Teaching Mapuche Values in Early Childhood Education: Intercultural Practices in Lafkenche Kindergartens

Abstract

This study examines how Mapuche educational values are incorporated and reinterpreted within Early Childhood Education in Lafkenche contexts. Using a qualitative intercultural approach, research was conducted in three kindergartens in Saavedra, involving children, families, kimches (wise community members), and Indigenous Language and Culture Educators (ELCI). The findings reveal that values such as kümeche (good person), norche (upright person), kimche (wise person), and newenche (strong person) are transmitted through play, storytelling, autonomy, songs, and rituals. Despite these advances, structural gaps remain, such as limited intercultural teacher training, lack of curricular guidance, and weak school–family articulation. The study concludes that moving toward truly intercultural early education demands recognizing kimün (Mapuche wisdom) as a valid source of knowledge and strengthening pedagogical connections between schools, families, and local communities.

1. Introduction

Mapuche educational value content constitutes a set of knowledge, principles, and guidelines that families consider essential to transmit to children, forming an ethical and community base that guides daily life (Quilaqueo & Quintriqueo, 2017; Quilaqueo Rapimán, 2006). This knowledge promotes behaviors situated and regulated by values that respond to the social and territorial context, guiding the formation of the che (person) as an ideal of life in harmony with others and nature. Values-based educational content is fundamental in the development of children in Indigenous contexts, as it helps shape the ideal of person expected by each society (Riquelme et al., 2020). Consequently, its incorporation into school education will help shape the identity of children who are proud of their heritage; therefore, its inclusion from the earliest educational levels, such as Early Childhood Education, is crucial (Alarcón et al., 2018; Quidel & Pichinao, 2002).

Various international studies have highlighted its relevance in Early Childhood Education, highlighting cultural appreciation, respect for people and the territory, intergenerational interaction, and the recognition of the elderly as sources of knowledge (Molosiwa & Galeforolwe, 2018; Scrine et al., 2020). Internationally, proposals that recognize and incorporate values-based educational content into early childhood education stand out. Among these initiatives is the He Māpuna te Tamaiti initiative in New Zealand, which implements learning resources to guide early childhood education professionals in teaching Māori values (New Zealand Ministry of Education, 2019; Whitinui, 2020). In Canada, the ‘Entewate’ni-konri: sake pedagogy’ promotes the teaching of Mohawk educational values through ancestral practices, such as gratitude or Ohén: ton Karihwatéhkwen (speech of thanksgiving) and respect for and care of Mother Earth through the use of natural resources (Smith-Gilman, 2016). Meanwhile, in Mexico, the Milpas Educativas project promotes teaching based on respect and appreciation for older people, as well as for family members of the same lineage (Sartorello, 2016).

International experiences support the feasibility of implementing intercultural educational models that integrate values-based content into early childhood education, based on the co-construction of a proposal that integrates the work of educational teams with families. They also highlight the importance of moving towards proposals that strengthen sociocultural identity in the early years of life (New Zealand Ministry of Education, 2019; Sartorello & Bertely, 2019). However, in Chile, this work is still in its early stages and is limited to specific instances within preschool education.

In Chile, Early Childhood Education—which covers the period from birth to six years of age (General Education Law No. 20,370, 2009)—constitutes the gateway to the school system and promotes values associated with diversity, coexistence, and childhood as a subject of rights (Ministry of Education, 2018). However, in culturally diverse contexts, it faces the challenge of articulating the knowledge of indigenous upbringing with the values of the national curriculum, a task that is still incipient in pedagogical practice. Despite some advances, intercultural education lacks official guidelines for the systematic teaching of Mapuche value content. Current experiences are limited to specific programs, such as those of Integra Foundation (2017), the Modality in Indigenous Communities of the JUNJI, and the Bilingual Intercultural Education Program (Department of Administration of Municipal Education Temuco, 2022), which are restricted to certain territories and have not been consolidated as a transversal educational policy.

The mapuche people (people of the land in spanish) are the indigenous group with the largest presence in Chile. Culturally and in terms of identity, they constitute a binational people, dispersed across both Chilean and Argentine territories. In Chile, the mapuche inhabit areas from the Valparaíso Region to Los Lagos, identifying themselves according to distinct territorialities: pikunche, people of the northern territories; nagche, people of the lowlands; wenteche, people of the plains; pewenche, people of the mountains; lafkenche, people of the coastal sector along the Pacific Ocean; and wijiche, people of the southern territories. These territories are distinguished by their inhabitants for possessing characteristics that shape a unique ecosystem and for maintaining their own educational practices (Quilaqueo Rapimán et al., 2016).

The Mapuche people, who represent 79.84% of the Chilean indigenous population (INE, 2017), have an educational heritage focused on küme mongen or good living, which promotes integral formation from an ethical, spiritual, and community perspective. Family education transmits values and norms that contrast with the homogenizing tendency of the school system, which tends to reduce interculturality to folklorized practices. Although guidelines have been generated in recent years to mainstream the intercultural approach, such as those of the Undersecretary of Early Childhood Education (2022), the lack of a binding regulatory framework and relevant teacher training continues to be an obstacle to its effective application.

Significant progress has been observed at the local level. In Temuco, the Department of Municipal Education Administration has promoted collaborative work between early childhood and traditional educators, which resulted in the book Kimkantuaiñ (Department of Administration of Municipal Education Temuco, 2022), bilingual material that adapts the areas and nuclei of the Curricular Bases of Early Childhood Education (BCEP) based on Mapuche value content. This text presents learning experiences derived from lesson plans designed to implement classroom activities from a mapuche perspective. It emphasizes elements related to the formation of the ideal mapuche person (che), grounded in four fundamental principles: kümeche: educating to nurture children into morally good individuals; newenche: educating to cultivate strength of character; norche: fostering the development of a proper and upright person; and kimünche: teaching to cultivate wisdom and knowledge in individuals.

However, these experiences continue to be isolated and depend on the will of the educational teams or institutional seals, and structural gaps persist that prevent the consolidation of a truly intercultural curriculum. First, the lack of a regulatory framework limits the pedagogical orientation towards teaching Mapuche values, generating an uneven application of the intercultural approach. Second, the scarcity of teacher training on Mapuche family education produces a fragmentary understanding of this knowledge, which is decontextualized and loses its ethical and community dimensions. Consequently, interculturality is implemented symbolically, without transforming the epistemological bases of the educational process.

Rethinking Early Childhood Education from an intercultural perspective in Indigenous contexts, as in the case of the lafchenke territory, involves recognizing the epistemological and formative value of mapuche educational knowledge. This approach aims to advance an educational proposal that promotes respect for diverse ways of knowing and living, both Mapuche and non-Mapuche. It requires contextualizing learning within the territory and strengthening the links between school and community, so that children can develop secure and culturally rooted identities (Alarcón et al., 2018; Smith-Gilman, 2016; Quidel & Pichinao, 2002). This research analyzes the incorporation of Mapuche value-based educational content in Early Childhood Education, understanding how this knowledge is expressed and resignified in pedagogical practices in intercultural contexts.

The research was carried out in the commune of Saavedra, located in the Lafkenche territory, a term that in Mapuche means “people who live near the sea” (Bengoa, 2006). The commune has 12,450 inhabitants, of which 78.1% reside in rural sectors, and 99.1% identify as Mapuche (INE, 2017). The child population under 14 years of age is 21.7%. This context, with a marked indigenous presence, constitutes a propitious space to study the interactions between Mapuche family education and initial education, especially in kindergartens located in communities with a strong cultural identity and traditional educational practices.

