La Voz del Kultrun en la Modernidad: Tradicion y Cambio en la Terapeutica de Siete Machi

Mapuche (The Voice of the Drum in Modernity: Tradition and Change in the Therapy of
Seven Mapuche Machi) by Ann Mariella Bacigalupo
Review by: Michael Winkelman
American Anthropologist, New Series, Vol. 105, No. 1, Special Issue: Biological Anthropology:
Historical Perspectives on Current Issues, Disciplinary Connections, and Future Directions
(Mar., 2003), pp. 177-179
Published by: Wiley on behalf of the American Anthropological Association
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Book Reviews
practicesthatimpactgenderexpectationsand interactions
arefundamental
to women'smoreequitablefutures
in tourism.Asa group,thechaptersin part3 sharemanysimiliarities in the authors'approaches,but notablehighlightsare
Dieke's Zambiacase studywithinhis chapteron Africa,as
well as Casellasand Holcomb'sdiscussionofecotourismin
LatinAmericaas a specialtopic.BothHall and Sonmezdevotesomeattention
to EasternEuropeanand MiddleEastern
womenas touristswithintheirown regions,welcomecontributions
to an areaofresearchthatis largelyunexplored.
Timothy'sconcludingchaptersummarizessome dominantthemesand recurrent
thatemergethroughout
patterns
thebook.Theseincludewomen'sconcentration
in jobsthat
mirror
theirtraditional
domesticroles,women'sdisproportionatepresencein tourism'sinformal
sector,and therecurrentportrayal
ofwomenas consumableproducts.The personal empowermentthat women may derive as both
as a recurproducersand consumersoftourismis identified
ring theme. So too are contributors'observationsthat
women hold fewdecisionand policy-making
positionsin
tourism.Economicsand cultures,as Timothypointsout,
tend to place constraintson women travelingfromand
withindevelopingregions,a subjecta fewof the contributorsaddress.Otherequallyprovocativethemesthatemerge
in thebook,butwhicharenotmentionedagainbyTimothy
in the concludingchapter,include the observationthat
women are oftenat theforefront
oftourismvenuesforapthe
fact
that
womenare usuallyin
pearances'sake,despite
the "background"in decision making.Withintheirproducerroles,womenareoftenboththeguardiansand innovatorsof theirindigenouscultures.While enlargingtheir
economic opportunitiesand easing their lives, tourism
oftenincreaseswomen's workloadand createshardship.
Timothy'sinclusionof a futureagenda forredefining
genderrolesin tourismrightly
a
to
need
for
more
inforpoints
mationabout women touristsand how the role of men is
changingas womenoccupymoreof theirtimein the productionand consumptionoftourism.Timothyalso suggests
increasedattention
to:(1) disadvantaged
socialgroups,
suchas
with
a
research
on
the
disabilities;(2)
people
emphasis
ways
that race, class, nationality,and ethnicitycombine with
genderin the productionof tourism;and (3) directivesfor
futurepolicyand planningthatdo not blindlyimposedestandardson developingsocieties.Timothy
veloped-world
assertsthat moreresearchshould be undertakeninto the
rolethatall kindsofsexualityplayin tourism.Whileseveral
chaptersinclude passingremarkson the topic, the final
chapter'snod to sex tourism,togetherwithKindon'sbrief
remarkson the hospitality
sectorin SoutheastAsia,constitutethesurprisingly
shortdiscussionsofthisimportant
and
pervasiveissue fordevelopingregions.Sex tourismas a
topicdoes notappearin theindex!
While it is easyto criticizea book forwhatit lacks-one
aboutwomen
might,forexample,wishformoreinformation
and ecotourism,a developeddiscussionofwomenin agroaboutwomenand tourismin Intourism,and information
dia and China-the strengths
of thisbook outweighany

177

weaknesses.AsTimothy'sfinalsentencesconclude,"Scholars mustbeginviewingwomen as keyplayersin an enormous multidimensional

