The Mapuche chicken is one of the pre-Columbian domestic animals of our continent, Abya Yala, just like the turkey, the Creole duck, the llama, the guinea pig, among others. This means that when Christopher Columbus arrived, the bird already existed in America, although chronicles state that Columbus brought the chicken from Europe since his first voyages, there is evidence that supports such an early presence.

It is important to go back to the origins of the domestication of the Gallus Gallus Bankiva bird, approximately 10 thousand years ago, in the region that today is specifically known as India, from there flows of commercial exchanges arise that distribute the animal both to the west of said territory and to the east.

From there, this bird, through different means of transport, arrived at the islands of Oceania, which today is known as Polynesia for the natives there to incorporate it into their culture.

Subsequently, hypotheses are made about its arrival in southern Chile, the Polynesians were great navigators and chronicles say that they used totora boats that went out together into the oceanic waters carrying birds to communicate through songs and thus stay together. In this way, the aforementioned people used birds as a friendly exchange upon arriving in new territories, thus confirming the arrival of the chicken in America.

The exact years the bird has been present in Abya Yala are unknown, archaeologists found bones in the Arauco peninsula, dating approximately between the years 1304 and 1424 AD.
What also confirms the presence in the continent prior to the arrival of the Iberians is that the toponymy in the Mapuche language was present as achawal (chicken), alka achawal (rooster), and kuram or runtu (egg), that is, a term was not adapted from the Spanish language

Semi-captivity breeding allowed the bird to be free, rustic and more independent, this favors its survival, after the acquisition of food, adaptation to the climate and resistance to diseases.

The Mapuches develop the breeding of the bird more beyond the productive point of view, but incorporate it as an element of worship and spiritual relevance in their culture, with extremely important values and meanings manifested in rituals and beliefs.

With the introduction of the European bird, a process of crossing and miscegenation began, which weakened the purity of the Mapuche chicken, incorporating genotypic and phenotypic characteristics typical of other breeds such as different combs, leg and egg color, earlobe color and presence of feathers on legs, among others.

This led to a process of genetic recovery and restoration by breeders in recent decades, who are responsible for selecting the bird that most closely resembles its pre-Columbian ancestor, this together with the massification of means of transport and communication aroused regional interest and in different parts of the globe to be part of this process.

Chickens that still retained some of the characteristics were acquired in the corners of the Chilean territory, in different peasant and indigenous towns, among others, to begin to assemble the genetic mosaic that was once assembled

What phenotypic characteristics does the bird present?

Photographs with sub-breeds respectively

Size:

The Mapuche chicken is considered to have had a medium size with average weights of 2.7 kg for the rooster, 2.2 kg for the hen, in adult specimens.

Comb and Wattles:

The original combs were described as small. Preferably, they should be of the triple or pea type, although rose or cushion combs are also accepted, as is the single comb, provided it is relatively small and not drooping in the female as in Mediterranean breeds. The wattles should generally be small. The earlobes should preferably be red. White earlobes, typical of Mediterranean breeds, should be avoided.

The color of the shanks in the Mapuche Chicken is usually olive green, which is preferred over other colors (yellow, white or slate blue). In specimens with black plumage, black shanks are normal. The presence of feathers on the legs (ptilopody) should be avoided as it is considered a characteristic recently introduced through Asian breeds (especially Brahma).

Egg color: the shell should preferably be light blue, it can be green.

How did the Mapuche chicken arrive in Uruguay?

We still have no archaeological or mythological evidence that confirms that the bird was present in Uruguayan territory as part of the management of indigenous cultures. This goes hand in hand with the little interest shown on the subject by academia and authorities, which is manifested in scarce or no research.

More recent evidence from the 20th century, told by our grandparents, is that Creole chickens existed and still persist in rural settlements in Uruguay that lay green or light blue eggs. This confirms that there was a distant cross (several generations ago) with the Mapuche bird, since the egg color gene is dominant and can be inherited from both the mother and the father, meaning both are carriers.

On the other hand, in the last decade, Uruguayan bird breeders have brought eggs from countries like Chile and Brazil and more recently from Argentina, leading to the acquisition and reproduction of Mapuche chicken specimens in a purer state but evidently with many genetic aspects to continue working on.

The bird was disseminated non-profit among some breeders, leading to the organization and formation of the Achawal Newentun association.

What is Achawal Newentun?

The name comes from the Mapudungun toponymy and means "chicken that resists," referring to the process of vindication of the bird and the cultural heritage it represents.

It is an association made up of approximately a dozen breeders present in different departments of the country such as Maldonado, Rocha, Soriano, Canelones, Montevideo, Lavalleja, among others.

On October 22, 2022, the first national meeting of the Mapuche chicken was held in Atlántida Jardín, Canelones, with an exhibition of specimens and eggs.

Two years later, specifically on November 9, 2024, the second national exhibition of the bird was held, where the varieties of the Mapuche lineage were presented, in this case at the Mercado de Cercanías also in the town of Atlántida. There, different breeders from different parts of the country gathered, significantly increasing the presence of people who showed interest in learning about and obtaining the chicken.

It should be mentioned that in our territory, a reference standard for the lineage and its variables has not yet been defined, therefore, for the time being, the one established in Chile, described above, is adopted.

Experiences on breeding in the territory are limited, work is being done on improving the lineage, with ornamental use, to obtain eggs with the purpose of supplying family gastronomic demand and cultural importance representing our roots and those of our peoples.

There is great motivation to breed the bird, which translates into the commitment of the breeders who work collectively and are connected in networks to promote the exchange of experiences and specimens, which enhance, facilitate, and energize the breeding process, with optimal results in the short and long term.

For more information contact by email: geonativo@gmail.com

Sources:

- Testimonies and oral accounts, ancestral Mapuche wisdom.

- ALCALDE, ANTONIO (2016) ETHNO-ORNITHOLOGY AND HISTORY OF THE MAPUCHE CHICKEN.

- Faculty of Agronomy and Forestry Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Santiago, Chile. Retrieved from: - https://aveschile.cl/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/15.-Etno-ornitologi%CC%81a-e-historia-de-la-gallina-mapuche_Alcal de.pdf

- Report on the Mapuche Chicken, at: https://youtu.be/db_VOPypSD4

- https://www.cetsur.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Revalorizacion-de-Las-Gallinas-Mapuche.pdf

- https://bibliotecadigital.fia.cl/bitstream/handle/20.500.11944/1967/68_Libro_Gallinamapuche.pdf?sequence=1&isAllo wed=y

- https://gallinasmapuches.jimdofree.com/caracter%C3%ADsticas-est%C3%A1ndar/