Traditionally, the mapuche have experienced what are called perimontun, or “visions”. This has been documented as a miracle, a negative omen, a prodigious feat, even something supernatural (a sign of divinity), an extraordinary occurrence experienced by some members of the communities. In more recent times, the perimontun has tended to be exclusive to the machis, who, during these “visions” are called upon by the divine to practice their vocation. In the community of Cauñicú, in the Alto Bío-Bío of southern Chile, the perimontun has been experienced by some people when a wekuvü, which can be bad, but also good, holds sway over them. When this occurs, they lose feeling, lucidity, reason, and orientation in time and space. It is like a waking dream; nevertheless, it consists of a real lived experience which can be negative but also positive. In the first case, the subject can eventually die; in the second, nothing bad happens, and a stroke of luck may be received (küme püllü). According to what some claim, in past times when the people were moros, not baptized, the perimontun were more frequent; in the present day, they are only occasional. Stories told about “visions” are considered ngütram, which is to say they denote real events rather than fictitious ones like the epew, in which animals are involved and are seen to dialogue among themselves.
Keywords:
Pewenche Culture, Ancestral Beliefs, Perimontun (“Visions”), bad and good Wekuvü
Sánchez C., G. (2016). Perimontun (visions) in mapuche culture (with particular reference to their occurrence amongst the Pewenche of the Alto Bío-Bío). Revista Chilena De Antropología, (31). Retrieved from https://revistas.uchile.cl/index.php/RCA/article/view/40605