systemof dependency,empowerment, production, and consumption. This volume
a stepin thisdirection,
butthereis moreworkto
represents
be done" (p. 247).
La Voz del Kultrunen la Modernidad:Tradicion y Cambio en la Terapeuticade SieteMachi Mapuche (Thevoice
of the drumin modernity:Traditionand change in the
therapyof seven Mapuche machi). Ann Mariella Bacigalupo. Santiago:EdicionesUniversidadCatolica de Chile,
2001. 271 pp.
MICHAEL WINKELMAN
ArizonaStateUniversity
AnnMariellaBacigalupoprovidesa well-organized
andclearly
conceptualized ethnographicdescriptionof the machi
(shamanistichealer)spiritualhealingtraditionsof the indigenousMapucheof southernChile. This book buildson
her dissertation(1994), incorporating
interviewsand diawith
with
observation
and premachi,
logues
participant
viousanthropological
and historical
works.
boththe consensusand
Bacigalupo'sapproachillustrates
in theseshamanistichealingpractices,
diversity
challenging
held by the Chilean majorityby revealingthe
stereotypes
changesin thesehealingpracticesas consequencesofmodernization.The machi presentto the Chilean nation a
ofthepersistence
oftraditionand backwardness,
stereotype
which is used politicallyto emphasizeMapuche cultural
and rejectionof the modernworld.Chileans
preservation
oftenviewthe machi practicesas marginalizedand exotic.
of the machias traBacigalupodiscountsthesestereotypes
ditionalantimodernist
forcesand,instead,emphasizestheir
influences.Drawdynamicrolein mediatingacculturative
ing on materialfromthe practicesand lives of seven
Mapuche machi,she showshow theyselectivelycombine
Catholic,modernmedical,and Chileannationalsymbolsin
a creativeand synthetic
theminto
processand incorporates
theirdynamichealingdiscourses.The workofthemachiis
not restricted
to ruralenclaves.Rather,it is predominately
associatedwithurbancentersbecausethemachideal with
problemsof modernity,
identity,and psychologicalhealing.In exploringthediversewaysin whichthesesevenmachi practiceand conceptualizethe world,she providesan
and consenanalysisof the relationshipbetweendiversity
sus in the knowledgeand practicesof thesetraditions
and
theprocessbywhichknowledgeisreproduced.
to theoriesofchangeand healAlthoughwell referenced
focusedon the machi'srolesin
ing,the book is primarily
life,based on extensiveethnographicdecontemporary
and
case
scription
analysis,and liberallyillustratedwith
The
book
is dividedinto two main sections.
photographs.
The firstaddressesthe majorcommonalitiesin contemporarymachi practiceand the relationshipsof Bacigalupo's

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All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

178

AmericanAnthropologist * Vol. 105, No. 1 * March 2003

Thismaterial
to earlieraccountsofmachipractices.
findings
of
providesan account the normativeconsensusregarding
cosmology,diagnosis,and curingrituals.The second sectionof thebook providesan in-depthconsiderationof the
lives of seven machi, illustrating
theirdivergencesfrom
consensualaspectsof the past and the creationof hybrid
modernimages.
TheseapproachesenableBacigalupoto showhowthemachi both reinforce
ancienttraditionsand formnew spaces
forMapuche in modernChile. Machi rootsin the ancient
and modernworldsenable them to both addressancient
notionsrelatedto exorcismof malignantspiritsas well as
modernconceptssuchas stress,
depression,economicproband
AIDS.
Their
lems,
practicesblendthehistoricCatholic,
modernmedicaland Chileanviewswithina matrixoftheir
olderbeliefs.Thishas resultedin contemporary
machipracticesquitedistinctfromthosethatreignedbarelyhalfa centuryago. Thesemodernizedmachi practicesare in greatest
demandin theareasin whichmodernization
forcesare the
Theiradaptationto modernpressureshas, howstrongest.
theirbeliefsand therapeutic
ever,transformed
practicesand
and specialization
produceda greaterrole differentiation
amongthemachi.
Bacigalupo'sapproachplaces the activitiesof the machi
in the contextof cross-cultural
studiesof magico-religious
healers.She rejectsMichaelWinkleman's(1992) classification of contemporary
machi as mediumsin his model of
shamanistic
healers,pointinginsteadto theircharacteristics
their
roles as shaman/healers(cf. Bacigalupo
identifying
of
worldviewreminiscent
1996). Machi have a three-part
shamanic practices,with the machi's terrestrial
activities
mediatingforthe Mapuche betweenthe positivecelestial
powersand thenegativedomainofthewitches.The witches
the illnessdypossesspeople and cause sickness,reflecting
namicsofcomplexhierarchical
and stratified
societies.The
machipracticethe physicalmedicinecharacteristic
of shamanism,usingherbsand massage,butalso providefertility
rites.Machi are occasionallypossessedby spiritsand also
engagein "magicalflight"or soul flight.Machi have power
animalsthatreflectshamanicinfluences,
as well as domesticanimals(sheep,horses,and chickensreflecting
theinfluence of Spanishsociety).Machi providea complexintegration of featuresthatcombinethe shamanisticelementsof
the past (e.g.,pole or tree-climbing
ritesthatrepresent
the
axis mundi and soul journey)with the mediumisticand
of complexsocieties
possessionphenomenacharacteristic
with political integrationand stratification.
Bacigalupo's
ethnography
providesevidenceofthesocioeconomictransformation
oftheMapuchein responseto forcesofmodernization.She characterizes
the machi as the groupwiththe
highestdegreeof commitmentto theirculture.They are
able to use ritualsymbolsto instigatechangesin others'experiencesand health. These skillsenable them to confer
new meaningto conceptsof importanceto the Mapuche,
to renegotiate
usingtheirskillsat cognitivereorganization
theMapucheethosand rechargeitin itsconfrontation
with
forcesofmodernization.

