Gender in Machi culture is filled with contradictions , paradoxes , and complications because they simultaneously exist within the gender binary and defy it . “ Whereas male Machi legitimate their sexuality as celibate priests , most female Machi gain status and virtue by marrying and having children ” . Thus Machi still abide by the gender roles and norms of Mapuche culture , but then fight against them during spiritual ceremonies and rituals where they challenge traditional roles and perceptions of gender and embrace cogendered identities . The gender identity and construction of the Machi is nuanced and complex . Machi are able to fluidly move between genders throughout different ceremonies , but then face discrimination from Chilean society and fellow Machis themselves . One Machi states , “ Here people do n’t talk much about homosexuality because it is looked down upon ” . Some Machis are concerned about the way the West portrays Machis , afraid that they are only perceived as homosexuals or '' brujas '' “ witches ” . One Machi states “ Why do anthropologists always say who we are ? Why do n’t they ask us ? ” Ana Bacigalupo , a distinguished anthropologist in the field of Machi gender roles , urges people to see the nuances in Machi gender identity and allow complexity to exist . ” Machis gendered identities and practices can be experienced and interpreted endlessly along different paths and for different purposes that simultaneously bind people together and draw them apart ” A modern ritual human sacrifice occurred during the devastating earthquake and tsunami of 1960 by a machi of the Mapuche in the Lago Budi community . The victim , five-year-old José Luis Painecur , had his arms and legs removed by Juan Pañán and Juan José Painecur ( the victim 's grandfather ) , and was stuck into the sand of the beach like a stake . The waters of the Pacific Ocean then carried the body out to sea . The sacrifice was rumored to be at the behest of local machi , Juana Namuncurá Añen . The two men were charged with the crime and confessed , but later recanted . They were released after two years . A judge ruled that those involved in these events had " acted without free will , driven by an irresistible natural force of ancestral tradition . " The arrested men 's explanation was : " We were asking for calm in the sea and on the earth . "
earthquake and tsunami of 1960
1960 Valdivia earthquake
Machi (shaman)