MAPUCHE KULTRUN DRUM ART

The Mapuche kultrún is a ceremonial drum whose wooden surface is painted with a cross quartering the circle (the Mapuche world divided into four quarters), the sun, moon, and stars, and sometimes the sacred Mount Tronador. Played by a machi (shaman) in healing rituals, the kultrún is both musical instrument and inclusive cosmogram, a Chilean Indigenous heritage art mapping the universe in sound and symbol.