Lonco
Encyclopedia
A lonco or lonko is a tribal chief of the Mapuche
Mapuche
The Mapuche are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina. They constitute a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who shared a common social, religious and economic structure, as well as a common linguistic heritage. Their influence extended...

s. These were often Ulmen
Ulmen(Mapuche)
Ulmen a Mapudungun word meaning "rich man". In Mapuche society the wealthy men usually were the lonco's and would often be the influential leaders of their rehue and aillarehue and if skilled in war like Caupolicán were sometimes elected toqui.-Source:...

, the wealthier men in the lof
Lof
Lof or caví ; formed the basic social organization of the Mapuche, Huilliche and the extinct Picunche peoples, consisting of a familial clan or lineage that recognizes the authority of a lonco...

. In wartime loncos of the various local rehue
Rehue
Rehue or rewe is the sacred altar used by the Mapuche of Chile in many of their ceremonies.- Alter :It is a tree trunk set in the ground and surrounded by canes of colihue located in row and adorned with white, blue or yellow flags and branches of coihues, maitén, lengas and other trees of the area...

 or the larger aillarehue
Aillarehue
Aillarehue or Ayllarehue Aillarehue or Ayllarehue Aillarehue or Ayllarehue (from the (mapudungun: ayllarewe/ayjarewe: " nine rehues"); a confederation of rehues or familiar clans (lof) that dominated a region or province. It was the old administrative and territorial division of the Mapuche,...

 would gather in a koyag or parliament and would elect a toqui
Toqui
Toqui is a title conferred by the Mapuche to those who are chosen as their leaders during times of war. The toqui is chosen in an assembly or parliament of the chieftains of the various clans or confederation of clans , allied during the war in question...

 to lead the warriors in battle. Lonco forms sometimes part of geographical names such as the city of Loncoche
Loncoche
Loncoche is a city and commune in the Araucanía Region, southern Chile. It is located near the border to Los Ríos Region and the city of Lanco.Loncoche is a major centre for milk production...

 (mapudungun
Mapudungun
The Mapuche language, Mapudungun is a language isolate spoken in south-central Chile and west central Argentina by the Mapuche people. It is also spelled Mapuzugun and sometimes called Mapudungu or Araucanian...

: head of an important person).
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