machi

¹ American  

[mah-chee] / ˈmɑ tʃi /

noun

plural

machi

1. (in Japan) a town, or the business district or market area of any town.

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machi ² American  

[mah-chee] / ˈmɑ tʃi /

noun

plural

machis

1. in the Mapuche culture, a traditional healer and spiritual leader; shaman.

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machi ³ American  

[mah-chee] / ˈmɑ tʃi /

noun

1. Indian English. (usually among Tamil speakers) a term of address for a close male friend.

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Example Sentences

“Water is a pure element. Only with water, the ancestral spirits can travel. The Pilmaiquen River carries in it all our information, carries all our spirituality,” said Millaray Huichalaf, the machi.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 19, 2022

She took part with her family in the ceremonies led by her sister, the machi or healer and spiritual guide of a Mapuche community alongside the river.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 19, 2022

Some 200 miles to the south, another machi, Millaray Huichalaf, has led a sometimes-violent battle against hydroelectric plants on the Pilmaiquen River, which flows through rolling pastures from a lake in the Andes’ foothills.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 19, 2022

“Being part of nature, we cannot destroy part of ourselves,” said Lientur Ayenao, a machi or healer and spiritual guide who draws water from the Truful Truful for his ceremonies.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 19, 2022

Mam- machi was almost blind and always wore dark glasses when she went out of the house.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy