Rehue

Rehue or rewe is the sacred altar used by the Mapuche of Chile in many of their ceremonies.

A rewe and canelo tree in the Austral University of Chile.

Altar

It is a tree trunk set in the ground and surrounded by canes of colihue placed in a row and adorned with white, blue or yellow flags and branches of coihues, maitén, lengas and other trees of the area. At its summit it has a representation of a human face with seven steps rising up from the earth to this summit. It symbolizes the connection with the cosmos. This rehue is a symbol of great importance that is used in important celebrations or ceremonies like the Machitún, Guillatún, We Tripantu (Mapuche New Year ) and others.

Social and Political Unit

Called "rehue" or "regua" in colonial chronicles, the word referred to the grouping of various Mapuche families (lof or lov) who occupied the same locality and shared the same rehue altar. Nine of these rehue would form an Aillarehue (nine altars), a small confederation that would gather for war or other common purposes and formed a region or province.

References

• Juan Ignatius Molina, The Geographical, Natural, and Civil History of Chili, Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, London, 1809
• EL REHUE, AXIS MUNDI DE LA COSMOVISIÓN MAPUCHE, (Sergio Fritz Roa)