CONCEPTS OF SICKNESS AND HEALING IN THE MAPUCHE COSMOLOGY AND THE IMPACT OF OCCIDENTAL CULTURE

Authors

  • ALEJANDRO DÍAZ MUJICA Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.
  • Mª VICTORIA PÉREZ VILLALOBOS Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.
  • CLAUDIO GONZÁLEZ PARRA Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.
  • JEANNE W. SIMON

Keywords:

Mapuche, sickness, healing, machi, health

Abstract

This article presents the central aspects of the Mapuche cosmology related with sickness and healing. Words used in Mapudugún, the native language of the Mapuche, the concepts of equilibrium, disequilibrium, negative energy, and positive energy are discussed. The activities and roles of the Mapuche healing agents as well as those of the individual, are described. The function of the person who is “machi” is presented. Finally, the impact of occidental culture over the customs, culture, curative system, and health of the Mapuche and Pehuenche are evaluated.

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Published

2004-06-05

How to Cite

1.
DÍAZ MUJICA A, PÉREZ VILLALOBOS MV, GONZÁLEZ PARRA C, SIMON JW. CONCEPTS OF SICKNESS AND HEALING IN THE MAPUCHE COSMOLOGY AND THE IMPACT OF OCCIDENTAL CULTURE. Cienc enferm [Internet]. 2004Jun.5 [cited 2024Jul.22];10(1). Available from: https://revistas.udec.cl/index.php/cienciayenfermeria/article/view/13204

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 1 (2004)

Section

Artículos
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.