Kultrun: Mapuche Sacred Symbol

The kultrún (also written kultrum) is one of the most sacred symbols and ritual instruments of the Mapuche people of southern Chile and Argentina.

It is both:

• a ceremonial drum, traditionally played by the machi (spiritual healer or shaman), and
• a cosmological symbol, representing the Mapuche worldview.

Symbolic Meaning of the Kultrún

1. Representation of the Universe
   • The kultrún is a round drum, its circular shape symbolizing the earth, the cosmos, and the cycle of life.
   • The drumhead is usually painted with a cross that divides it into four quadrants, which represent the Meli Witran Mapu (“land of the four corners”), the Mapuche conception of the world.
2. The Four Directions
   • Each quadrant corresponds to a cardinal point: North, South, East, West.
   • These directions are also linked to winds, seasons, spirits, and ancestral forces.
3. Balance and Harmony
   • The circle and the cross together embody the balance between nature, humans, and spirituality.
   • The kultrún unites the earth (Mapu) with the sky (Wenu Mapu), symbolizing the connection between the material and spiritual worlds.
4. Feminine Energy and Fertility
   • The hollow body of the drum is seen as a womb, symbolizing fertility and the feminine principle.
   • This is one reason the machi (often women, though not exclusively) are its guardians.
5. Sacred Tool
   • In ceremonies like the nguillatun, the kultrún is used to call upon spiritual forces, healing, protection, and guidance.

The kultrún is not just a drum — it is a cosmic map, a sacred womb, and a bridge between worlds, embodying the Mapuche vision of life, nature, and spirituality.

kultrún symbol with traditional associations — sun (spring/east), moon (winter/north), earth/plant (summer/south), and star (autumn/west).

The kultrun is the musical instrument par excellence of the Mapuche shamans. It is a wooden drum made from a large bowl carved from the trunk of a sacred tree, representing the earth. Each machi paints it according to a general structure but with their own design, and plays it in their own way. The surface of the hide is marked with lines that divide the world into four parts. At its center is the place where the machi is located, and around it appear the astral powers that assist them.

The inside of the kultrun contains various magical objects, as well as the voice of the machi, placed there at the moment of the instrument’s creation. It is played close to the ear so that its rich sonority overwhelms perception and facilitates trance.

Origin
The word kultrun comes from Mapudungun (the Mapuche language) and is a compound term that means element, object, or instrument of sound or echo (kul = element or object, and trün = sound or echo). Essential in nguillatunes (great spiritual supplications) or machitunes (healing rituals), the monotonous sound of this renowned and emblematic instrument allows the machi to enter a trance during their invocation and communication with the divinities that inhabit the intangible and mythical Mapuche world.

Researchers and collectors of Mapuche culture note that, to understand the conception of the spiritual and material world of the Mapuche, one must imagine the resonant kultrun as a half-sphere, cut in half and divided into three parts.

• The upper part, or wenu mapu (the land above or the sky), is the space of the kuwe newen (forces of good), where the divine family, the ancestors, and benevolent spirits dwell.
• The central part —the surface of the kultrun— or nag mapu (the land below or the earth), is where the Mapuche live, carry out their daily life, and where the conflict between good and evil takes place.
• The lower part, or minche mapu (beneath the earth, or the underworld), is the dwelling place of the weda newen (forces of evil).

Importance for the Mapuche
Semiconical in form, it produces a monotonous, languid, dry, even “dull” sound —one that is unmistakably and unquestionably associated with the indigenous culture of the south.

But for the Mapuche, the kultrun is the most sacred and important instrument of their culture. Literally, the universe and the synthesis of the world are contained within this hollowed piece of wood covered with goat hide. It is inseparable from the machis (spiritual authorities) and enables communion or connection with their divinities.

When the machi participates in a nguillatún, around a rewe (a totemic wooden altar), she plays her kultrun and performs the choique (dance), entering into communication with the forces of nature. She then gives thanks, asks, prays, and implores Ngünechén (the creator) so that the spirits of good or of the wenu mapu may overcome or prevail over the forces of evil or of the minche mapu.

The Four Parts into Which the Kultrun Is Divided

• Pukem (Winter): A time when Xufken Mapu renews its fertility through rain and the light of Antu (the Sun), as the days begin to lengthen. It is the stage when elements are gathered to be used in the next cycle.
• Pewü (Spring): The second stage, when pu kvuzaw (works) begin to develop. Families prepare to move from their winter dwellings. It is also the time of lxofij We Coyin (the sprouting of plants). The lof (community) organizes the productive use of space to overcome the poor conditions of the Xufken Mapu (soil), degraded due to scarcity and overuse.
• Walüng (Summer): The time of harvest. This is when pu gejipun (celebrations) begin. Each community holds them on different dates, but always during the apoy kvyen (full moon). The celebration of the gejipun is an opportunity to strengthen communal identity. Ancestral authorities (Lonko, Pijan Kuse, Werken) guide each lof. The weupife (oral historian) recreates memory. The gvlam (counsel) transmitted ensures the recovery of dignity and future.
• Rimu (Autumn): The time when families prepare to return to their winter spaces. Harvests are stored, and it is also the season of xafkintu (exchange), a period of harsh cold when family life is shared more intensely and Mapuche education is practiced intensively. This involves the transmission of kimvn (knowledge) through epew (stories), mvxam (conversation), and children’s games (picikece), shared with elders.

At first sight, it seems like a rustic drum. For tourists, it is almost an obligatory souvenir when passing through the south.