Pifilca
The Pifilca or Pivilca (from Mapudungún: Pifüllka) is an aerophone of the flute family, without an aeroduct, similar to a whistle. It is a typical instrument of the Mapuche people, with an elongated cylindrical body, made of wood or stone, occasionally decorated with stylized zoo and anthropomorphic figures. It spreads from the central area of Chile to the Argentine provinces of Río Negro and Neuquén in Patagonia.
Description
It is a blow aerophone similar to the flute against a longitudinal flute edge with the tube closed at its lower end and in the middle part it generally has a single perforation as an embouchure, although in some cases it may have more.
It is made of wood, although in the past it was also built from other materials such as stone or bone.
It is built by carving a piece of wood about thirty or forty centimeters long, generally made of raulí, lahuán, lingue or pine. The tube is perforated lengthwise, approximately half its width.
The instrument, since it does not have fingering holes that allow it to generate other tonalities, emits a single note, which is mixed in the course of the song or the instrumental ensemble, without rhythmic relationship.
Exteriorly it can have two handles on the sides that allow you to add a rope to hang it. In addition, its general aesthetic varies depending on the manufacturer and the area.
Uses
The Mapuche people usually use pifilcas, as well as trutrucas, to provide encouragement and energy during the guillatún ceremony.
On the other hand, and as a form of syncretism, the dancing musicians known as chinos, use the pivilcas during their ceremonies, where they express their faith to the Virgin Mary and the Child God.
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