A celestial blueprint
The Nguillatún is a major communal ceremony of the Mapuche people. It typically lasts for two to four days and is held to ask for community well-being, good harvests, or protection from natural disasters. The ceremony takes place in a specially prepared circular space called a Nguillatunwe. This space is not arbitrary; its design represents Mapuche cosmology. The entire layout is oriented toward the east, the direction of the rising sun, which is fundamental to their worldview.
At the center of the circular ground stands a rewe, a sacred, multi-stepped altar that is a ritual center. This altar is the focal point for dances and offerings. The arrangement of participants and the flow of movement during the ceremony also adhere to cosmological principles. Dances, known as purun, often move in circles around the rewe. The direction of this movement, whether clockwise or counter-clockwise, holds specific symbolic meaning related to the natural cycles being invoked.
The timing of the Nguillatún is often linked to the agricultural cycle and, by extension, to astronomical events. Ceremonies are frequently held in the Southern Hemisphere's spring (October) to ensure a good growing season. The schedule connects the immediate needs of the community to the grander movements of the sun, moon, and stars.
Instruments of the cosmos
Music and sound are integral to the Nguillatún, with specific instruments playing a sonic and symbolic role. The most important of these is the kultrun, a ceremonial drum used by the machi, the community's spiritual leader. The kultrun is a hemispherical drum, typically 35 to 40 cm in diameter, made from the wood of sacred trees like laurel or canelo.
Its hide drumhead is a cosmological map; it maps the cosmos. Painted lines cross the surface, dividing it into four quadrants that represent the four cardinal directions and the four seasons. This design, the Meli Witran Mapu (Land of the Four Places), organizes the Mapuche universe. Inside the drum's body, the machi places small objects like stones or herbs in even numbers to represent elements of the natural world. For the machi, the drum represents the universe, and its beat guides the ceremony, directs the dances, and helps induce a trance-like state for communicating with the spirit world. Other instruments, like the long trutruka horn, also contribute to the ritual soundscape.