Rohjani Alvarado

Dr. De Shield

Latin American Literature II

May 20th, 2020

Creative Writing Essay

Mapuche Poem : Ko ñi newen yeneenew

Zewma fvchan iñche aliwen Kallfv, kallfvley tati mapu

rayilelu mu chew yiñ amuan

azkintulen fiñ ti afpun mapu Ko ñi newen ñochikechi yeneenew

Tunten kvrvf mew miyawken? Wenu Lewfv kiñe pichi troykeley

kimlam mvten tuwaykvlelu kom

Nome lafken mew petu konchi afpun Mapu mew

antv mew Tvfachi Pewma mew mvlewean:

werkvlenew zewma ñi Kallfv Kvyen Remumvn pu remukelu! Ñvkvfkvlen

amuan ka ñi llowmeafiel amutuan

pu Fvchakecheyem lakenochi vlkantun mogen mew.

English Translation:

The Spirits of the Water Carry Me Off From the other side of the sea

I am old, and from a blooming tree the setting sun

has already sent out its messengers

I look at the horizon and I am departing to meet

How many airs did I walk? my ancestors

I do not know Blue is the place where we go

The spirits of the water carry me off. In this Dream I shall stay:

step by step Stroke, oarsmen! In Silence

Wenulewfv / the River of the Sky I move away

is barely one small circle in the invisible song of life.

in the universe

The poem, “ The Spirits of the Water Carry Me Off ” was written by Elicura Chihnuailaf.

He is a Mapuche Chilean poet and author. Chihnuailaf was born in Quechurehue, Cauntin

Province in 1952. His works are written both in his native language, Mapudungun and Spanish

but has been translated in many other languages, including English. Eliaura has not only been an

author and poet but he has also been a translator and translated works of other poets such as

Pablo Neruda into his native tongue. Furthermore, Chihuailaf is seens as an important figure in

Mapudungun poetry and works at recording and preserving the oral tradition of his people and

culture. His name is also a symbol of his language, “Elicura” is from the Mapudungun phrase for

‘transparent stone’, “chihuailaf” means “fog spread on the lake”.

Latin America is, as its name states, the countries in the Americas where the Spanish,

Portuguese or French languages prevail.The History of Latin America and history of the region

starts from the pre-Columbian period which includes the colonization by the Spanish and

Portuguese beginning in the 15th century, which moves on to the 19th-century which was when

the wars of independence were happening for most of the Latin American countries. But the

prevailing language of Latin America was not always Spanish. There were many native

langauges of the native people in Latin America. For instance the poem, “The Spirits of the
Water Carry Me ” by Elicura Chihuailaf is written in the indigenous language of Mapuche. The

Mapuche language, or Mapudungun, is an Araucanian language spoken by more than 500,000

indigenous people in Chile and Argentina. Mapudungun is not an official language of Chile or

Argentina and it’s recognized as a language and has gotten no government support throughout

its history. It is neither taught in schools, despite the Chilean government's commitment to

provide full access to education in Mapuche areas in southern Chile. “There are approximately

144,000 native speakers in Chile and another 8,400 in west central Argentina. Only 2.4% of

urban speakers and 16% of rural speakers use Mapudungun when speaking with children, and

only 3.8% of speakers aged 10–19 years in the south of Chile (the language’s stronghold) are

"highly competent" in the language”( Mapuche News, 2019).

“The Spirits of the Water Carry Me” is a poem that speaks about the passing over of

one’s life and the process of what the persona is going through and experiencing. From the first

line in the poem, the reader gathers that the persona is an old person who explains that he/she

comes from a “blooming tree” , which can be interpreted as the rich and proud culture of the

Mapuche people. Within the poem the persona states that he has reached the horizon and that the

sun has sent his messengers to state his arrival. The horizon spoken about is the horizon between

the underworld(the afterlife) and our world. He goes one to say that he will meet with his

ancestors in the “blue”, which can be interpreted as the place of the afterlife or the river of the

sky, which is where they believe they go after dying in this world. The persona of the poem

states in the last two stanzas of the poem that , “Wenulewfu” is the river of the Sky, where his

people enter when leaving this world. So in the poem he is in the boat that is going up and

moving to this place.

 The poem by Elicura Chihuailaf is a one that speaks on the beliefs and norms that the

Mapuche people have and their history. The poem is based on Mapuche's belief of what happens

after a loved one departs from this world and the journey they take. For instance, the symbolism

and meaning behind the use of the sun in the poem; In all of the pre-Colombian cultures, the sun

is associated with the Spring rituals, when life is reborn and flourishes( Steward, 2000). It

demonstrates that the sun and the water are crucial symbols in their religion and their beliefs.

The poem is a way of carrying on and telling their history and culture, moreover it is a way to

preserve and keep their heritage alive.

Works Cited

Latin American Literature Today. 2020. Two Poems By Elicura Chihuailaf. [online] Available

at: <http://www.latinamericanliteraturetoday.org/en/2017/july/two-poems-elicura-

chihuailaf> \

Mapuche News. 2020. [online] Available at: <https://mapuchenews.com/index.php/2>

Steward, Otis. 2000. Handbook Of South American Indians. [online] Available at:

<https://books.google.com.bz/books?
id=ydY_AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA759&lpg=PA759&dq=mapuche+sun+symbolize+in+the+

latin+american+culture&source=bl&ots=QaqnEj5ZMr&sig=ACfU3U12NexjBqwf8F6-

2i7vXJqk5U_wCA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjGhqrMuYnqAhUBVTABHWdLAx

AQ6AEwCnoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false>