RECUERDOS | 'Trapelakucha' de los Mapuches

Wearing handmade 'Trapelakucha' pendant (Chile), vintage navajo jacket, vintage denim cutoffs
Photo by Anthea Clarke

I remember when I crossed the Andes over from Santiago, Chile, into Mendoza, Argentina the iced capped mountains looking so serene, the sunlight fading into the background. I was clutching onto a “Trapelakucha”, a giant silver pendant I had picked up in Santiago. I remember scurrying around the different venders, trying to find out as much information as I possibly could on the strikingly enigmatic silverware. In her swift Chilean Spanish, a woman explained that the two birds represent the equilibrium between man and woman; the top representing el cielo (the sky) spiritual plane whilst the bottom pentagon shaped plate symbolising la tierra (the earth). Binding the two are three silver links, a metaphorical staircase representing the mapuche’s journey between the two worlds. It is especially worn by women to offer protection, kind of like a badge of honour and grace. When I wear it now, I’ll always remember what it represents, and the journey it took me to get there.