Lof (Spanish: ''levo'' and ''lov'') or caví (Spanish: ''cahuín''); formed the basic social organization of the

Mapuche The Mapuche ( (Mapuche & Spanish: )) are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who sha ...

, Mapuche-Huilliche and the extinct Picunche peoples, consisting of a familial clan or lineage that recognizes the authority of a ''

lonco A lonko or lonco (from Mapudungun ''longko'', literally "head"), is a chief of several Mapuche communities. These were often ulmen, the wealthier men in the lof. In wartime, lonkos of the various local rehue or the larger aillarehue would gather in ...

'' (''cacique''). The ''lof'' or ''caví'' is formed by diverse families that share the same territory and who are considered mutually related, descended from a common ancestor. Several ''lof'' form a '' rehue'', and nine ''rehue'' formed the '' aillarehue.'' These formed one of the 3 or 5 great territorial confederations of the Mapuches, the ''

Butalmapu Butalmapu or Fütalmapu is the name in Mapudungun for "great land", which were one of the great confederations wherein the Mapuche people organized themselves in case of war. These confederations corresponded to the great geographic areas inhabited ...

'' ("great earth"). The identity of ''lof'' was reinforced by the accomplishment of diverse community and festive activities. ''Lof'' habitually shared a unique ''rehue'', or Machi's altar, in which the more significant religious ceremonies were performed. The vitality of the clan shone in the accomplishment of ', a type of retributive communitarian work, followed by a celebration with a feast and drinking, similar to the '' mingaco'' of the Quechua. ' consisted usually of harvests, and other work that demanded large amounts of manpower, mainly in the fields of rich and prestigious personages of the ''lof'': the '' '' and ''

s'', who could afford to provide enough food and drink to those who worked.

Sources

Juan Ignatius Molina, ''The Geographical, Natural, and Civil History of Chili,''
London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, 1809

Mapuche society History of Chile Clans {{Chile-stub