Huilliche people

The Huilliche are an indigenous people in Chile, which belongs to the group of Mapuche Indians.

The Huilliche live mainly in the area between the Río Toltén and the fjord Reloncaví and on the island of Chiloé in the southern Chilean Región de los Lagos. The Huilliche are also referred to as the people of the South.

Social structure

The Huilliche were farmers who lived monogamous as opposed to the other Mapuchevölkern. They were nomads who wandered further if the country is no longer provided enough income.

The Huilliche cultivated maize, potatoes and beans, next they fished and were good hunters. They had large canoes to cross the rivers and lakes. You must also have possessed some knowledge of metallurgy, because with them copper jewelry was found.

Their language is the Mapudungun.

History

1535 there were about 180,000 Huillichen in the area between the Río Toltén and the fjord Reloncaví and on the island of Chiloé.

1540 explored Alonso de Camargo from the coastlines of the island of Chiloe off the ship. Was first entered by a European, the island of November 8, 1553 by Francisco de Ulloa. 1559 entered Juan Fernández Ladrillero the island and made contact with the local population on. Francisco de Villagra 1563 explored the island Quinchao before Abtao. The capital of Chile on the east coast was founded on February 12, 1567 by the Spanish captain Martín Ruiz de Gamboa. Vazquez de Espinosa in 1628 visited the island and reported on cereals and beans cultivation of Huiliche.

Even today there are small Huilliche villages, such as the National Park Chiloé.