Niños mapuche bailando Choike Purrún, Temucuicui, Septiembre 2017 .Mapuche children dancing Choike Purrún, Temucuicui, September 2017.

Description:

For the Mapuche, the forces of good or Ngnech, meaning life and construction, oppose the forces of evil or Weküfe, that represent destruction and death. This is why, through their ritual ceremonies, they seek to balance these two dissimilar energies. In Mapuche language, Nguillatún means rogativa, or a ceremonious request to the divine. It is done with intervals of one, two, three, or four years, in a sacred place specially arranged for this purpose. This ritual is done for several reasons: rain, fertility, good harvests, avoid diseases, or abundance of food. The Choique Purrún or Ostrich Dance, is part of the Nguillatún, where dancers run and move their poncho imitating the wings of a ostrich.

Attribution:

Camilo Tapia

Date:

September 2017