Machi traditions
includeelementsof thebiomedicaland
EuropeanCatholic healing traditionsthat have come to
challengeits dominanceamong the Mapuche. The ritual
systemaddressesMapuche'scontemporary
problems-work,
survival,culturalidentity,racism,and social relations-reinforcingpeople's confidencein theircapacityto achieve
theirgoals. These concernsare greatestin the citiesand
townswhereMapuchehavemostintensecontactwithChilean societyand theinfluences
ofthedominantChileanculture.
Machiconceptualframework
recognizestheinterpenetrationof mindand bodyand theeffects
on themfromspiritual,physical,emotional,and cognitivefactors.This holistic framework
is evidentin the therapeuticpracticesthat
combine physical(e.g., medicinalplants) and ritualapproaches(e.g., sympathetic
magic).Conceptsof illnessincludesocialand emotionalsourcesas well,whereenvy,normativetransgressions,
and ill will towardneighborscan
disruptthesocialand individualbodies.
While machi practicesmay be seen as alternatives
to
biomedicalcarein some cases,theyare also complementary
health resources,particularly
in cases wherebiomedicine
cannot finda cause forsuffering.
Machi holisticand personal approachprovidesreliefthrougha varietyofspiritual,
psychological,emotional,and physical remedies.Machi
treatment
modalitiesforwhat are conprovidealternative
ceptualizedas spiritualillness,a resultof other'sactions
themostcommon),as wellas thevictim'svio(e.g.,sorcery,
lationofsocialor religiousnorms,a disruptionin theirbalance withnature,or a consequenceofhavingunusualexperiences(e.g., dreams,visions,or supernatural
encounters).
the spiritualillnessas similarto
Bacigalupocharacterizes
psychosomaticillnessin theirsymptoms,pointingto the
mechanismsofcuringin themanagementofanxiety.Bacigalupo's extensivedescriptionof Mapucheillness,particuvariationin key
larlyspiritualillness,revealsintracultural
and
Differences
concepts
healingpractices.
amongcontema varietyof forces,includingdifferent
porarymachi reflect
formsofselectionand theroleofthe"sisterhoods"
in training,in which theyconveyspecificrituals,prayersand instruments.
Some machiengagein activitiesthatreinforce
a
orwitches,includpopularnotionoftheirrolesas sorcerers
ingtheuse ofdivination,lovemagic,and vengeance.
The principalaspect of machi work involves healing.
is thesimultaneoususe ofnatuTypicalofmachitreatment
and
ritual
A varietyof plant mediremedies.
ral-empirical
cinesare employedforspiritualand physicalillness.Physical treatments
fromplantmedicinesarealso oftenused in a
forresolutionof
role,
diagnostic
revealinga prognostication
the maladyin the patient'sreactionsto theireffects.Baciofritualas derivingfromthe
galupoemphasizestheefficacy
machiabilityto satisfy
theexpectationsofthecommunity,
and satisfactory
providingexplanationsthatareintelligible
to the community.
This is centralto theircontinuedeffectivenessand demandin Mapucheculture.
contribution
tounBacigalupo'sworkmakesa significant
derstandinghow indigenousshamanistictraditionshave

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Book Reviews
adaptedto thepowerfulinfluencesofcolonizationand the
bookis accessible
subsequentstatesocieties.Thiswell-written
and
an
to thosewithrudimentary
anthropological
Spanish
vocabulary.Forthoseforwhomthismaterialremainsinaccessiblein Spanish,a numberofBacigalupo's
English-language
publicationsprovideaspectsof thismaterial(e.g.,see Bacigalupo1994, 1995,1996, 1998,2000,2001).

