Information on the practice of witchcraft and whether many members of the police and military are members of groups practicing witchcraft [CHL26074.E]

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)