The Voyage of the Pleiades: Myths and Magic of Chiloé Island
“This remote island, invisible in the world’s conflagration, green, evergreen, is his lost planet; instead of looking so hard in the sky for it, he could have just looked south.” Isabel Allende1
I traveled to Chile for the first time in 2013 and that visit ignited a burning curiosity about the country. I returned in 2015, rented a sleeper van, and drove from Santiago to the northern parts of Patagonia, with a detour to Chiloé Island. Before we arrived on Chiloé, I was already intrigued by this corner of the vast Chilean archipelago. I largely blame Isabel Allende’s book “Maya’s Notebook” for my zeal. Many cite Bruce Chatwin’s 1979 book, “In Patagonia” to bringing Chiloé’s brujeria to the attention of the world outside Chile. However there were many others that explored the myths of Chiloé prior to Chatwin’s visit. Allende’s book was my introduction to Chiloé Island. Prior to my visit to Chiloé, I had only her descriptions to form my preconceived notions of the place. In “Maya’s Notebook”, the protagonist lives within the complex network of myth and magic. She experiences it not as outside reality, but as a normal part of life.
If you live within sight of the water on Chiloé (which is likely even on Isla Grande), a day might include a sighting of Pincoya, a water spirit who appears to fishermen and foretells the catch for the year. Or you may glimpse Caleuche, a magic ship that appears on the horizon, but be sure to cover your mouth so the crew of the Caleuche don’t detect you from your breath and snatch you away.
As a scientist and anthropologist, I tried to parse the chilote myths for logical ties to cultural expressions, beliefs, and political events. However, there is something about Chiloé. Something that goes beyond my Westernized abilities to express. I don’t possess the words to describe how I felt on Chiloé. There is an energy, a living pulse to the landscape that I’ve never experienced elsewhere. It made such a strong impression on me that in 2018, I decided to write a book that would be located on Chiloé Island.
So, how to go about writing a book set on Chiloé that would include some of the traditional myths and figures, when I am not chilote? The answer: very carefully. In “The Voyage of the Pleiades”, we are introduced to the machis of Chiloé. The machi are traditional healers of the physical and spiritual realms. They often work with plants; they perform ceremonies and are leaders in their community. As a graduate student I was fortunate to work with indigenous Athabascan communities and to learn something of their traditional relationships with plants. I was honored to be gifted with knowledge and rituals from my friends, so it was very important to me to also be protective of that knowledge in my representation of another indigenous culture. I read everything I could find about the chilote machi (in both English and Spanish) and kept my portrayal to an outsiders perspective. I hope that I have honored their tradition and the magic of Chiloé.
The Voyage of the Pleiades Chapter Excerpt
He spread his hands on the table and stretched his fingers. “Imagine your left hand is the ways we know to treat the body and mind by European methods: tinctures, surgeries, invasive methods. Now imagine your right hand is another way of approaching those maladies: tinctures, but also songs and stories, rituals.”
He brought his hands together, interlacing his fingers.
“In my mother’s opinion both aspects need to be in balance, not exclusive of each other, but united to treat the whole person. This is what I was taught that machi did.”
In front of me on the parchment, I made two columns of words he had used. He nodded approvingly and continued.
“My father agreed to allow her to guide my education but was infuriated with any indication that she was also teaching me the stories and practices of the machi. As fiercely as my parents loved, they were also equally stubborn and opinionated. My mother was determined that I was raised as she wished, speaking Spanish, and learning the stories that were important to chilote. My father wished for me to have a traditional English upbringing. Their disagreements never caused extended rifts. They would agree to disagree, and let the argument go, at least for a time.
“She instilled in me early that it was vital that I kept the supernatural part of my education secret. She encouraged me to use my senses in my observation of the world, and to pay to close attention to my dreams. She recounted traditional chilote stories to me at bedtime, and often the characters of those stories appeared to me in sleep. Our life seemed idyllic before her death. The five years after she died, and before I ran away to join the navy, were difficult. My father engaged tutors to continue my education. I attempted to please him by excelling at the subjects they taught, while giving the appearance of having forgotten the education from my mother. When my father remarried, my stepmother quickly became enceinte. I was convinced that they would be happier if I was no longer part of the family.”
He paused and took another drink of water.
More Resources
This is a fun video of the myth of the creation of the archipelagos of Chile. The video is in Spanish, but even non-Spanish speakers should be able to understand some of the story.
Maya’s Notebook by Isabel Allende
“Into the Cave of Chile’s Witches”, Smithsonian Magazine
“Myth and Magic Infuse Chilean Island”, NPR
Copyright © 2021 Amy Marie Turner, All rights reserved.
Photos by Amy M. Turner, unless otherwise noted
Allende, Isabel. 2013. Maya’s Notebook. Harper
Fascinating!