Its general objective is to understand how Mapuche educational value contents are incorporated and resignified in Early Education in Lafkenche contexts, analyzing pedagogical strategies, school-family-community articulation, and the relationship between Mapuche kimün and the national curriculum. The specific objectives of this study are as follows: To achieve this aim, four specific objectives guide the analysis: (1) to describe the pedagogical strategies through which educational teams and Indigenous Language and Culture Educators (ELCI) teach Mapuche value contents; (2) to analyze how kimün, mapunzugun, and cultural practices are integrated and resignified within everyday school routines; (3) to examine the forms of participation of families and kimches in intercultural educational processes; and (4) to identify tensions, training gaps, and curricular challenges that hinder a more structural incorporation of Mapuche knowledge in early childhood education.

Through these objectives, the study aims to contribute empirical evidence to ongoing discussions about the possibilities and limits of building a situated and community-linked intercultural pedagogy. In accordance with this objective, the research is guided by the following question: How are Mapuche educational contents incorporated and reinterpreted in Early Childhood Education in Laf-Kenche contexts, in dialogue with pedagogical strategies, the school-family-community articulation and the national curriculum?

1.1. General Background

Mapuche family education is the formative process through which children learn to be people (che) within their community, integrating knowledge, values, and practices that guide collective life. This education, transmitted by the family and the community, is based on kimün —Mapuche knowledge—understood as the accumulated knowledge about the history, genealogy, and territoriality of families (Quilaqueo & Quintriqueo, 2017). In this process, values and modes of coexistence transmitted by orality, social memory, and everyday experience are promoted (Hilger, 2015; Manquilef, 1911).

The act of educating, or kimeltuwün, constitutes the Mapuche pedagogical action par excellence, aimed at the integral formation of the person in harmony with the natural, social, and spiritual environment (Quilaqueo & Quintriqueo, 2010). In kimeltuwün, teaching, observation, participation, and contextualization of learning are articulated. Children learn through active participation in family and community activities, developing autonomy, responsibility, and self-regulation (Alarcón et al., 2018; Murray et al., 2015). In this way, family education is not separated from community life: every daily action—caring for animals, participating in a ceremony, helping with planting, or accompanying the elderly—constitutes an educational act.

The formative ideal is oriented towards the construction of the che, or integral person, a process that includes ethical, spiritual, and community dimensions. In this framework, families educate children to achieve certain educational purposes that represent central values of the Mapuche people (Quintriqueo & Quilaqueo, 2019; Alarcón et al., 2018; Riquelme et al., 2020):

Kimche (wise person): It is expected to form individuals who are knowledgeable about their culture, their history and their spiritual relationship with nature. From an early age, children observe and participate in traditional activities, acquiring responsibilities and roles in ceremonies and family tasks.

Norche (correct person): Implies acting with balance and rectitude. Emotional control and responsibility are taught through the care of living beings or younger siblings, internalizing a sense of justice and mutual respect.

Kümeche (good person): Refers to someone who acts with solidarity and kindness. Community help practices, visits to the sick, or ritual acts of gratitude teach children the value of sharing and recognizing others as equals.

Newenche (strong person): Refers to physical, mental, and spiritual strength, linked to identity pride and resistance in the face of adversity (Riquelme et al., 2020). The force is nourished by Chao Ngenechen (supreme being) and mapunzugun, which constitutes a source of spiritual and cultural energy.

These aims make up a model of integral education that seeks to form wise, correct, supportive, and strong people, capable of sustaining community life. The formation of Che takes place in a network of intergenerational relationships, where the family, community, and territory are constituted as pedagogical scenarios.

In short, Mapuche family education is its own educational system, based on kimün and kimeltuwün, which promotes situated, ethical, and community learning. Understanding this is key to thinking about intercultural education that does not reduce diversity to a symbolic commemoration but recognizes the logics of knowledge and training present in native peoples.

1.2. Intercultural Education and Educational Values

Intercultural education is understood as a transformative process that seeks to generate dialogue between Indigenous knowledge and school knowledge, overcoming the asymmetries that have historically subordinated local epistemologies (Tubino, 2005; Gasché, 2010). Its purpose is to contextualize learning and build educational spaces that recognize cultural diversity as a source of knowledge, not as an obstacle. In this perspective, interculturality is not only limited to including Indigenous content in the curriculum, but also proposes a critical pedagogy that questions the colonial legacies of the educational system and promotes the active participation of communities (Giroux, 1998; Gasché, 2010).

In Early Childhood Education, interculturality acquires a foundational meaning: from the earliest years, children can develop a positive understanding of cultural diversity if educational environments promote interaction between families, communities, and schools (Undersecretary of Early Childhood Education, 2022). This implies building situated learning, coherent with the experiences, knowledge, and values of families and territories, so that sociocultural identity is strengthened from childhood (Bustos et al., 2014; Smith-Gilman, 2016). Therefore, the need for Early Childhood Education that contributes to the construction of sociocultural identity is highlighted, specifically, the Mapuche being, which is linked by kinship, rooted in the territory of origin, in the use of the vernacular language, mapunzugun, and in spirituality associated with ceremonial practices. For the mapuche people, the land (mapu) constitutes the core of their philosophy, understood as an integrated whole encompassing social memory, territory, the celestial vault, the immaterial world, nature, and the universe (Ñanculef Huaiquinao, 2010). It is within this space that knowledge (kimün) is constructed.

To achieve this, it is necessary to articulate family education with the school curriculum, understood as the training path that organizes educational knowledge and experiences according to normative purposes and principles (Perrenoud, 1994; Battiste, 2002, 2013). In Chile, the Early Childhood Education curriculum is regulated by the General Education Law No. 20.370 and operationalized through the Curricular Bases of Early Childhood Education (BCEP), which establish the objectives and expected learning from birth to entry into Basic Education (Ministry of Education, 2018).

The BCEPs highlight values such as autonomy, respect, and coexistence, but they do not sufficiently explain the intercultural approach or the incorporation of value content typical of Indigenous peoples. Although ministerial guidelines promoting the mainstreaming of the intercultural approach have been issued in recent years (Undersecretary of Early Childhood Education, 2022), these have not yet been translated into binding curricular policies or teacher training that would allow their effective implementation.

Therefore, the challenge of intercultural education in early childhood lies not only in recognizing cultural diversity but also in integrating it in a structural way into pedagogical practice. This requires moving towards a situated curriculum that recognizes kimün as a legitimate source of knowledge and the values of kimeltuwün as formative principles. In this sense, intercultural education not only contributes to the identity and emotional development of children, but also favors the reconstruction of community ties and the appreciation of the territory as a learning space.

In this context, a curricular approach consistent with cultural diversity and territorial knowledge is expected. However, the educational reality shows a significant gap between intercultural intentions and everyday pedagogical practice. Public policies have not yet managed to effectively articulate the values, knowledge, and methods of Mapuche family education with the formal curriculum of Early Childhood Education. The absence of normative guidelines and specific teacher training has led to intercultural practices depending on local initiatives or the individual will of educators, reproducing a fragmented and folklorized vision of the Mapuche culture.

This gap shows the need to rethink the place of Mapuche value-based educational content in the curriculum, not as complementary elements but as foundations that enrich comprehensive education in childhood. Incorporating the values of kimeltuwün and the purposes of che in Early Education would allow us to move towards a situated intercultural pedagogy based on respect, reciprocity, and shared knowledge between school and community.

