Guñelve Explained

The Guñelve (Mapudungun; Mapuche: Wünelfe / Wüṉyelfe|lit=bringer of dawn), sometimes known as the Star of Arauco, is a symbol from Mapuche iconography which can be described as an octagram (or a star with eight points) in saltire.

It represents the planet Venus, but has also erroneously been thought to represent the canelo tree, which is considered sacred among the Mapuches.^[1]

The guñelve was the inspiration of Bernardo O'Higgins to create the current flag of Chile.^{[2] [3] [4]}

In recent times the guñelve has been used by some designers in Chile, such as during the 2015 Copa América in Chile, when it was used as the symbol of the cup.^[5]

See also

• Flag of Chile
• Flag of the Mapuches

Notes and References

1. Web site: Toki kurá: El Otro saqueo al Pueblo Mapuche: El Canelo y La estrella de Arauco. (Aukanaw). @jrzv68. 16 June 2013.
2. Web site: La CPU Coja ©2018 » Símbolos: La Bandera.
3. Book: Los verdaderos emblemas de la República de Chile: 1810-2010. 23. Guaquil. Rodolfo Manzo. es. Otro aspecto importante en la bandera es la estrella de cinco puntas e inclinada que representa a la wünelfe, nombre que con que los indígenas mapuches asignaban al planeta Venus....
4. Book: Amunátegui Aldunate . Miguel Luis . Los precursores de la independencia de Chile . 11 October 2019 . III . 1870 . Imprenta, Litografía i Encuadernación Barcelona . Santiago, Chile . es. 587–590.
5. Web site: Los simbolismos detrás del logo de la Copa América. BolaVip. 2019-04-23. 2022-10-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20221008071612/https://bolavip.com/otros/Los-simbolismos-detras-del-logo-de-la-Copa-America-20140722-0002.html. dead.