Mapuche Worldview, Territory, and Language: Narratives of Mapuche Speakers and Elders
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1. Characterization of the Mapuche Population and the Conservation Status of the Language
1.2. Mapuche Territory and Knowledge
1.3. Linguistic Revitalization: The Role of the Elders and Oral Tradition
2. Methods
2.1. Approach and Design
2.2. Context and Participants
2.3. Data Production Techniques
2.4. Procedure and Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Mapuche Territory and Language Transmission
3.2. Cultural Practices and Language
3.3. Mapuche Identity and Knowledge
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
1 | Mapuchegen Mew: Our spirit is here. |
2 | Each designation refers to a territorial location in relation to cardinal points. “Che” means people, while “Lafkenche” refers to the people of the coast (west). “Pewenche” denotes the people of the pewen, specifically from the mountain range. “Pikunche” signifies the people of the north, and “Williche” refers to the people of the south. All of these groups identify as mapuche, meaning people of the land. |
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Discussion Group Number | Date | Participants Number | Topics for Focus Groups (1–4) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 18 October 2023 | 8 | 1. Loss of language (intergenerational approach). |
2 | 25 October 2023 | 6 | |
3 | 6 November 2023 | 6 | 2. Language Education. |
4 | 7 November 2023 | 5 | 3. Ancestral knowledge. |
Category | Subcategory | Declarative Discourse |
---|---|---|
Mapuche Territory and Language | Natural Environment in Oral Transmission | “We need to speak where we will be surrounded by trees, where we will feel the breeze, where the birds will be, where we will be in our traditional clothing and ready to receive all that newen (energy) from everyone; the Ngen (spirits that protect the land) are in that space” (FG1). |
The Ruka and the Fire as Symbolic Elements | “Now we have the Ruka (Mapuche house, home), which is very beautiful because now we can sit around the fire, we play the cultrún (Mapuche musical instrument), we feel like singing, celebrating with music. And the children are growing. Our children and our youth are growing and are witnessing this” (FG1). “I acquired oral skills in those instances where the use of Mapudungun becomes vital, such as during ceremonial gatherings or when we played with simple things in the ruka” (FG3). | |
Migration and Land Dispossession | “We had to migrate; we are immigrants. It is not only foreigners; we, in our own land, are also immigrants. And I don’t know if we will recover it, because in my community, Manuel Echeverría, there are about 400 hectares of land, and those 400 hectares of land do not belong to us Mapuche; they belong to the Erdener and Taladriz, who are large landowners. We are living in a reserve, a very small space; we call it a reserve, not even a community; they are reserves where we, the Mapuche people, live” (FG4). |
Category | Subcategory | Declarative Discourse |
---|---|---|
Cultural Practices and Language | Family Practices | “Children suffer because they don’t live in the time we did, which was so enriching. We lived in the countryside, with plenty of food, close to nature, always walking barefoot. People today get sick because they don’t touch the earth with their feet” (FG3). “The first thing we did was play the kultrún and dance the choique purrún (Mapuche dance), that was in our blood… We would go to harvest hazelnuts. After that, we would make a fire, toast the hazelnuts, eat them, and make a necklace with pine nuts. My mom would say, ‘When you’re hungry, eat a pine nut’. We would milk the cow… I think it was the most important, the most beautiful part of my childhood” (FG4). |
Productive Activities | “My father worked the land, which is hard because there were no machines for planting or harvesting. For example, the Mapuche would get up early, before sunrise, to receive all that is good and to make use of good energy for a productive day” (FG3). “We went to town to sell vegetables, blankets, and xariwe (woven sashes) that our grandmothers made. My grandmother wove a lot, and when there was time, I would go with her to town to sell them. We went on horseback” (FG1). | |
Intercultural Medicine | “For women who give birth in the city, it’s torture because it’s the opposite of the care Mapuche mothers give. They care for our wounds with extreme caution, being empathetic and putting themselves in our place. But in the hospital, when we’re giving birth, they tell us, ‘Shower’ and ‘Wash yourself’, but my mother would say, ‘No, she cannot do that; I have to prepare lawen (medicinal herbs) for her to wash herself’. We have been working with the health service to make some changes, to explain the Mapuche worldview in general. Small changes, but major ones for us” (FG1). | |
Mapuche Spirituality | “A branch of maqui was taken, and a prayer was first made at the place prepared for sowing wheat. Then, on another date, a prayer was also made to the wheat as it grew, when it started to sprout, asking the spirits for a plentiful harvest, as part of a ngillatun (ceremony)” (FG4). |
Category | Subcategory | Declarative Discourse |
---|---|---|
Mapuche Identity and Knowledge | Identity and Position | “If I don’t know who I am, I don’t know what is mine. I have to learn and share Mapuzugun because it is a spiritual language. It’s not just a language you learn like others, no. There is context here. It affects our heart, our thoughts, our way of thinking and being. Knowing the Mapuche language has given me that, knowing who I am” (FG4). “I come from Lumaco; my origin is Lumaco, I am Nagche, people of the valley”. “I am MC; I come from Lonquimay; my land is called Wallen Mapu. My father is from Puel Mapu (Mapuche land in eastern Argentina), my mother from Lonquimay. We are many siblings, 20 in total”. “My name is Ll. I am a man from Galvarino, a Nagche man, meaning man of the lowlands” (FG1). |
Mapuche Knowledge | “We are rescuing our culture in different ways through food, crafts, weaving, stories, and knowledge. We use words in the process; for example, when someone arrives, we don’t just say ‘good morning’; we say ‘Mari mari chumleymi’ (good morning, how are you this morning). We are Mapuche and speak with basic words, and that, to me, is also a form of rescue—step by step. It’s been good for me” (FG4). | |
Role of Women in Transmission | “My mother passed away at 90, but not because of her age; she would have lasted ten more years if it wasn’t for lung cancer. It’s terrible—when your mother is alive, hug her. She told me Epew (stories) in Mapuzugun, and I learned the language of my family. My grandmother would sit on a bench, and I would sit beside her. She spoke slowly and so beautifully, and that stayed with me, here in my heart” (FG3). “I come from Lumaco; my origin is Lumaco, I am Nagche, people of the valley. My mother had four children; I learned Mapuche from her womb, and I am very grateful to her for raising and speaking to me in Mapudungun” (FG3). |
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Maldonado García, F.; Sanhueza Henríquez, S.; Aroca Toloza, C. Mapuche Worldview, Territory, and Language: Narratives of Mapuche Speakers and Elders. Societies 2024, 14, 258. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc14120258
Maldonado García F, Sanhueza Henríquez S, Aroca Toloza C. Mapuche Worldview, Territory, and Language: Narratives of Mapuche Speakers and Elders. Societies. 2024; 14(12):258. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc14120258
Chicago/Turabian StyleMaldonado García, Fabiola, Susan Sanhueza Henríquez, and Carolina Aroca Toloza. 2024. "Mapuche Worldview, Territory, and Language: Narratives of Mapuche Speakers and Elders" Societies 14, no. 12: 258. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc14120258
APA StyleMaldonado García, F., Sanhueza Henríquez, S., & Aroca Toloza, C. (2024). Mapuche Worldview, Territory, and Language: Narratives of Mapuche Speakers and Elders. Societies, 14(12), 258. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc14120258