Why Chilote Mythology
On the 2016 Holiday Break, I went with my family to an island off the coast of Chile called Chiloe. Now, one may ask, "What is the big deal about some small island in the middle of nowhere?" The answer is simple and at the same time much more complex: its mythology. Before my trip, I had read a few books about the mythology, but that was a two-dimensional world to me. However, that trip made me open up my eyes to the natural beauty of the island, which for the most part, was its mythology. The Chilote mythology is a lot more complex and different than what one would imagine. It consists of indigenous creatures and ideology mixed in with European culture, such as witches, a unicorn-bull figure, beautiful mermaids, and a ghost ship. I have a devotion to Chilote mythology for two main reasons. The first is because I love to study mythology. I have been studying Classical Mythology for almost four years, and have never been bored when I study the same stories and hear the same details over and over. I have been in many competitions and have had the time of my life doing so. I love stories and I constantly search for new sources of these stories, which usually end up being different mythologies. I mainly study Classical Mythology, but I have dabbled a bit into Norse Mythology, Chinese Mythology, Japanese Mythology, and I even have a thick book solely on Hawaiian Mythology. Of all the different sources that I have found over the years, I truly feel that Chilote Mythology is the most unique and the most imaginative. The second reason why I study Chilote Mythology is a because I am part Chilean. I have a huge devotion to my past. I love learning about what my ancestors did before me. So, when I figured out that another source of mythology and stories was found in a place where I am from genetically, I was more than willing to dig deeper to find both awesome stories, and a sense of what my ancestors believed in and what they also valued. After all, if Chiloe is primarily known for its mythology, then it seems that they valued their stories and themes. I hope that these stories from that random island in the middle of nowhere interest and become valuable to you, as it did to me when I went with my family to Chiloe on Holiday Break.
To learn more about Chiloe, here are some good links:
Interview with sociologist Mr. Filiberto Labarca
director of Chiloe’s Ecology and Mythology Park
While visiting Chiloe, I discovered Chiloe's Ecology and Mythology Park, a open air museum created by Mr. Filiberto Labarca. This museum centers around the culture and mythology of the Chilote. During our discussion, he specifically mentioned that in order to be able to know and understand mythology as a cultural entity and as part of nature, it is necessary to let go of our ideas of God, sin, good and evil, because they represent the particular character that each human group in their minds try to use to explain the origin of the universe and of humankind. The Chilote viewed religion and identification differently than us in our modern world. In fact, the Chilote people did not have a concept of God, which was brought in by the Spaniards when they arrived to the island during the Age of Exploration. To truly understand these Chilean legends, it is crucial to notice patterns from a universal mythology, and contrast the Chilote from it as a way of exposing the uniqueness of the culture that has survived for many years. A common belief in most mythologies involve mortal, but also, divine beings, ascended from above. Chiloe's contrast is that, while there are divine beings, Nature was most important aspect of their culture such as the earth, the ocean, the sun, the water, and the air. This allows those who dive into this realm of nature, to truly find an understanding of mysteries of the world, nature's phenomena, the mysteries of life, and the beginning of the human knowledge of science, religion, human language.
________________________________________________________________________________
Prof. Oscar Nenen
author of comics series Machitun
________________________________________________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment