Humans may have reached Chile by 18,500 years ago

If the theory is proven right, this discovery would shake the world of archaeology and the history in terms of the settlement of America.

For many decades, it was believed that America was first populated about 13,000 years ago by a group of hunters from Asia, also known as the Clovis Culture. Nevertheless, in recent investigations in Monte Verde, southern Chile, archaeologists have found tools that reveal the existence of human settlements that precede the arrival of this old culture.

Tom Dillehay of Vanderbilt University has been working at Monte Verde since 1977. It was believed that the Clovis people were the first to arrive in America about 13,000 years ago, but Dillehay’s work at Monte Verde helped scientists to push back that date. Now he leads an international team of archaeologists, geologists, and botanists in an archaeological and geological survey in Monte Verde where they found cooking pits with burned and unburned bones and scatters of simple stone tools.

“One of the curious things about it is that unlike what we found before, a significant percentage, about 34 percent, were from non-local materials. Most of them probably come from the coast but some of them probably come from the Andes and maybe even from the other side of the Andes” said Dillehay in a press release. Some of the bones belonged to very large animals that were probably killed and butchered elsewhere around 14,000 to 19,000 years ago.

Many people in the archaeological community have greeted Dillehay’s findings with a certain amount of skepticism, considering that they challenge the widely accepted paradigm for the first humans in America. This way, the new findings have brought up new questions among archaeologists and historians of the world, who are already beginning to rethink the theories until today.

This post is also available in Spanish

Source: Humans may have reached Chile by 18,500 years ago

"We-Tripantu": Chile's indigenous Mapuche people celebrate a new year

WE TRIPANTU

“We Tripantu” (or “Winoy Tripantu”) means “rising of the new sun,” and is a kind of new year celebration of the Mapuche people (Argentina and Chile).

“We”: New

“tripan”: rise

“Antu”: Sun

(Mapuche’s flag)

Chilean Culture: “We Tripantu” & the Winter Solstice

This week marks the June solstice, which down here in Chile means that the shortest day of winter is upon us. From here on out, the days can only get brighter, and also start of the most intense rains that nature prepares to welcome and encourage the wonderful growth of new life, a fact that’s not lost on one of Chile’s most dominant indigenous communities, the Mapuche people (“Mapu”: Earth, “che”: people). The winter solstice coincides with the celebration of “We Tripantu”, where Mapuche communities up and down the length of Chile welcome the birth of the new sun.

It is the beginning of a new cycle of production, talk with Earth. Mapuche elders discovered that the beginning of every annual cycle starts with the rain. It begins with the Moon of the cold buds: “puken”, the winter. The rain that purifies the soil for the renewal of Nature and for the beginning of the new sown dreams.

What’s it all about?

For Chile’s indigenous Mapuche people, “We Tripantu” is a kind of New Year celebration. The coming of the shortest day and the longest night symbolizes the end of the harvesting period of the previous year and the beginning of the new sowing cycle. According to the Mapuche vision of the world, the new sun is born in winter and begins to grow throughout the spring before reaching the prime of its life at the height of summer and fading away again as fall draws on. That’s what makes the winter solstice so important, since it marks the moment of the sun’s rebirth.

Celebrations and music

“We Tripantu” celebrations may officially begin with the winter solstice on the 21st of June but they well and truly kick off on the evening of the 23rd of June, where family members and the extended community gather together around a fire or stove to eat, drink and tell traditional stories. Folk music is played throughout the night on Mapuche instruments like the "tructruca" horn, the "pifilca" flute and the "cultrun" drum. As the first birds begin to sing around dawn, people head down to nearby rivers and streams to wash and cleanse away anything negative they’ve picked up throughout the year; disease, evil thoughts, bad spirits... it all gets washed away with the river, leaving bathers ready to be renewed by the young sun as it rises for the first time that year.

During the morning the Mapuche takes a moment to walk through the fields in order to get in touch with Nature and talk to the lands. During this time girls take part in the "Katan" (a ceremony in which the ears are pierced and are enclosed with their "chaway": pair of earrings). The maternal grandmother gives her name to her granddaughter.

Also in this day of the “We Tripantu”, boys receive in a ceremony of the "akutun", the name of their paternal grandfather.

Food

Food is an important part of any celebration and “We Tripantu” is no exception. Meats - including chicken, pork, lamb, beef and even horse - are roasted on the fire and traditional delicacies are prepared. Those celebrating drink “muday”, a cloudy alcoholic drink made from fermented maize or wheat and eat “catutos” (fried or boiled dough treats dipped in honey), “sopaipillas” (deep-fried discs of pumpkin dough) and a kind of dense unleavened bread cooked in the embers of the fire. “Mote”, made from boiled, husked wheat, is also eaten to celebrate “We Tripantu”.

