Ngenechen (also known as Ngunechen, Nguenechen, Guenechen, Guinechen) is one of the most important

Ngen {{about, Mapuche mythology, other uses, NGEN (disambiguation) In Mapuche mythology, Ngen or " Ngen-ko " are spirits of nature of the Mapuche beliefs. In Mapudungun, the word ''ngen'' means "owner". Legend The Ngen are those that manage, govern an ...

spirits within traditional

Mapuche religion The mythology and religion of the indigenous Mapuche people of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina is an extensive and ancient belief system. A series of unique legends and myths are common to the various groups that make up the Mapuc ...

; and is the most important

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...

in the present beliefs of the Mapuche people. Ngenechen originally was only the Ngen spirit "governor of the Mapuche people" and not their creator god; but as a product of

syncretism Syncretism () is the practice of combining different beliefs and various school of thought, schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or religious assimilation, assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in t ...

with

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, Ngenechen is now also the "Supreme Being" in Mapuche religion, and is synonymous with the term God as used in Abrahamic religions.

References

* Leslie Ray. Language of the land: the Mapuche in Argentina and Chile. Volumen 119 de IWGIA document. International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs. IWGIA, 2007. , * Oscar Paillacan Ramirez, (Junio, 1999), Religión y Mitología Mapuche Ngenechen, centro de documentación mapuche. (Spanish)

References

See also