. Bulletin. Ethnology. Vol. 2] THE ARAUCANIANS—COOPER 739 of a gathering or reunion of a small or large number of people, during which there was singing and dancing, feasting, and heavy drinking. The kawifi was very apt to end in widespread intoxication among the participants, bloody fights, and sex orgies—in a word, the typical, widely distributed aboriginal South American drinking bout. These eating and drinking feasts were given on many occasions, such as religious rites, victory celebrations, the erection of a hut, sowing and threshing, shearing, the completing of a new receptacle for chic
. Bulletin. Ethnology. Vol. 2] THE ARAUCANIANS—COOPER 739 of a gathering or reunion of a small or large number of people, during which there was singing and dancing, feasting, and heavy drinking. The kawifi was very apt to end in widespread intoxication among the participants, bloody fights, and sex orgies—in a word, the typical, widely distributed aboriginal South American drinking bout. These eating and drinking feasts were given on many occasions, such as religious rites, victory celebrations, the erection of a hut, sowing and threshing, shearing, the completing of a new receptacle for chicha making, marriages, burials, athletic events, initiation into the shaman- ship, etc. The war cry previously mentioned, made by striking the palm rhythmically against the mouth, was also a common sign of rejoicing used in such Figure 81.—Mapuche hockey sticks and ball. (After Manquilef, 1914.) Men, women, and children were excellent swimmers; they indulged in this exercise partly for cleanliness and Spartan self-training, and partly for recreation. Wrestling (with hairhold) and foot-racing were also common. By far the most important sport, however, was chueca (hufino, uno, palican) or hockey, played by men, women, and children, with a small wooden ball and with sticks of Chusquea sp., curved at the end (fig. 81). It was an organized team game played by two sides of 10 to 15 players each, to the music of flutes and drums, before big crowds of spectators, for large wagers put up both by players and by spectators. (Cf. vivid description of modern match by Robles Rod- riguez, 1942, pp. 189-208.) Various magico-religious rites were carried out in connection with the game: e. g., the ball was treated by the medicine man, the sticks were fumigated with tobacco smoke and anointed with the blood of an animal killed for the purpose. Sexual intercourse was avoided before an important match game (Guevara Silva, 1913, p. 174). Second in importance as a sport was. Please note
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