Aillarehue Explained

Aillarehue or Ayllarehue (from the Mapudungun: ayllarewe/ayjarewe: "nine rehues"); a confederation of rehues or family-based units (lof) that dominated a region or province. It was the old administrative and territorial division of the Mapuche, Huilliche and the extinct Picunche people. Aillarehue acted as a unit only on special festive, religious, political and especial military occasions. Several aillarehues formed the Butalmapu, the largest military and political organization of the Mapuche.

Etymology

Each Mapuche lof, levo or caví (lineage) celebrated its religious rituals at a unique rehue or rewe ("altar"), near the home of a local lonko, Ulmen or cacique, often the word rehue was used with the sense of party or clan ("I am from this rehue"), in a way similar to the old form of Christian administrative allegiance to parishes. Although aillarehue ment "nine altars" these confederations did not necessarily conform to this number of rehues. The name of many of these aillarehue confederations have remained in the present toponymy of the southern regions of Chile.

List of known Mapuche Butalmapu, their aillarehues and their known member rehues

Picunmapu

Although it is known the Picunche had many aillarehues in the central zone of Chile, like those of Codegua, Vichuquén and Rapel most of their names are unknown. The following list is reconstructed from the listing of the aillarehues of the Moluche and Huilliche between the Itata River and Reloncaví Sound, due to the work of Ricardo E. Latcham in the 1920s. Five Butalmapu were known to the Spanish at the beginning of the 18th century. Add to them the one in the region between the Itata and Bio Bio Rivers, that existed at the early part of the Conquest of Chile. With this one six are known to have existed. One is thought to have existed among the Picunche to the north of the Itata River, at the beginning of the conquest. It is thought to have extended from the Limari to the Mataquito Rivers.[1] The Picunche of the region of the Maule River valley may have been a separate Butalmapu or an aillarehue allied with the Cauquenes aillarehue and aillarehue of the northern Moluche Butalmapu at the time of the Inca invasion of Chile and at the Battle of the Maule.[2]

Butalmapu between the Itata and Bio Bio Rivers

The Butalmapu of Moluche aillarehues located between the coast and the foothills of the Andes between the Itata River and Bio Bio River.

Lafkenmapu

The Butalmapu of Moluche aillarehues located between the coast and the Nahuelbuta Range between the Bio Bio River and the Toltén River, (from north to south):

Lelfünmapu

The Butalmapu of Moluche aillarehues located in the Chilean Central Valley and between the Bio Bio River and the Toltén River:

Ina piremapu

The Butalmapu of Moluche aillarehues located in the zone of the foothills of the Andes between the Bio Bio River and the Toltén River:

Piren mapu

The Butalmapu of Pehuenche aillarehues located in the zone of the Andes cordillera between the Itata and the Toltén Rivers:

Willimapu

The Butalmapu of Huilliche and Cuncos aillarehues located in between the Toltén River and the Bueno River:

Chawra kawin

The Butalmapu of Huilliche and Cuncos aillarehues located between the Bueno River and the Reloncaví Sound:

Sources

Notes and References

  1. [Ricardo E. Latcham]
  2. Their allies south of the Maule were the Cauqui(Cauquenes), Antalli (Andalién?), and Pincu(Peguco?). From the Comentarios reales of de Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Segunda Parte : Libro VII Cap. 19

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