In this way, the background information reviewed supports the need to analyze how Mapuche educational values can be integrated into the Early Childhood Education curriculum, to identify the tensions that arise between school knowledge and community knowledge, and to propose pedagogical strategies that strengthen the link between family knowledge and teaching practices. Only through this articulation will it be possible to build a truly intercultural education capable of recognizing the plurality of knowledge that inhabits the territory and of forming in children a solid identity, respectful and aware of their cultural heritage.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Design

The research was framed in educational research, aimed at describing, interpreting, and explaining phenomena based on pedagogical practice (McMillan & Schumacher, 2005). The study employs a qualitative approach, respecting cultural components and adhering to Indigenous protocols (Smith, 2016). It aims to understand educational phenomena based on the meanings constructed by the actors themselves within specific sociocultural contexts. From this perspective, knowledge is conceived as situated, relational, and historically constructed, particularly in Indigenous contexts, where educational practices are intertwined with family, community, and territory. It was approached from a Western methodological vision with Mapuche components, which allowed the co-construction of knowledge with agents of the Mapuche educational, social, and family environments. To this end, cultural protocols such as nütram (conversation) and witrankontuwün (action of visiting each other) were incorporated, facilitating horizontal dialogue and collaboration with participants (Alarcón et al., 2021; Quintriqueo et al., 2021; Kovach, 2009). This perspective, typical of Indigenous approaches, favors the recognition of the Mapuche episteme and interparadigmatic dialogue, contributing to the decolonization of knowledge and the recognition of local worldviews (Walker, 2015; Smith, 2016).

The study was developed under the interpretative paradigm, which privileges the understanding of the meanings and experiences of actors from their cultural and historical contexts (Bisquerra, 2009). A qualitative approach was adopted, which involved the collection and analysis of information through immersion in the context to understand educational phenomena in depth (Corbetta, 2007). The design was a collective case study aimed at systematically analyzing various kindergartens and communities, understood as interrelated cases that allow us to understand educational practices and the cultural values that sustain them (Vasilachis, 2006).

2.2. Participants

Participant selection was intentional and based on accessibility (McMillan & Schumacher, 2005). Prior to fieldwork, the necessary authorizations were requested from the government agencies responsible for the administration and funding of the participating preschools. This process considered the decisions of these institutions regarding the selection of the most suitable establishments to participate, safeguarding the stability of the educational teams, prioritizing preschools with low staff turnover, and also taking into account contextual and organizational criteria. To this end, the following were considered: (a) the location of the establishments in Lafkenche territory; (b) children and families who self-identify as Mapuche; and (c) the existence of educational practices oriented towards intercultural education, including the participation of Indigenous Language and Culture Educators (ELCI).

One institution from each type of public Early Childhood Education establishment in the municipality was chosen in order to represent different perspectives on the teaching of Mapuche values. In total, 92 individuals from three kindergartens in the municipality participated. Among them were 36 children at the middle level (2 to 3 years old), 15 parents or caregivers, 5 kimches (community elders/wise persons), and 11 Early Childhood Education professionals, including preschool teachers, early childhood education technicians, directors, and Indigenous Language and Culture Educators. Additionally, 25 individuals participated in a meeting called trawün (collective analysis meeting), which included parents, kimches, and education professionals from each kindergarten. Their participation consisted of validating the preliminary findings of the research.

The number of participants varied according to the characteristics of each context, kindergarten enrollment, availability of kimches, and professional staffing. In coherence with the qualitative approach, the wealth of information was privileged over the number of cases, extending the inquiry until theoretical saturation was reached (Vasilachis, 2006). This process made it possible to address the diversity of experiences and meanings associated with the transmission of Mapuche educational values in the school environment from a situated and culturally relevant perspective.

The inclusion criteria included children enrolled in the middle level of the selected kindergartens, Mapuche parents or caregivers with children under four years of age residing in the same locality, kimches belonging to the participating communities, and Early Childhood Education professionals with more than one semester of practice in the corresponding kindergarten. This delimitation guaranteed the participation of actors with real and daily links to local educational practices, strengthening the cultural relevance and coherence of the study with its objectives.

Throughout the process, the ethical guidelines of educational research were followed. Informed consent was obtained from all adult participants, and in the case of children, the consent of their parents or responsible persons was requested, in addition to the verbal assent of the minors themselves, considering their understanding and will. Confidentiality and anonymity were ensured by using codes for the identification of the participants and avoiding the use of proper names or references that could reveal their identity or that of the establishment.

2.3. Instruments

Three main techniques for collecting information were used—semi-structured interviews, focused participant observation, and field notes—complemented by validation procedures and theoretical, technical, and participant triangulation. The choice of these techniques responded to the need to maintain coherence with the qualitative approach, the interpretative paradigm, and the Mapuche intercultural perspective, which conceives research as a relational, collaborative, and situated process. In this sense, the generation of knowledge was based on bonds of respect, reciprocity, and trust with the participants, integrating the methodological and ethical principles of the Mapuche culture.

For this, the bond with the community was fundamental, given by the Mapuche identity of one of the researchers and the experience in research in intercultural contexts of the other researcher; these links facilitated access, communication and the building of relationships of trust with the educational teams, families and Mapuche elders.

The semi-structured interview was the main technique and was developed following the Mapuche oral tradition of nütram, a form of conversation that makes it possible to share knowledge, reflect collectively, and reconstruct experiences from individual and social memory (Melin et al., 2016; Quintriqueo & Quilaqueo, 2019). More than a rigid format of questions, the nütram allowed for a flexible dialogue in which participants guided the conversation from their own cultural frameworks. To safeguard cultural relevance, Mapuche protocols of interaction were observed: the pentukuwün, a protocol greeting that establishes mutual respect and recognition, and the witrankontuwün, the practice of visiting each other, which involves asking permission and showing deference to those who inhabit the space (Alarcón et al., 2021; Quilaqueo & Quintriqueo, 2017). These forms of encounter, guided by the principle of yewewün (respect and care for the other), guarantee horizontality and trust between the researcher and participants.

(a) The interview script, prepared by the author, aimed to explore knowledge linked to Mapuche educational value content and the strategies that Early Childhood Education professionals use to incorporate them into their pedagogical practices. It was adjusted to include questions that would encourage intergenerational reflection and identify changes in the transmission of values between family and school education. All interviews were recorded in digital audio, transcribed, and returned to the participants for review, guaranteeing interpretative fidelity and co-authorship of the story.

(b) Focused participant observation (Flick, 2015) made it possible to record the daily interactions of children in kindergarten to recognize the presence of Mapuche values in their relationships and behaviors. The researcher actively participated in pedagogical activities, assuming a visible and respectful role (Vasilachis, 2006) to observe educational and social dynamics from within. The observations were carried out for two to three full days per kindergarten (from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.), depending on the availability of the centers.

The observation script, designed specifically for the study, was organized around a single analytical dimension: activities that evidenced the presence of Mapuche value-based educational content in everyday interactions. Games, conversations, and learning experiences were observed, paying attention to conflict situations, understood as spaces where culturally situated values and resolution strategies emerge (Ministry of Education, 2018; Sandoval, 2014). The observations were recorded by means of audio-visual recordings, which made it possible to document gestures, glances, and intonations that were impossible to capture in writing.

Selected fragments of the audiovisual recordings were subsequently shared in trawün (community meetings) gatherings, where parents, kimches, and educators collectively reflected on the scenes observed. This feedback strengthened the cultural validity of the study and made it possible to co-construct interpretations and didactic orientations for teaching Mapuche values in Early Childhood Education. For each trawün (traditional Mapuche gathering), permission was requested from the directors of the preschools to use their facilities. The research team invited the Mapuche elders, while the directors contacted the parents. The organization incorporated Mapuche cultural protocols, such as the in-person invitation to the elders, transportation, the chalin (greeting), arranging the children in a circle to encourage dialogue, providing food, and concluding with expressions of gratitude. Each trawün was organized into two parts. In the first part, recordings of classroom observations were presented, revealing values-based educational content in situations of conflict between boys and girls. These recordings were then analyzed collectively using a set of questions. In the second part, teaching strategies for these values-based content were developed, integrating Mapuche and school knowledge.

(c) Field notes that compiled descriptions of the observed events, attitudes of the participants, and analytical reflections of the researcher. These notes, understood as hybrid records of experience (Corbetta, 2007), became a fundamental input for data triangulation and the generation of emerging categories during the analysis.

The instruments were reviewed by expert judges, who evaluated the clarity, theoretical coherence, and cultural relevance of the interview script and the observation guideline. In the same way, a pilot application was carried out with the participation of three Mapuche mothers, a kimche, a director, and a traditional educator. The consistency of the study was reinforced by the triangulation of sources (children, families, and professionals), techniques (interview, observation, trawün, and field notes), and theory (Gibbs, 2007; McMillan & Schumacher, 2005). Likewise, the transcripts were reviewed by the participants themselves, and the interpretations were discussed collectively, ensuring credibility and confirmability.

2.4. Procedure and Data Analysis

The information was analyzed using Grounded Theory, an inductive technique that allows the generation of theoretical approaches based on the systematic comparison of data (Vasilachis, 2006). Interview transcripts and field notes were analyzed to identify emerging categories and relationships (Corbetta, 2007; McMillan & Schumacher, 2005). Theoretical sampling was applied to incorporate participants who provided relevant information on Mapuche value educational content, following the paradigm of open, axial, and selective coding (Gibbs, 2007). In open coding, units of meaning were recognized; in axial coding, links were established between categories; and in selective coding, a central category was defined that articulated the others, allowing an integrated understanding of the phenomenon studied to be built. This process was supported by Atlas.ti V. 22 software, which facilitated the organization, comparison, and representation of the data, making it possible to develop an analytical narrative aimed at the identification of Mapuche value contents and the formulation of didactic strategies for their incorporation into Early Childhood Education.

3. Results

The following section presents the findings on how Mapuche value-based educational content is incorporated and resignified in Early Childhood Education in Lafkenche contexts. In accordance with the objectives of the study, the analysis examines four interrelated dimensions: the pedagogical strategies through which educational teams and Indigenous Language and Culture Educators (ELCI) promote value learning; the ways in which kimün, mapunzugun, and ritual or cultural practices are integrated into everyday kindergarten routines; the forms of participation of families and kimches in intercultural educational processes; and the tensions, training gaps, and curricular challenges that influence the structural incorporation of Mapuche knowledge. Through these dimensions, it is possible to observe both the advances made and the difficulties that persist in building a culturally situated and community-linked intercultural pedagogy.

3.1. Teaching of Value-Based Educational Content in Early Childhood Education (IE)

This category refers to pedagogical practices implemented in kindergartens for teaching value-based educational content. The participants reported that didactic strategies are implemented in kindergarten to incorporate Mapuche knowledge, since all kindergartens have an ELCI. In this regard, both parents and educational teams recognize that progress is currently being made in an education that integrates the knowledge of the Mapuche people, which stands out as positive. Likewise, this category refers to the pending challenges for incorporating Mapuche value-based educational content from the perspective of educational teams and parents.

The category is made up of four subcategories, which are organized in the Table 1:

Table 1. Recurrence-frequency ratio category.

Subcategory	Codes	Percentage
Teaching strategies	9	39.1
Incorporation of kimün in kindergarten	6	26
Work with family in the kindergarten	4	17.3
Mapuche knowledge and early education curriculum	4	17.3
Total	23	100%

Source: Authors.

3.1.1. Teaching Strategies

This subsection presents findings related to Objective 1, which focuses on examining how pedagogical practices are implemented by educational teams and Indigenous Language and Culture Educators (ELCI) to convey Mapuche value-oriented content in early childhood education.

The subcategory refers to educational methods implemented in kindergartens by preschool educators, early childhood education technicians, and ELCI for the teaching of value-based educational content to children. This subcategory includes Western and Mapuche educational methods, according to the information gathered in interviews with educational teams and classroom observations.

The subcategory is composed of nine codes, which are organized in the following Table 2:

Table 2. Recurrence-frequency relationship subcategory didactic strategies.

Codes	Recurrence	Percentage
Autonomy to decide	30	20.5
Games	28	19.1
Mapuche and Western Tales	17	11.6
Adult interventions in the face of conflict	16	10.9
Songs	15	10.2
Order	12	8.2
Conflict resolution between children	12	8.2
Setting an example	12	8.2
Mapuche ceremonies	4	2.7
Total	146	100%

Source: Authors.

(a)

Autonomy to decide: Refers to the autonomy that educational teams provide to children to choose the activities they want to carry out during the daily routine in kindergarten. During the classroom observations, the autonomy of the children was recorded, an example of which was recorded after lunch:

A group of children take musical instruments, including kaskawillas, kultrun, and tambourines. They play them and dance to the rhythm of the music; when they finish, they perform an afafan (a Mapuche shout) and then restart the melody. The children themselves lead the activity and remain engaged in this dynamic for approximately 10 min, repeatedly starting it over.

(field note, kindergarten no. 3)

In the previous record, an interesting aspect is that adults allow autonomy to carry out activities in the preschoolers, since children make a very loud noise with musical instruments; despite this, they do not intervene, but are suggested to make less noise, and the dynamic ends when the children decide or lose interest. This situation was discussed in one of the Trawün (meetings), where one of the participants stated that the opinion of the children about what they want to do is always taken into consideration, as described in the following testimony:

On Fridays, the children are asked what they would like to work on the following week—dinosaurs, playing, or playing circle games. We then offer some ideas to encourage further exploration. So, we asked them, ‘Would you like us to bring you sand?’ They said yes, they wanted sand, so over the weekend the three of us will try to find some, bring it in, and create a space where they can play with sand.

(trawün, kindergarten no. 3)

(b)

Games: This refers to recreational activities carried out during the daily day in kindergartens, either on the children’s own initiative or intentional by adults. Regarding this code, it is observed that in kindergartens Western games are played, with didactic materials arranged in the classroom, such as: blocks, toys from the corner of the home, balls, among others, which are at the height of the preschoolers to manipulate at the times intended for play. An example of the above is visualized in the following record of an observation in the classroom: “Play activities are organized in learning corners. The preschool children take out the toys that interest them in order to manipulate them. It is observed that the children share games and toys on their own initiative” (field note, kindergarten no. 2).

In addition to the Western games, such as the game by corners described above, Mapuche games are developed, with materials that have been collected by the educational teams, such as colihue (plant) sticks for carrying out activities. As recounted below in an observation in the kindergarten located in a Mapuche community:

The children are invited to play trentrikawe (a traditional stilt game). They stand on small wooden logs fitted with ropes (a type of stilts) and take part in races, in which the winner is the one who reaches the farthest point or the finish line. To start the race, they count ‘kiñe, epu, küla, meli (one, two, three, four)’.

(field note, kindergarten no. 3)

(c)

Mapuche and Western tale: It refers to the telling of stories for the teaching of values in the educational context. The narrated stories are part of both the Western tradition, which contemplate illustrated storybooks located in a library adapted to the size of the children. In this context, Mapuche stories, known as epew, are also narrated, and come from the oral tradition and have been transmitted intergenerationally for the teaching of educational values to children in the family context and that today are also included in educational practice. An example of the above is seen in the testimony of a kindergarten manager:

The ELCI brings a Mapuche story, because Mapuche stories also convey many values. For example, when this is planned within the week, sometimes we consult Don (…) about how he can support us and help us foster children’s learning of values; he advises us, and we plan accordingly.

(Kindergarten Manager nº3)

(d)

Interventions of adults in the face of conflict: It refers to the mediation of the members of the educational teams to anticipate and solve conflicts between the preschoolers. This strategy is used to maintain coexistence in the classroom. Regarding the first, avoid anticipating, adults usually intercede as soon as they see that a conflict is going to be triggered, intervening with a word, gesture or sounds so that the children who are part of the conflict avoid hurting themselves, either through words or hurting themselves with blows, an example of this was observed during a visit to a kindergarten: “It is observed that one child throws a toy car over a girl’s head. The teacher intervenes, stating that this should not be done because it could hit a classmate, thereby preventing a conflict among the preschool children” (Kindergarten Field Note No. 3).

The second, solving conflicts between preschoolers, alludes to the intervention of the members of the educational teams in the middle of a conflict when it is not possible to solve it between the children. In this sense, mediation is aimed at talking with children about what happened, looking for solutions or giving explanations of what can happen if they do not obey, as exemplified in the following situation observed in a kindergarten:

While the toys are being put away, it is observed that one preschool child takes a strainer from a girl. She cries because she does not want to put it away (saying ‘mine’). The adults explain that it is necessary to tidy up; however, the girl continues to cry when she is asked to give up or store something she does not wish to relinquish at that moment.

(field note, kindergarten no. 1)

(e)

Songs: Refers to the intonation of songs as an educational resource, as a tool to promote a harmonious space for preschoolers. The songs are used throughout the day-to-day life in the kindergarten and have various functions, among which are greeting and farewell songs, songs to give instructions such as storing and ordering materials, to teach hygienic habits, to teach values, to maintain the attention of the preschoolers, among other functions. This is exemplified in the following account of a classroom observation: The children and the educational team review attendance, the weather, and the date, and then conclude with a repertoire of songs accompanied by gestures, clapping, and bodily actions (field note, kindergarten no. 2).

In the musical repertoire, songs in Spanish predominate; however, songs are taught in mapunzugun, these instances are led by the ELCI in kindergartens. These songs are mainly used to teach vocabulary and are sung during learning experiences and the moment of greeting, to start the daily day, among others, such as the following song recorded in a field note of a classroom observation: “Pewu, pewu, pewu anay (spring, spring, spring) akuy, akuy, akuy anay (arrived, arrived, arrived) xipay antü, antü anay (the sun came out, sun) karuy mapu, mapu anay (the grass is green) pewu, pewu, pewu anay (spring, spring, spring)” (kindergarten field note no. 3).

(f)

Tidying: It addresses the promotion of the order of the objects present in the classroom, as a habit of great importance for the hygiene of the room and that allows us to keep the space tidy to work. It can be observed in kindergartens that order is a habit established in children, who practice actions to collaborate and order without the request of adults. An example of this can be seen in the following situations observed in the classroom:

• Situation 1

One of the adults approaches and asks the children what they would like to do, asking, ‘Would you like to go outside to play ball?’ One child states that in order to go out to play, the toys need to be put away. Accordingly, they begin to tidy up the toys and then go to the playground to play.

(field note, kindergarten no. 3)

• Situation 2

During lunchtime, it is observed that the children eat in an orderly manner and that most of them do so independently. Once they finish their meal, they place their plates on the kitchen trolley, helping to keep the area tidy.

(field note, kindergarten no. 2)

(g)

Conflict resolution between children: This refers to the ability to resolve conflicts among preschoolers, without the intervention of adults. These situations are reflected in moments of free play or interactions without the mediation of adults, where the preschoolers, without the mediation of external agents, manage to resolve the conflict situations that are triggered, as can be seen in the following excerpt from a field note:

While the children are arranging the tables for work, one child unintentionally steps on a toy cart by accident. The same child subsequently places the cart on top of one of the tables and then goes on to work. It is observed that following this incident, no conflict arose nor did the accident escalate into a more serious altercation.

(field note, kindergarten no. 3)

In the above situation, it is observed that there is no mediation of adults to solve the problem, but that the children involved, after the incident, continue to carry out their activities normally. The above can be associated with one of the value-based educational contents identified in the first category, which is associated with patience, which can be seen reflected in the following case, recorded in a classroom observation:

While the children are playing, some of them begin putting the toys away in a toy truck. One child suddenly throws himself onto it, causing the toys that had been stored to fall out. One of the girls becomes upset but puts away the toys she can. Subsequently, the boy helps to put the toys away, and the conflict between them is resolved.

(field note, kindergarten no. 3)

This way of resolving conflicts was consulted in the Trawün carried out in that kindergarten, to which the ELCI responded that learning to solve problems is part of being Mapuche, since problems must be solved to achieve a harmonious coexistence.

(h)

Set an example: Refers to a teaching strategy used by Early Childhood Education professionals to model situations that are considered socially appropriate, so that they can be learned by children. When asking a kindergarten manager how they teach by example, the following conversation takes place:

For example, if I bring something from my home, or from outside, I know that I have to share it with everyone with all the children and all the staff. It has to be that way, because things cannot be just for me; rather, what I have must be shared with others.

(Head of kindergarten no. 3)

(i)

Mapuche ceremonies: This refers to the performance of Mapuche socio-spiritual actions in the educational context. These actions are incorporated as part of the day-to-day life in the kindergarten, such as the realization of llellipun (prayer), as related in the following testimony:

Yes, once a week we devote time—for example, on Fridays—to performing the llellipun (prayer), or on mondays when we begin the week, so that things go well, so that the children are well—in other words, for everyone in general: those of us who are working here and the children, everyone.

(Head of Kindergarten no. 3)

This code represents a low percentage within the subcategory; however, it is important to incorporate it, because in kindergarten No. 3 is where Mapuche socio-spiritual activities are carried out on a regular basis, which is why the low recurrence. Although it is true, in the other kindergartens the realization of the dude tripantu (New Sunrise), known as the Mapuche New Year, this action is only carried out once a year.

In summary, the didactic strategies subcategory allows us to visualize through which value-based educational content is taught to Mapuche children. In this context, it was possible to visualize that both Western and Mapuche strategies are integrated into pedagogical practice, especially in kindergarten No. 3, inserted in a Mapuche community. Western practices predominate; however, in this sense it would be important to know how, in addition to didactic strategies, Mapuche knowledge is being integrated and what aspects predominate in the teaching of value content.

3.1.2. Incorporation of Kimün in Kindergarten

This subsection addresses findings related to Objective 2, which centers on understanding the ways in which Mapuche knowledge, language, and cultural practices are incorporated into daily school routines and reinterpreted within the kindergarten context.

The subcategory refers to the incorporation of educational practices associated with the teaching of Mapuche knowledge (kimün) in kindergartens. This allows the incorporation of this knowledge transversally in the learning experiences developed in the classroom. In this context, the role of the ELCI is highlighted, as leaders in the implementation of intercultural education in kindergartens, since they are the ones who implement learning experiences where Mapuche knowledge is integrated. It should be noted that in two of the kindergartens, the ELCI lead the implementation of learning experiences. Well, as mentioned in the description of the kindergartens, in the case of kindergarten 1 there is an ELCI once a week, in kindergarten 2 there is an ELCI every day, developing a learning experience by level, and in kindergarten 3 there is an ELCI that stays all morning, it participates in the different moments of the daily day.

The subcategory is composed of six codes, which are organized in the Table 3:

Table 3. Recurrence-frequency subcategory ratio.

Code	Recurrence	Percentage
Teaching Educational Values in Kindergarten	62	28.7
mapunzugun education in kindergartens	54	25
Teaching the Indigenous Language and Culture Educator (ELCI)	32	14.8
Presence of value-based educational content	27	12.5
Organization in the kindergarten	29	13.4
Articulation of knowledge	12	5.5
Total	216	100%

Source: Authors.

