UTENSILS OF LEATHER

In the antiquity there still were not utensils that were manufactured in the industry. To name some: jars, flasks, plastic, tortoiseshell, other…

Neither there were charts to make drawers, and other piece of furniture classes to keep some things and to keep cereals, as the sack. All these things were ignored.

For this reason, the mapuches used their intelligence to fix some objects and these they were good to use them in the house. This way they looked for pellén sticks, clay of good class and stones. These were some utensils: clay pot, pitchers, wooden plates, wooden ladles, bank to sit down. But apart from these, they occupied the body of animals, they hardened it with stone fire, then they gave him form, they stuffed it with bran or seeds and they dried it to the smoke.

The leather should dry off with much care and without breaking it, in general they were animal small of one year, unborn (calves that didn't reach to be born), especially calves, horses and kids. When the leather very dry estab, the filler is taken out, it is cleaned well and serve to keep wheat, barley, porotos, etc.

They were generally in charge of the leathers that were left head of the animals, horses, cows, or oxen, occupied era the leather that leaves the testicles of the rams, castrones and bulls, was hardened in the same previous way and once it was dry it is believed a cover and mango to maintain it hung.

In the head leather they stay needles, bellboys, etc.

The leathers that leave the head, the testicles are called trong-trong and the whole leather of animals is called yapag.

The udders of the cows were also used with the same end, to keep seeds to transport water in kids or unborn calves.

This way the old Mapuches made these articles to occupy them, they were necessary, and at the same time they recycled the leathers of the animals that you/they died and they gave to each one a specific use.

At the present time this type of objects is no longer made and they have been in the forgetfulness, they have been replaced by factory objects. It is for that reason our interest of to rescue and to show the leather utensils that at the moment people use the trong-trong or yapag to adorn or to keep dry fruits.

Gratefulness to:

Lucila Marin Manquecoy - Craft Mapuche - Kalfu Lines"

Fono: (56) 02 - 603 98 58 Santiago - Chile