179

a culturalfactor.Practicesseemingnot ratime primarily

tionalby our currentideas may well have been so in past
cultures.However,thenas well as now,people made poor
decisions,self-interested
decisions,carriedout actionsthey
ormisunderstood
cameto regret,
theirsituation.Theeditors
reviewassumedsignsof humanlycauseddegradationsuch
as decreasedvegetationcover,timberloss,salinization,reduced watersupplies,lowercrop yields,outbreaksof disREFERENCES CITED
ease, acceleratederosionof soils,duststorms,and resulting
inducedregionalclimaticchanges;theyexaminevariousarMariella
Bacigalupo,
TheRiseofFemale
1994 ThePower
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Shaman/Healers chaeologicalexplanationssuch as loss of biologicaldiverof
inMapuche
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andPriestesses
Department
Society.
accelersity,loss ofvegetationcover,land overexploitation,
LosAngeles.
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University
Anthropology,
ofIndividual ated soil erosion,oftenthe resultof overpopulation,and
TheConflict
Practice:
1995 Renouncing
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of
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Experienced
invasion,orconConsciousness
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1996 Mapuche
Empowerment
and declineare relatedmoredirectlyto changflorescence
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and
ofWarfare:
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Sounds
1998 TheExorcising
Healing
ingeconomicand socialinputthantoclimateshift.
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theStruggle
Anthropology
Mapuche.
to definethegeneralclimatology
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ness9(5):1-16.
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hemiof
almost
exclusively
focusing
drylands,
and
Discourse:
asReflexive
2000 Shamanism
Gender,
Sexuality
on
whose
features.
In
Eurasian
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Power
Bodies,
Gender,
modeling
Depending
Experience.
spheric
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Mexico:
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Sylvia
are employed,the amount of drylandsestiparameters
ALER
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matedto existrangefrom26 percentto morethan36 perinSouthern
Chile.
MoonPriestess
2001 TheRiseoftheMapuche
For those not conversantwith the topic,he triesto
cent.
6:208-259.
inWorld
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Review
Religions
Michael
Winkelman,
simplifysome climaticpatternssuch as HadleyCells and
of
ACross-Cultural
Priests
1992 Shamans,
andWitches:
Study
the Intertropical
ConvergenceZone, but to adequatelyfolRePractitioners.
Anthropological
Tempe:
Magico-Religious
with these atmoslow his argument,previousfamiliarity
Arizona
State
search
University.
Papers,
patternsis required.
phericcirculation
The regionaldata chaptersstartwiththeMiddleEastand
The Archaeology of Drylands: Living at the Margin.
SouthwestAsia. StevenRosen investigatesthe decline of
eds.New York:RoutGraemeBarkerand David Gilbertson,
centralNegevagriculture
followingthe Romanoccupation.
2000.
372
pp.
ledge,
He believesthatthetwomostcitedexplanations-thatagriculturedeclinedbecauseoftheArabconquestsand ensuing
DAVID
L. BROWMAN
or
oflocal centersbytheByzantinecivilization,
destruction
St.Louis
WashingtonUniversity,
that agriculturedeclined because of climatic deteriorain theNegevdetion-are bothflawed.The drylandfarmers
in thisvolumeis verybroad,enThe definitionofdrylands
form
of
and irriin
the
terracing
velopedlandscapecapital
compassingup to 40 percentoftheworld'sland area.In two
more
resistant
to
made
the
which
drought
region
gation,
of the 18 chapters,the lands involvedreceivemorethan
north.Becausedryland
areasfarther
thanthebetter-watered
but areincludedas drylandsbe2,000 mm of precipitation
is bynecessitymorelaborintensivethanin betagriculture
One primeconsidcausetheyaremarginalin otherrespects.
ter-watered
areas,therationaleforitsdevelopmentis itsinbased on landscapecapitalinvesterationis an agriculture
economicsphere;theriseand
intoMediterranean
tegration
walls.Halfthechapters
orterracing
ment,usuallyirrigation
is relatedto changingeconomicand
falloflocal agriculture
Conare fromthe 1999 Cape Town WorldArchaeological
corearea.
socialinputfromMediterranean
varifrom
editors
the
were
solicited
half
the
other
by
gress,
dePaul Newsonlooksat threecase studiesofagricultural
to
ous colleagues,mainlyfromtheBritishCommonwealth,
All
result
from
Desert.
three
in
the
Black
Syrian
velopment
broadentheAfrocentric
congressfocus.
Roman attemptsto impose controlon peripheralregions,
GraemeBarkerand David GilbertIn theirintroduction,
social and economicbases,
but because each had different
son suggestthatin additionto lowprecipitation,
drylandrethreedifferent
landscapepatternsresulted.
shouldfocuson otheraspectsofhydrological
searchers
cycles
use ofWadi Faynanin
theagricultural
Barkerinvestigates
such as radiationbudgets,thermalregimes,wind regimes,
southernJordan.He arguesthat the strippingof existing
as well as sourcesand pathwaysofreceivedmoisture.They
farmto maximizeRoman-and Byzantine-period
vegetation
of
farmers
themes:
shared
several
vulnerableto erosion,so the
resiliency
chapter
identify
ingmade the land extremely
climaticissues;similarin antiquityto cope withrisk-prone
is chargedto culturalfactors,
reducedmodernproductivity
ratherthanclimaticchange.
ityin tacticsemployed,especiallyin buildingwallsto trap
soiland divertwaterflow;and theargumentthattheresultsort of question,Mark Nesbittand
Askinga different
than
are
more
on
to
O'Hara
environmentally Sarah
try provideplannerswithinformation
culturally
ing patterns
and
in
in
with
unevenness
in
the
networks
Russian-built
of
the
irrigation
sustainability
driven,
development space

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