(a)

Teaching of educational values in kindergarten: This refers to the approach of value-based educational content in the educational context by early education professionals. In kindergartens, value-based educational content is part of the transversal axis of teaching, which can be seen from the Institutional Educational Project (PEI) to the implementation of learning experience. Regarding her incorporation, a story from a kindergarten director stands out:

In our PEI (Educational Project), we also have values that are explicitly stated there. So, we draw on that dimension of values and convey them through environmental care, which is also related to nature. Nature is part of Mapuche culture; therefore, this becomes transversal and is connected to Mapuche values, which are closely linked to elements such as water and the sun. In this way, these aspects are progressively interconnected.

(Director, kindergarten no. 2)

(b)

mapunzugunteaching in kindergartens: This refers to the promotion of the mapunzugun language in the context of kindergartens. Language is promoted during the daily day, both in the execution of learning experiences, and later throughout the day. The ELCI are the ones who lead this process, being accompanied by education professionals, who reinforce this teaching at times when the ELCI are not present. This can be seen in the following testimony:

At times when he speaks in mapunzugun, we translate into spanish, because the children sometimes do not understand what he is saying—that is, what the ELCI says. One of us then explains to them what he is saying, since he speaks in mapunzugun and we translate it. Sometimes he introduces new words, and at that point we explain them to the children and tell them what they mean (Assistant, kindergarten no. 3).

Regarding the incorporation of the Mapuche language during the daily day in kindergartens, the parents are satisfied, as they value the fact that Mapuche cultural practices are currently taught from early childhood. They also value the teaching of words in mapunzugun, as they highlight that child replicate this learning in their homes, as presented in the following testimony:

It is a source of pride for our children, especially here in the kindergarten, that this is taking place and that from an early age they arrive greeting others with a mari mari (hello). For example, when they go to drink water they say, ‘Mom, it’s ko (water),’ or when they are going to eat a potato they say, ‘No, Mom, it’s poñi (potato)’.

(parent kindergarten nº2)

(c)

Teaching of the Indigenous Language and Culture Educator (ELCI): This refers to the role of the ELCI in the teaching of value-based educational content and in general of the incorporation of Mapuche knowledge (kimün) into kindergartens. Although, in kindergartens, Mapuche knowledge is incorporated into the daily workday, either once a week or daily, in the reports of the participants it can be observed that this role is mainly assumed by the ELCI. Since, when asked about the teaching of Mapuche educational values, this practice is immediately associated with the ELCI, as can be seen in the following story:

We now have an ELCI, and families have expressed that they are very pleased with our ELCI and with the activities that have been carried out. From an early age, we are fostering children’s integration into respect for and appreciation of mapuche culture.

(Director, kindergarten no. 2)

What is proposed in this code gives indications that the teaching of Mapuche educational values in the classroom is led by a person. This is worrying when it comes to integrating knowledge associated with value-based educational content, since its teaching should be transversal in the day-to-day life of kindergartens. In this sense, the question arises about how the knowledge of families and the community could be integrated into the teaching of educational values, so that articulated work is developed between the ELCI—principals—educators and education assistants, so that the responsibility is not placed only on an educational agent.

(d)

Presence of value-based educational content: This refers to the evidence of the learning of value-based educational content in children and its incorporation into daily practices in kindergartens. This is evidenced by the fact that in the interviews with the educational teams, the Early Childhood Education professionals reported examples where the acquisition of this learning can be visualized, as can be seen in the following examples: “When a child feels sad, sometimes without being prompted, another child approaches, offers a gentle gesture of affection, and invites them to play. The children tend to do this naturally” (Director, kindergarten no. 1).

These examples are part of the daily life of children, at times they emerge spontaneously, without the mediation of adults, as reported in the previous example. Something that is distinctive about this code is that the educational values observed in preschoolers are related to the care and well-being of others, as for example, in the previous case about the care of other children and other living beings, as can be seen below:

We observe this on a daily basis—for example, when the children look at insects using magnifying glasses or when they water the plants in the morning. These values are consistently present; we convey them to the children, and they, in turn, begin to replicate them. They say things like, ‘Miss, we can’t,’ ‘Miss, let’s take care of the water, because it’s important to care for the water so the plants can keep their leaves green.’ When they see a little ant, they say, ‘Let’s take it outside,’ we open the door, and they go and place the insects outside.

(Educator, kindergarten no. 2)

(e)

Organization in the kindergarten: This refers to organizational styles among the members of the educational teams of the kindergartens for implementing the teaching of Mapuche educational value content in children who attend Early Childhood Education. In this context, the organization between early childhood educators, early childhood care technicians and ELCI stands out, who report that they meet to plan and implement learning experiences. As exemplified in the following accounts:

Yes, planning is carried out together with the ELCI, and it also incorporates Learning Objectives (LOs) and Transversal Learning Objectives (TLOs) (i.e., cross-cutting curricular goals focused on the development of knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, and behaviors). All of this is aligned with the National Curriculum Framework, and the work is carried out collaboratively; it is not solely that she carries out the work. Planning is done during our scheduled planning meetings, which take place once a month.

(Director, kindergarten no. 2)

In the context of the organization, the planning of learning experiences stands out, seeking as a transversal axis the teaching of value content from what is proposed by the national curriculum of Initial Education and Mapuche knowledge, thus the knowledge is articulated, having the ELCI as a reference of Mapuche knowledge, as described below:

We are going to work on values because the children are not really following what we are teaching them. There is a need for us to reinforce values more, perhaps to address them more deeply. We talk about it, we discuss it, we plan it, and the ELCI expresses all of this in mapuche terms—articulating the values.

(in charge of Kindergarten, no. 3)

(f)

Articulation of knowledge: This refers to the integration of Mapuche knowledge to what is proposed by the Initial Education curriculum, for the teaching of value-based educational content in kindergartens. In this context, the collaborative work between the members of the educational teams stands out, where the ELCI share the knowledge of the territories and the families and the Early Education professionals carry out the download of this knowledge to the preschoolers, for example, making a translation from mapunzugun to Spanish, as described below:

The Curriculum Framework addresses all of these issues—for example, those related to Mapuche culture—regarding how we are going to work with the children, including knowledge of Spanish and of winka (non-Mapuche people). In other words, we reinforce both approaches. For instance, if a child does not fully understand the Mapuche-related content, it is up to us to explain it by saying, ‘This is what the instructor means,’ and we then convey it in Spanish.

(in charge of Kindergarten, no. 3)

The figure of the ELCI is fundamental in the process of articulation of knowledge, since they are the bearers of Mapuche knowledge that has been transmitted through generations in the territory where the kindergarten is located. This role is recognized by all members of the educational team, since the ELCI are a key part when planning and guiding the incorporation of knowledge, in this context, they assume their role and are involved in the educational processes, as one ELCI refers to in an interview: “Regarding planning, for example, the educators who work here ask me for their lesson plans, particularly the topics that are articulated with the curriculum Framework. From there, i develop my own contributions, and we discuss them and reach agreements” (ELCI, kindergarten no. 2).

In kindergartens, the tenure of ELCIs in kindergartens varies, as described above. Regarding the above, a kindergarten director relates how the ELCI is involved during the school day:

Well, first of all, she comes dressed in traditional Mapuche attire. In any setting, she is present—for example, during lunchtime she also represents this role. If a child tells her that they are happy, the ELCI translates the concept of ‘happy’ into Mapuche, and in doing so she is also working with concepts of empathy and values.