Sports, games and dancing

Throughout the day of the 24th June, adults and children alike take part in games and dancing. Small children play “awar kuden”, a betting game using colourful dried beans. Older children and teenagers play “palin”, a game similar to hockey where two teams of five to fifteen players used curved sticks to hit a leather ball. All members of the community join in with traditional Mapuche dances like the “purrun” and the “mazatun”.

“We tripantu”, or the Mapuche New Year, marks the shift in seasons and the universe.

Akuy We Tripantu!!!

The New Sun arrived!!!

Happy New Year!!!

Nothing is more fulfilling than being part of...

I am passionate about what I do, and I love to help people.

Nothing is more fulfilling than being part of:

• a team with similar interests...
• an organization that values its employees, fosters creativity and promotes innovation...
• an organization that values the environment... reuse, reduce, recycle...
• a new way of doing marketing and business development...
• a new way to share knowledge, technology, consciousness...
• a new way of doing engineering, focused on sustainability... soil, water and energy efficiency...
• a society who works for its children, taking care of our real home... The Mother Earth...
• a society committed to love, with truth, and free in its authenticity...

(FE-2016)

http://www.descargasdelalma.cl/2016/05/no-hay-nada-mas-satisfactorio-que-ser.html

Chile: Earthquakes and Safety Rules

EARTHQUAKES

Earthquakes are sudden rolling or shaking events caused by movement under the earth’s surface. Earthquakes happen along cracks in the earth's surface, called fault lines, and can be felt over large areas, although they usually last less than one minute. Earthquakes still cannot be predicted.

Earthquakes In Chile

Chile has a long history of massive earthquakes, so it is a high seismic risk zone.  Earthquakes can happen at any time of the year.

Earthquakes in Chile mainly occurred as the result of thrust faulting on the interface between the Nazca and South America plates. This subduction zone also hosted the largest earthquake on record, the 1960 MW = 9.5 earthquake in southern Chile (Valdivia).

Chile is characterized by the largest seismicity in the world. This high seismicity allows calibrating the Chilean Seismic Code with the observed performance of buildings after each large quake. The last calibration was due to the El Maule earthquake of February 27, 2010, MW = 8.8 earthquake and it was introduced in Chilean Code NCh 433 through the Decree 60, December 2011.

After the El Maule, Chile 2010 MW = 8.8 earthquake only 4 buildings collapsed (only considering reinforced concrete and masonry buildings). The following table shows the performance of Residential Buildings permitted from 1985 to 2009.

Building that collapsed	:	4 (approximate)
Building to be demolished	:	50 (estimate)
No of building 3 + stories	:	9,974
No of buildings 9 + stories	:	1,939
Failures in 3 + story buildings	:	0.5%
Failures in 9 + story buildings	:	2.8%

Tsunamis In Chile

Almost all earthquakes in Chile are produced along the Chilean shore, so always a Tsunami could be expected after an earthquake.

Earthquake-induced movement of the ocean floor most often generates tsunamis. If a major earthquake or landslide occurs close to shore, the first wave in a series could reach the beach in a few minutes, even before a warning is issued. Areas are at greater risk if they are less than 10 m.a.s.l. and within 2 km. Drowning is the most common cause of death associated with a tsunami. Tsunami waves and the receding water are very destructive to structures in the run-up zone. Other hazards include flooding, contamination of drinking water, and fires from gas lines or ruptured tanks.

2015 Illapel Earthquake (MW = 8.3)

On September 16, 2015, a powerful 8.3-magnitude earthquake struck off the Chilean coast (Illapel, Coquimbo Region), triggering a tsunami (waves of up to 4.5m, 13 deaths, 6 missing, and 1 million evacuated). The initial quake lasted three minutes, and was followed by several aftershocks greater than magnitude six.

Tall buildings swayed and car alarms were set off in Santiago (229 km), Buenos Aires (1,110 km), and the earthquake was felt in Sao Paulo (more than 2,600 km).

Although causing damage in the hundreds of millions, mainly due to the tsunami, the Illapel earthquake's low death toll relative to the 525 casualties of the significantly more powerful 2010 Chile earthquake was credited, in part, to its localization in a less-populated region, better coastal preparedness and an improved tsunami warning system, the longstanding enforcement of seismic building codes, and an improved emergency response.

Mining Industry

In the north of Chile are located the biggest copper mines, but workers were safe and operations were not damaged by the earthquake.

•  Codelco staff and operations were unharmed in the quake that prompted the evacuation of personnel from facilities in coastal areas, amid a tsunami warning.
• Workers at AMSA Los Pelambres operation were safe and installations hadn’t suffered any damage.
• Anglo American, BHP Billiton and Pan Pacific Copper Co. mines were also unaffected.

