The Mapuche people were, are, and always will be one of the most important indigenous groups in Chile and Argentina, both for their social and demographic significance and for their strong sense of cultural identity that has endured despite historical challenges. An important part of that identity is the Mapuche Games , which we will explore here.
Mapuche Games
During the time of the conquest, the Mapuches prepared themselves for the fight by making weapons, becoming skilled in handling them and exercising their bodies. To be ready to defend the town, he learned to ride a horse, he became a ballplayer, pilma, chueca, linao, he was rower, slinger, lancer, walker, runner; he practiced, in short, everything he could to keep him in good muscular disposition.
The Palin
The palín, among the Mapuche games, is the sport par excellence, it is a game that is played with a cane (Weño) and a ball (pali) with a strong ceremonial and political content, which motivated it to be prohibited on many occasions first by the Spanish conquerors. and after independence by the Chilean state. The first written testimonies that speak of the palín date back to the XNUMXth century and testify that this sport was practiced between the central valley of Chile and the large island of Chiloé.
According to the Jesuit priest Alonso de Ovalle, the palín was practiced by women, men and children who showed great agility and lightness in their movements. The chronicler Diego de Rosales maintains that the Spaniards viewed this sport with mistrust since many of its players or fans were warriors who could take this practice as combat exercises, they also felt rejection for "invocations of the devil so that the ball is favorable to them" .
The historian Carlos López verified in chronicles and historical sources the existence of various ceremonies and ritual practices that accompany the practice of the palín, among others: dagun, “cure” the instruments used for the game with guanaco blood and tobacco smoke; embedding the nails of predatory animals in the curves of the cane; lawenfura or katanlikan: inject fine powder of rock or puma bone under the feet of various parts of the players' bodies in order to endow them with strength and endurance in the practice of sports and war.
The game consists of two teams with between five and fifteen players each, the dimensions of the playing field (paliwe) depended on the number of players. In a game of fifteen players, the approximate measurements of the court are two hundred and forty meters long by thirty meters wide. It is played with a small wooden ball wrapped in huemul leather (pali) that is hit with a curved stick (weño) trying to take it to the opponents' field.
The two sides or parties have their fields in the opposite halves of the paliwe and the chiefs of the two parties take position on both sides of it, while the other players are placed in strategic positions, all armed with sticks. When they were ready, those in the center hit their sticks in the air and began to fight to get the ball out of the hole in which it had been placed, each one trying to propel it in the direction of the opposite court.
The object of the players was to take it by the line that closes the opposite field or in defense of their party, to throw it out of the field, which is considered a tie and the game begins again. Each point in favor is marked on a stick, the first game to reach the number of points previously established is the winner.
The players have songs, some for the purpose of inviting, others as a provocation for the fight and others as a celebration for the victory. One of the songs compiled by Father Félix José de Augusta in «Lecturas Araucanas» reads as follows:
Let's play, then, mocetones!
You will be like a hawk,
From the south I will bring for you
Good sticks of chueca.
I will bring ten sticks,
To deal with the chuequeros.
Then they will say that I am encouraged,
Because I have good boys,
We will fight again, good young men ».
pillmatun
The pillmatun is one of the most popular Mapuche games, it is a ball game that consists of between eight to ten players distributed in a circumference, each one placed two arms apart from the other.
In the game, a pillma is used, which is a ball of straw or light wood with a diameter slightly larger than that of a tennis ball. The purpose of the game is to hit the opponent with the ball and thus get a point.
The pillma must be thrown under the leg, while the rival tries to dodge the launch without leaving the position in which he is, to dodge the ball he can twist, jump, lie on the ground but must try to get up very quickly. The way to hit the ball is by putting the hand in the shape of a "shovel" as if it were a racket and always hitting it below the leg, being able to take a small jump in order to achieve this goal. Whoever is hit by the ball loses a point, until reaching the agreed number, usually six.
linao
Linao, also called Linao, is one of the Mapuche ball games. The name comes from ling, which means to fight and naln, ball. Literally battle with the ball. It may also come from the indigenous word inar which means: to follow or persecute another. It is one of the oldest Mapuche games and is played with a ball made of seaweed. This ball normally has a circumference of approximately fourteen to sixteen inches.