(Director, kindergarten no. 2)

The subcategory, incorporation of kimün in kindergarten, allows us to visualize how Mapuche knowledge is integrated into Early Education classrooms, where the teaching of mapunzugun mainly prevails. However, it is observed that this work resides mainly in the ELCI, except in kindergarten No. 3, where the education assistants are Mapuche and actively participate in the work of the community. In kindergartens nº1 and nº2, although it is possible to identify the lack of knowledge, which limits the teaching of Mapuche knowledge by all education professionals, it is possible to visualize that they are willing to participate in the learning experiences led by the ELCI, developing what is within their reach in the teaching of value content. Thus, the work carried out and the advances that have been achieved for the teaching of valuable educational content, from Mapuche knowledge, are highlighted. This is endorsed by both the educational teams and the families, who recognize the important work carried out in the kindergartens to integrate the knowledge of the territories, this is visualized in what is evidenced by the children in the homes, such as replicating words in mapunzugun. The work developed with families for the teaching of educational values will be described in the following subcategory.

3.1.3. Work with Family in the Kindergarten

This subsection presents findings related to Objective 3, which concentrates on exploring how families and kimches are involved in intercultural educational processes within early childhood education settings.

The subcategory refers to the work carried out with families in kindergartens for the teaching of value-based educational content, from the perception of educational teams and parents. In this context, families positively value the work carried out by Early Childhood Education professionals in the training of children. However, some ideas are presented to improve this work, integrating families and their knowledge.

The subcategory is made up of four codes, organized in the Table 4:

Table 4. Recurrence-frequency relationship subcategory work with family in kindergarten.

Code	Recurrence	Percentage
Parents’ opinion on kindergarten	47	29.7
Difficulties in working with family	53	33.5
Need to incorporate the family in kindergarten	39	24.6
Family ideas for teaching value content	19	12
Total	158	100%

Source: Authors.

(a)

Parents’ opinion about the kindergarten: This code represents 29.7% of the subcategory, referring to the assessment of parents regarding the teaching of Mapuche educational value content in kindergartens. From the interviews, it was possible to appreciate a positive assessment of this work, the parents are satisfied with the work carried out in the kindergartens, pointing out that this knowledge is replicated by the children at home, as described in the following testimony:

Yes, because they have a Mapuche intercultural focus; they have that distinctive emphasis on teaching both Mapuche values and the Mapuche language. In fact, the other day my daughter started saying mari mari (hello), and I just looked at her, and then Macarena (her mother) told me, ‘No, she’s greeting you’.

(Parent, kindergarten no. 2)

The incorporation of Mapuche knowledge in kindergartens has been of great significance for parents, because, as discussed in the previous category, they did not have the opportunity to learn about their roots in school, so they feel that in that generation knowledge was lost, such as language. For this reason, the teaching of educational values, from Mapuche knowledge, turns out to be an important learning in the development of their children, as a fundamental element in the formation of each person. The parents report that they have seen the development of this work, being able to testify to what was done in the classroom by the educational teams, as a parent relates below:

Yes, he approaches the children in the mornings, and i can attest to this—he even includes a prayer in mapunzugun, the greeting, the pewkayal, the farewell, everything. He is constantly instilling values, always, always. I find it very positive that this kindergarten, unlike one in Santiago, has a teacher or instructor like this.

(Parent, kindergarten no. 3)

(b)

Difficulties in working with the family: This code represents 33.5% of the subcategory, referring to the need for family participation in kindergartens for the teaching of educational values. This need was raised from the appreciation of the educational teams and the families of the kindergartens and is considered as a factor that could enhance the teaching of educational values in a collaborative way.

Three components are identified with respect to this code. The first is linked to a lack of participation by families, from the point of view of the educational teams, who recognize that participation is scarce. This can be seen in the accounts of two participants: “Um… yes, every day, every day is a challenge, because as I mentioned before, um… figuring out how to reach families who are one hundred percent committed to the preschool and to their child’s education is somewhat difficult” (early childhood education assistant, preschool no. 1).

At the time of the meeting (parent meeting), when things are explained to them, they seem motivated, but when the moment comes when they actually have to attend, they just do not show up. So I don’t know what happens there—perhaps a lack of motivation, maybe even on our part, on the part of us teachers, I don’t know. Something is triggering this, because we have talked about it among ourselves, and it didn’t work during the first semester, nor has it worked now either.

(head of preschool, no. 3)

In the reports, it is possible to visualize, as a second component, that there are external factors in the lack of family participation, for example, the lack of time to attend kindergarten due to work, as reported in the following testimony by a mother:

In this case, as a mother, many times this does not happen—not because we are not given the opportunity, but because sometimes, due to work or other issues, there is no time, and one ends up not prioritizing these matters.

(Kindergarten Parent no. 1)

Along with work and lack of time, another external factor was identified that interfered with family participation, this factor was the COVID-19 pandemic that affected the world population in 2020. Due to confinement and teleworking, instances of face-to-face work, both with children and families, were affected in 2020. After the return to school, the capacity and restrictions due to the health situation weakened the work that had been done with families prior to the pandemic, as one director recounts: “Yes, in the past we worked more collaboratively; we had quite a few networks that came to the preschool. Now we only have the ELCI, but previously we had more networks to carry out activities here at the preschool” (Director of Kindergarten no. 2).

In this context, the third component arises, which refers to the intention of the educational teams to resume and enhance the work with family and networks, in order to promote the teaching of valuable educational content in children, through the incorporation of families and their knowledge, one of these ideas is reflected in the testimony:

We have to do it; just because families cannot come to the preschool does not mean we are not going to do it. Yes, we have planned to do it this year because it is very important—there needs to be work that has continuity with the children. So if we are working on a certain topic here at the preschool, we want to reinforce it with the family and send it home.

(director, kindergarten no. 2)

(c)

Need to incorporate the family in the kindergarten: This refers to the demand for family participation in kindergartens, this arises from the perspective of families and educational teams as a way of integrating Mapuche knowledge into the kindergarten. The participants highlight the importance of the incorporation of the family and members of the community, as they are connoisseurs of family education and therefore of Mapuche value-based educational content. Since, if a dialogue were generated between school education and family education, Mapuche knowledge could be integrated more properly by all members of the educational teams and not only by the ELCI. This idea is supported by the following account of a preschool educator:

We have aspects that need to be strengthened in order to work with families, children, and the community, and to be able to carry out our work at one hundred percent. However, one is always focused on the idea of continuous improvement.

(Early Childhood Educator, kindergarten no. 2)

The participation of families in kindergartens would be beneficial to integrate the knowledge of the territory, since they have knowledge that has been transmitted intergenerationally and that today could contribute to the teaching of value-based educational content. This is recognized by the educational teams, according to the following story:

Here in the nursery room, for example, we have a mother who strongly identifies as Mapuche, who already has a clear position and enjoys participating, but perhaps we have not implemented activities that allow her to come and carry them out at the preschool.

(Early childhood educator, kindergarten no. 1)

Involving families in the teaching of Mapuche value-based educational content would allow this teaching to continue once the preschoolers graduate from kindergartens. Thus, the incorporation of knowledge and knowledge of families would be a fundamental element to avoid the loss of Mapuche knowledge, since according to some reports of the participants, what is done in kindergartens is lost once children enter Basic Education, as described in the extract of a field note made from an interview with an ELCI:

Mapuche knowledge (kimün) changes when children enter school. ‘It hurts me,’ they say. The ELCI notes that much work is done at the kindergarten, but it is lost in school. There is an educator for one hour, but it would be important for them to be present every day.

