Adaptation B: Investigating the Mapuche

  I decided to do some research into the other elements o fthe project. Since the tale of Colo Colo relates to the indigenous Mapuche of South America I decided to look into their culture in regards to the house. In the source I found i was a little disappointed to learn that the traditional Ruka is no longer lived in by the majority, who these days more favour dwellings in Chilean or Argentinian cities. But if an online journal by J. Cavigla is anything to go by, there are a few who still live in them in the wilderness here and there but for the most part the Mapuche have adopted city life.

  While there are variations of shape, most rukas are straw windowless buildings with only one entrance, a bed set against the wall and a central fire pit and numerous domestic implements hanging from the ceilings and walls. The simplicity of the ruka should allow me to direct creative focus on Colo Colo itself. Could also explain how the entire thing could be burned down considering it is made of straw. Sources also mention that ideally, a fire is burning at all times within the building, which means I might be able to play around with smoke and lighting.

For landscapes however I hopped into Google Maps to see what the regions were like and got something of a duality depending on where I looked. In southern Chile, within the Andes, there was lots of lush, green, mountainous terrain. In southern Argentina it is a lot more flat and dry.

References

• Cavigla, J., 2012; The Ruka of the Mapuche; Arauco: A Novel; available at http://www.arauconovel.com/the-ruka-of-the-mapuche/ (last accessed 2nd February 2016)
• Chilean Museum of Pre-Colombian Art; Mapuche: Settlement Patterns; Pre-Colombian Chile; available at http://chileprecolombino.cl/en/pueblos-originarios/mapuche/patron-de-asentamiento/ (last accessed 2nd February 2016)