The court where it is played must be completely flat with dimensions of one hundred and twenty meters long by sixty meters wide. If the total number of players taking part in the game exceeded sixty players, the dimensions of the court had to be increased. The average game lasts from five hours to six hours. The boundaries of the field are marked by highly visible stripes. In the center of the court, two transverse stripes are placed parallel to the field, with a distance of approximately five meters from each other.
Once the contending teams are ready, they are divided into two groups, each occupying the designated side of the field. The fastest players were placed forward, the most agile and skilled in dodging the body, in the center, and the most resistant and strong, in the back, always reserving the position of goalkeeper, tecuto, for the most corpulent and courageous young man. Only men under the age of thirty-five participate.
A draw is made and the side favored by luck, designates an athlete to stand between the two lines that represent the neutral zone, and throw the ball with the greatest possible force, obliquely upwards and towards where his supporters are, must in each case fall within the neutral ground. When the ball is thrown into the air, five or ten contenders from each side enter this field and fight to receive it in the air, and this was where supporters and opponents do real wonders to seize it.
The player who manages to catch it, hugs it tightly in his arms and starts a fast race towards the enemy door, closely followed by almost the entire troupe; some make an effort to defend their teammate and others to take the ball from him. When a player, after a lot of work, manages to find himself close to entering the enemy door, the tecuto and his assistants have to do their best to prevent that whole avalanche from running over them and entering through the door.
The preparation of the players is of great importance. In the preparation of the body, running exercises with changes of direction and feints are practiced. It feeds preferably on toasted wheat flour. For fifteen days the players bathe at dawn in waterfalls or traitraiko. They practice fasting and chastity before matches.
The linao players smear themselves with sea lion oil, which serves to protect them from the cold, as well as making them slippery when fighting with players from the opposing team. To play they used only a chiripá without any type of footwear. A wool headband of some color, they used a distinctive called trarilongo that served to differentiate the teams.
Before a match, the machi, the indigenous religious authority, sings the ballad to enchant the ball and sprinkles water on the players of her team with the intention of strengthening them. The ball, about fifteen centimeters in diameter, is made of edible algae such as cochayuyo, luche or sargassum that are covered with wool or leather; They can also be made of wood and cloth which were somewhat smaller in size.
In ancient times it was played in the area to the west of the Nahuelbuta mountain range and along the coast to the south of the Toltén River to the province of Llanquihue and the Chiloé Archipelago. The Linao arouses great interest among fans, who travel enormous distances to attend these matches.
awar kuden
The awar kuden or bean game is one of the Mapuche games. It is a game similar to dice. It is played between two people, eight beans are required, each bean has one side scratched and painted with charcoal or some color, as well as ten to twenty sticks or chips (kow) to record the scores. Before starting the game, each player presents the other with the object that they will deliver in case of losing. Because it is a game normally for children, the object in dispute can be a garment, a candy or a toy.
A piece of cloth, a poncho or other surface is arranged to serve as a board and the players stand face to face, with the pieces to one side of their body. Each player takes turns throwing the beans. The player in turn takes the beans in his hands and shakes them while singing to call for good luck. Then he throws the beans on the board and counts the beans that fell painted side up.
According to Smith, in "Los Araucanos", "During the game, they caress the beans, kiss them, talk to them, rub them on the ground and on their chests, shout and gesticulate, invoking good luck for themselves and bad luck for their opponents, with as sincere as if they believed that beans had a soul.
According to a scoring system, the beans that fell with the painted part upwards are counted and the first to complete one hundred points wins. Another scoring system says that if the eight beans land "on their backs" (payḻanagün), with the painted side up, the player scores two points and is entitled to a new roll.
If half of the back and half of the belly fall, it is called a stoppage and it is worth a bit, but it also gives the right to a new roll. The turn ends when no scored results are produced. Whoever collects twenty points first has won a round. The winner of the game is whoever wins two rounds in a row.
Other games
Other Mapuche games that form an important part of their identity are: Trümün: Ball game played using the feet; the ball is made from dried herbs wrapped in animal leather. Waikitun: Mock Spear Fighting. Lefkawellun: Horse racing.
When the Mapuche learned to ride a horse, they surpassed the conquerors in their domain. Lekaitun: Exercises with ball or ball. Pülkitun: Exercises with bow and arrow. Ellkaukatun: Hide and seek game. Ellkawun: Game of hiding a garment. The Choiketun: Game of the ostrich.