Kalku

The Kalku are evil magic users from Mapuche myth. They’re often compared to witches and sorcerers and send out spirits called Wekufe to do evil. Kalku and Machi are sometimes considered the same thing, with the Machi simply being good rather than evil. They are believe to dwell in a Reñu, meaning a Witch’s Cave. They may gather young girls in the cave and teach them magic, called Kalkutun, and swear them to secrecy. They may draw power from their ancestors or any others that they gather into their circle. They can cause illness or take over the will and actions of their victims. They can attack people by linking something with their energy to a Wekufe, may poison victims with a substance called Fuñapue, or may curse the victim by putting cemetery dirt where the victim walks or sits. They may also place curses by hexing scrapings from places where the victim has sat or slept. Some Kalku use magic to empower the spirits in their control. It’s believed they can use spirits to capture someone’s soul in their dreams and contaminate it, turning it into an evil spirit. It’s also thought they can control the ghosts of children, called Anchimallen, by using the little finger of a deceased child. They must satiate their controlled spirits’ appetite for blood or risk losing control of them. Some believe a Kalku can only die if a spirit escapes their control and strikes back, or due to an execution approved by proper authorities. In the past those accused of being Kalku were detained and burned, but this is obviously no longer allowed. Some however believe this only destroys their physical form and their spirit and powers remain intact. Now the means of seeking retribution against a Kalku is to hire another Kalku to attack them. Sometimes they care for each other though, and this is a risk in itself. Some may be accused of being Kalku if they do not regularly attend social and religious functions such as the Fillatun Ceremony. Kalku stand in direct opposition to the good magic users called Machi. They may attempt to capture the soul of a Machi to turn them into Kalku when the Machi allows themselves to be possessed by their own familiar. Most powerful Kalku are women, with corrupted Machi being the strongest ones. Machi rarely use counter magic when dealing with Kalku. They can be discovered and revealed by Machi but are rarely killed by them.

Citations:

Bacigalupo, Ana Mariella. Shamans of the Foye Tree: Gender, Power, and Healing Among Chilean Mapuche. N.p., University of Texas Press, 2010.

Faron, L. C.. Hawks of the Sun: Mapuche Morality and Its Ritual Attributes. United States, University of Pittsburgh Press, 1964.