a result of the gendered perception that machis are usually female, many male machi face discrimination from fellow Mapuche and Chilean society as a whole.
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Ana Mariella Bacigalupo. Shamans of the foye tree: gender, power, and healing among Chilean Mapuche. University of Texas Press, 2007.
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says, “Gender of spirits remain permanent, whereas machi move between gender identities." This is because, in machi cosmology, the
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120:. In contemporary Mapuche culture, women are more commonly machis than men, but it is not a rule. Male machi are known as
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Some Machis are concerned about the way the West portrays them, afraid that they are only perceived as homosexuals or
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is usually considered good. This is not always the case, however, as the terms may be interchanged in common use.
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308:(“witches”). One machi states, “Why do anthropologists always say who we are? Why don’t they ask us?”
175:. During the machitun, the machi communicates with the spirit world. Machis also serve as advisors and
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171:. As a religious authority within Mapuche culture, a machi leads healing ceremonies called
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ColeccĂon de historiadores de Chile y documentos relativos a la historia nacional, Tomo III
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The magic mountain and other origin myths of the mapuche indians of central chile
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for their community; in the past, they advised on peace and warfare. The term
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A modern ritual human sacrifice occurred during the devastating
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CAUTIVERIO FELIZ, Y RAZĂ“N DE LAS GUERRAS DILATADAS DE CHILE
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The Highest Altar: Unveiling the Mystery of Human Sacrifice
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The Geographical, Natural, and Civil History of Chile
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138:Atlas of Physical and Political History of Chile
136:Illustration of a machi healing a patient, from
142:Atlas de la historia fĂsica y polĂtica de Chile
16:Spiritual leader and healer in Mapuche culture
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183:is sometimes interchangeable with the word
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193:usually has an evil connotation, whereas
76:Learn how and when to remove this message
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39:This article includes a list of general
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572:. 4 July 1960 (retrieved 28 June 2011)
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604:Francisco Núñez de Pineda y Bascuñán
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404:. Austin: University of Texas Press.
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116:. Machis play significant roles in
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434:. The Journal of American Folklore.
216:her or his power of healing disease
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1189:Traditional healthcare occupations
1042:Kingdom of Araucania and Patagonia
634:The Struggle for Machi Masculinity
45:it lacks sufficient corresponding
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939:FederaciĂłn Mapuche de Estudiantes
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324:by a machi of the Mapuche in the
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151:The Mapuche live in southern
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167:) and the adjacent areas of
104:and religious leader in the
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1012:Araucanization of Patagonia
934:Coordinadora Arauco-Malleco
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285:(woman of the street), or
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483:Shamans of the Foye Tree
465:Shamans of the Foye Tree
450:Shamans of the Foye Tree
417:Shamans of the Foye Tree
402:Shamans of the Foye Tree
400:Bacigalupo, Ana (2007).
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255:Shamans of the Foye Tree
227:Role in Mapuche medicine
207:supernatural revelations
1052:Occupation of AraucanĂa
210:influence of the family
60:more precise citations.
1047:Conquest of the Desert
1032:Camino de los chilenos
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92:Mapuche machis in 1903
21:Machi (disambiguation)
1184:Religious occupations
944:Mapuche football team
430:Faron, Louis (1963).
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922:Extant organizations
155:, mostly in central
19:For other uses, see
987:Battle of the Maule
792:RĂĽxafe (silverwork)
620:Juan Ignacio Molina
567:"Asking for Calm."
375:Francisca Linconao
204:premonitory dreams
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556:978-0-14-013974-7
529:Bacigalupo, Ana.
514:Bacigalupo, Ana.
499:Bacigulapo, Ana.
481:Bacigalupo, Ana.
463:Bacigalupo, Ana.
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370:Warlock of Chiloé
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272:transphobia
213:inheritance
146:Claudio Gay
128:Description
108:culture of
58:introducing
1163:Categories
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888:Promaucaes
727:Aillarehue
695:Placenames
690:Mapudungun
580:References
238:Mapudungun
122:Machi Weye
41:references
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883:Pehuenche
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772:Mythology
737:Chemamull
732:Butalmapu
702:TsesungĂşn
685:Huilliche
350:Kallawaya
326:Lago Budi
281:(witch),
169:Argentina
165:Los Lagos
161:AraucanĂa
114:Argentina
66:July 2013
1149:Category
898:Picunche
858:Boroanos
837:Wenufoye
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777:Polygamy
767:Military
762:Medicine
678:Language
338:See also
294:Machismo
173:Machitun
1002:Slavery
969:History
908:Ranquel
893:Puelche
878:Moluche
842:WĂĽnelfe
720:Culture
671:Mapuche
550:(1989)
259:Nguchen
232:called
177:oracles
106:Mapuche
54:improve
977:Origin
863:Cuncos
827:Werkén
597:
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306:brujas
287:marica
244:Gender
144:), by
43:, but
1007:MalĂłn
817:Wampu
812:Ulmen
782:Rehue
757:Machi
752:Lonko
742:Kalku
382:Notes
365:Toqui
360:Lonko
345:Kalku
279:bruja
234:pewma
195:machi
191:Kalku
186:kalku
181:machi
157:Chile
110:Chile
100:is a
98:machi
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