Document #1235391
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
References to the practice of witchcraft
among the sources consulted by the DIRB could only be found in the
context of folkloric healing and superstition among the Mapuche
Indians and in the southern island of Chiloé.
One article on adventure travel mentions in
passing the island of Chiloé, describing it as "a tiny speck
off the southern coast of Chile where witches seem to dwell"
(The Washington Post 1 Sept. 1991). Another article on
adventure travel states that Chiloé is "suffused with a
conflation of Jesuitical Catholicism and ancient superstitions,"
adding that "Chiloé's rich and dangerous folklore is
excellent for the tourist trade" (The Daily Telegraph 17
Sept. 1994). The document adds that two popular figurines in the
local market "head the pantheon of mythic figures that comprise the
island's sect of male witches known as the Brujería
[witchcraft]" (ibid.). The article states that a book entitled
In Patagonia (genre not specified) "talks of
Brujería as a cross between freemasonry and necromancy, a
secret brotherhood that exists for the purpose of harming ordinary
people" (ibid.). The article questions whether there is "a real
dimension" to the book's assertions on the subject, but adds that
"young girls who get pregnant still blame Trauco [one of the
figurines] for it" (ibid.).
One report states that the Mapuche Indians
of Chile "still turn to their 'witch doctor' or machi when
seeking help to cure an illness" (DPA 7 June 1995). The source
states that "official statistics do not exist," but adds that
"experts say that every community among the Mapuche —who
account for 10 per cent of the estimated 14 million Chileans—
has its own healer" (ibid.). The report states that the post of
machi "has been firmly in the hands of women" for the past
200 years, adding that "lately men have been appointed to care for
their fellow Mapuches' health," with the first male machi
being inaugurated in Santiago in April 1995 (ibid.).
The same source indicates that
"machis were bedevilled being in contact with Satanas" in
colonial days, and at one time "homosexuals were earmarked for this
office because of the special status among the Mapuche" (ibid.).
The report states that "in the old days, machis were also shamans
in charge of religious-magic tasks, including ritual sacrifices,"
although now the machi is "merely a healer" (ibid.). The
source states that the last ritual sacrifice, in 1860, "caused an
uproar," although the machi responsible for it was
eventually acquitted (ibid.). For additional information, please
consult the cited article, which is attached to this Response.
A detailed study of the evolution of the
machi and the regional variations of their current role
and importance throughout the Mapuche communities of Chile can be
found, in Spanish, in the Revista Chilena de
Antropología (Chilean Journal of Anthropology), at the
University of Chile' web site
(http://www.uchile.cl/facultades/csociales/antropo/rch12-4.htm).
The report states that the importance of the machi in any
given community mostly depends on three elements: the presence of
ritual leaders, the community's distance from urban centres, and
the importance of agricultural production in the community
(Revista Chilena de Antropología 1993-94).
Information on the practice of witchcraft
among the police or military could not be found among the sources
consulted by the DIRB.
For a reference to legal safeguards against
witchcraft in Chile, please refer to the 21 August 1996 El
Mercurio article cited in, and attached to Response to
Information Request CHL26075.E of 31 January 1997. Another report
attached to that Response includes a reference to religious
practices within the armed forces. The article states that "current
law bans military, police or prison chaplains who are not Roman
Catholics," and adds that "an estimated 20 per cent of the armed
forces personnel profess a religion other than Catholicism" (El
Mercurio 12 Nov. 1996).
A reference found in the Chilean Army's
internet web site states that the Religious Service of the Army
(Servicio Religioso del Ejercito) "maintains the military
and patriotic religious traditions," "which explains the importance
given to the devotion of the Virgen del Carmen, patron of
the army" (Patrona del Ejercito) (Ejercito de Chile 29
Jan. 1997). The same source states that the Rules of Organization
and Functioning of the Religious Service of the Army
(Reglamento Orgánico y de Funcionamiento del Servicio
Religioso) outlines the service's mission, which includes
attending to the religious needs of active duty personnel and all
those encompassed by the Chilean Military's Bishopric (Obispado
Castrense de Chile), the moral formation and promotion of the
great moral values of the Army's personnel (promoción y
formación moral de los grandes valores morales del personal
del ejército), and advising leaders on moral and
religious matters (ibid.). Finally, the source states that
chaplains are distributed throughout the Chilean territory, and
that these are assisted by "deacons of excellent academic
upbringing and proven virtue" (diáconos de excelente
formación académica y de señalada virtud)
(ibid.).
This Response was prepared after
researching publicly accessible information currently available to
the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does
not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular
claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
The Daily Telegraph [London].
17 September 1994. Nigel Richardson. "Travel: In Awe of Tin
Cathedrals and Male Witches Nigel Richardson Visits the Chilean
Isle of Chiloe Where the Mass and the Black Art Co-Exist."
(NEXIS)
Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA). 7 June
1995. BC Cycle. Regina Murgoth. "Chile's Indigenous Mapuches Turn
to Medicine Man for Help." (NEXIS)
Ejército de Chile, Santiago.
"Servicio Religioso del Ejército." [Internet] [Accessed 29
Jan. 1997]
El Mercurio [Santiago]. 12
November 1996. "Religious Freedom Bill Passes Chamber." (CHIP News)
[Internet] [Accessed 28 Jan. 1997]
Revista Chilena de Antropología [Santiago]. 1993-94. No. 12. Ana Mariella Bacigalupo. "Variación del rol de machi dentro de la cultura Mapuche: tipología geográfica, adaptiva e iniciática." [Internet]
antropo/rch12-4.htm> [Accessed 30
Jan. 1997]
The Washington Post. 1
September 1991. Final Edition. Charles Truehart. "Rollin' Down the
Forgotten River." (NEXIS)
Attachments
The Daily Telegraph [London].
17 September 1994. Nigel Richardson. "Travel: In Awe of Tin
Cathedrals and Male Witches Nigel Richardson Visits the Chilean
Isle of Chiloe Where the Mass and the Black Art Co-Exist."
(NEXIS)
Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA). 7 June
1995. BC Cycle. Regina Murgoth. "Chile's Indigenous Mapuches Turn
to Medicine Man for Help." (NEXIS)