Music · Ceremony · Mapuche
Kultrün
The shallow ceremonial kettledrum played by the machi — an instrument at the centre of Mapuche ceremonial life.
The instrument
The kultrün is a shallow kettledrum — a wooden bowl with a hide membrane — played by the machi in ceremony. Its sound anchors collective rituals such as the ngillatun.
The membrane commonly carries a painted design dividing the drum's face; designs differ between machi, communities and regions.
A note on what we don't publish
Interpretations of kultrün designs belong to ceremonial knowledge, differ between communities and are inconsistently reported in outside sources. We describe the instrument and its documented use, and do not publish interpretations of specific designs.