SAFETY RULES

Some safety rules that you have to consider in case of an earthquake in Chile, or any other seismic country, are the following (based on FEMA and Chilean authorities recommendations):

Before An Earthquake

• Look around places where you spend time.  Identify safe places such as under a sturdy piece of furniture or against an interior wall in your home, office or school so that when the shaking starts, you Drop to the ground, Cover your head and neck with your arms, and if a safer place is nearby, crawl to it and Hold On.
•  Practice how to “Drop, Cover, and Hold On!”
•  To react quickly you must practice often. You may only have seconds to protect yourself in an earthquake.
•  Before an earthquake occurs, secure items that could fall and cause injuries (e.g., bookshelves, mirrors, light fixtures).
•  Store critical supplies (e.g., water, medication) and documents.
• Plan how you will communicate with family members, including multiple methods by making a family emergency communication plan.
• When choosing your home or business, check if the building is earthquake resistant per local building codes. In Chile, all buildings are earthquake resistance in accordance with its seismic codes (NCh433 and NCh2369).

During An Earthquake

If you are inside a building:

•  Stay where you are until the shaking stops. Do not run outside. Do not get in a doorway as this does not provide protection from falling or flying objects, and you may not be able to remain standing.
• Drop down onto your hands and knees so the earthquake doesn’t knock you down. Drop to the ground (before the earthquake drops you!)
• Cover your head and neck with your arms to protect yourself from falling debris.
• If you are in danger from falling objects, and you can move safely, crawl for additional cover under a sturdy desk or table.
• If there is low furniture or an interior wall or corner nearby, and the path is clear, these may also provide some additional cover.
• Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall, such as light fixtures or furniture.
• Hold on to any sturdy covering so you can move with it until the shaking stops. Stay where you are until the shaking stops.

If getting safely to the floor to take cover won’t be possible:

• Identify an inside corner of the room away from windows and objects that could fall on you.  The earthquake safety specialist advises getting as low as possible to the floor. People who use wheelchairs or other mobility devices should lock their wheels and remain seated until the shaking stops. Protect your head and neck with your arms, a pillow, a book, or whatever is available.

If you are in bed when you feel the shaking:

•  If you are in bed: Stay there and Cover your head and neck with a pillow. At night, hazards and debris are difficult to see and avoid; attempts to move in the dark result in more injuries than remaining in bed.

If you are outside when you feel the shaking:

• If you are outdoors when the shaking starts, move away from buildings, streetlights, and utility wires. Once in the open, “Drop, Cover, and Hold On.” Stay there until the shaking stops. This might not be possible in a city, so you may need to duck inside a building to avoid falling debris.

If you are in a moving vehicle when you feel the shaking:

• If you are in a moving vehicle, stop as quickly and safely as possible and stay in the vehicle. Avoid stopping near or under buildings, trees, overpasses, and utility wires. Proceed cautiously once the earthquake has stopped. Avoid roads, bridges, or ramps that the earthquake may have damaged.

If you are in the coastline (Tsunami hazard risk):

• Follow the evacuation order issued by authorities and evacuate immediately.
• Move inland to higher ground immediately. Pick areas 30 m.a.s.l. or go as far as 3 km inland, away from the coastline. If you cannot get this high or far, go as high or far as you can. Every meter inland or upward may make a difference.
• Stay away from the beach. Never go down to the beach to watch a tsunami come in. If you can see the wave you are too close to escape it. CAUTION - If there is noticeable recession in water away from the shoreline this is nature's tsunami warning and it should be heeded. You should move away immediately.
• Save yourself - not your possessions.
• Remember to help your neighbors who may require special assistance - infants, elderly people, and individuals with access or functional needs.

After an Earthquake

• Follow the instructions of local emergency management officials.
• When the shaking stops, look around. If there is a clear path to safety, leave the building and go to an open space away from damaged areas.
• If you are in the coastline, move inland to higher ground immediately.
• If you are trapped, do not move about or kick up dust.
• If you have a cell phone with you, use it to call or text for help.
• Tap on a pipe or wall or use a whistle, if you have one, so that rescuers can locate you.
• Once safe, monitor local news reports via battery operated radio, TV, social media, and cell phone text alerts for emergency information and instructions.
• Be prepared to “Drop, Cover, and Hold on” in the likely event of aftershocks.

Listen to Local Officials

Learn about the emergency plans that have been established in your area by your state and local government. In any emergency, always listen to the instructions given by local emergency management officials.

“Drop, Cover, and Hold on”

(FE-2015)