(Field Note, ELCI, kindergarten no. 3)

(d)

Family ideas for teaching value content: refers to suggestions from parents and wise people on how to teach value educational content, in the light of Mapuche knowledge. Taking as a reference their life experience and their own educational methods used by families and community. In the first place, the need for families to be incorporated into learning experiences and for their knowledge to be brought closer and integrated into kindergartens is highlighted, so that children today are educated based on ancestral teaching, as mentioned in the following story: “It is very important that we are included, that our efforts to teach values at home are recognized, and that these values, which our grandparents taught us, continue to be instilled” (Parent, kindergarten no. 2).

Along the same lines, some ideas about teaching methods arise, on the one hand, conversation and advice on the part of the elderly are mentioned, as an instance that allows reflection on the behavior of children. This, following the Mapuche protocols that imply an instance of conversation, as mentioned below: “My father didn’t tell me all of this; my grandparents did. My father was busy with work, but my grandfather had time to sit and talk with me” (Kimche).

On the other hand, teaching through songs is mentioned as an attractive tool for children, which would allow significant learning about expected educational values within society, as reported by a parent: “Sometimes one could teach children mapuche language through songs; songs are interactive for them because they are very young”.

(Parent, kindergarten no. 1)

In summary, the third subcategory allows us to visualize that in kindergartens work is carried out mainly with families and to a lesser extent with the community. However, this situation was interrupted by the pandemic and is still in the process of regularizing and returning to the activities that were previously carried out. It is relevant to continue working with the family and community as support networks, and to further enhance the work that has been done so far, in order to integrate that knowledge that could be incorporated into educational practice for the teaching of value content, as will be described in the last subcategory.

3.1.4. Mapuche Knowledge and Early Childhood Education Curriculum

This subsection addresses findings related to Objective 4, which examines the challenges, limitations, and gaps that affect the sustained and systematic integration of Mapuche knowledge within the Early Childhood Education curriculum.

The subcategory refers to the needs of educational teams to improve the implementation of education from an intercultural perspective in kindergartens. In this context, the need to approach Mapuche knowledge is highlighted, recognizing shortcomings in teacher training, as well as needs that can be incorporated into the national curriculum of Initial Education, in order to advance in an intercultural education relevant to Mapuche knowledge and knowledge.

The subcategory is made up of four codes, organized in the Table 5.

Table 5. Recurrence-frequency subcategory ratio.

Code	Recurrence	Percentage
Need to learn mapunzugun	12	35.2
Need to incorporate Mapuche knowledge into IDF	10	29.4
Lack of Mapuche knowledge	7	20.5
Lack of curricular guidelines	5	14.7
Total	34	100%

Source: Authors.

(a)

Need to learn mapunzugun: This code corresponds to 35.2% of the subcategory, referring to the lack of knowledge of the Mapuche language by the majority of Early Childhood Education professionals. Although some members of the educational teams report knowing some words in mapunzugun, it is necessary to learn them as a key element in the teaching of educational values. Since language is the expression of knowledge, which has been transmitted until today and it is important to continue delivering it to future generations, as a Mapuche scholar refers to the meaning of mapunzugun for the Mapuche people:

In mapunzugun there is all the wisdom of a people. Mapunzugun is everything, mapunzugun… mapu is life, dungun is voice, then, the voice of life. mapunzugunis a language. For example, this (bangs on a table) hit the spoon we would say in Spanish. (bangs the table again) What are you saying? Train train tren tranen (emits sounds) that is a word (drops the spoon). That is a word that they did (he emits words in mapuche at the same time as the blow of the spoon on the table). So that’s life… That’s a part of life. And that’s voice, that’s voice. And that is the voice of life, of the earth. mapunzugun, mapu, it’s all true, it’s life and that sound is the voice of this great life. And that is what the mapuche speak. Repeat, what do you mean they call that in other terms? Onomatopoeia… Yes. So, that’s why it’s important to learn this mapunzugun, because that’s life itself.

(kimche)

From the story it is possible to visualize the importance of mapunzugun for the Mapuche people, because according to the words of the wise man, it represents life itself. In this sense, for the teaching of Mapuche educational values, the language should be part of it, since knowledge has an ontological basis; therefore, in order to respond to this worldview, the need to teach educational values in mapunzugun emerges. This represents a challenge for the educational teams, who recognize the need to learn and incorporate mapunzugun into educational practice, as presented in the following testimony: “It is important to teach it because it is being lost, and for children, it is important to reinforce what is disappearing and pass it on so it is not lost” (Kindergarten assistant n°3).

(b)

Need to incorporate Mapuche knowledge into Initial Teacher Training (FID): Addresses the demands of educational teams to acquire knowledge and tools in IDF for the teaching of value-based educational content from Mapuche knowledge. This is because all the preschool educators and kindergarten directors mentioned that during their university education they did not take subjects on intercultural education, which becomes a lack when working in kindergartens in intercultural contexts, especially in the region and in the commune of Saavedra, where according to the last CENSUS 99% of the population considers itself to belong to an indigenous people. Although it is observed that work has begun in kindergartens to advance in the incorporation of Mapuche family education, the educational teams demand knowledge and skills for this, as described below:

I think it should be taught within the curriculum, regardless of whether a university is located in a Mapuche region. It should not be treated as something exclusive to that region; rather, it should be part of the national curriculum.

(Director, kindergarten no. 1)

Faced with this need, education professionals demand the need to train future generations of early childhood educators with competencies in intercultural education, in addition to the need for normative references to guide the implementation of teaching, as described below: “The curriculum Framework should include adjustments for university students training to educate preschool children. For future colleagues, there should be a section teaching intercultural content”.

(Director, kindergarten no. 2)

What is stated in the testimonies would be a key element so that the teaching of Mapuche value-based educational content does not fall into the role of only one member of the team (ELCI). Since, if all the members of the educational teams had knowledge about Mapuche family education in the first years of life, the role of teaching educational values would be of all the educational agents (directors, educators, education assistants—ELCI).

Regarding this code, during the trawün (meeting) to validate the results, the participants (members of the community) pointed out the importance of intercultural education in kindergartens being led by a member of the community and that teaching should be implemented together with the early childhood educator and early childhood education technician. This responds to what was asked about the last category where the early childhood educators recognized the lack of knowledge about Mapuche education and the lack of training from an intercultural perspective in the university and technical training centers. However, in trawün (meeting) it was possible to visualize that several of the techniques belong to or were raised in the Mapuche community, so there is several knowledge that could be integrated into the practice. Based on this, it is important to have leaders in kindergartens willing and committed to teaching value-based educational content from Mapuche knowledge, as necessary knowledge to teach for the construction of identity.

(c)

Lack of Mapuche knowledge: This refers to the lack of knowledge about Mapuche education on the part of Initial Education professionals, which becomes a problem when teaching Mapuche value-based educational content. In this sense, the teaching of values in kindergartens is recognized; however, this teaching lacks the incorporation of the worldview and ontology that was discussed in the second category. Therefore, despite the work that has been done, in collaboration with the ELCI, there is still this need to integrate knowledge and its own meanings, as narrated in the following testimony: “We constantly work on values, but not with this perspective—focusing on Mapuche values according to what the Curriculum Framework prescribes. That is why we are still lacking, and now, working with the ELCI, the work is much better.” (Early Childhood Educator, kindergarten no. 2).

In this regard, it is evident that this lack of knowledge affects the teaching of preschoolers, since something that is unknown cannot be taught. However, there is a willingness on the part of the educational teams to integrate strategies that allow the teaching of value-based educational content, integrating the knowledge that resides in the community where the kindergartens are located, as mentioned below: “Yes, it should always be present, because we are in a mapuche community. Values, especially, are not generally addressed, so there should be strategies to focus on this” (Kindergarten educator nº1).

To reverse this situation, the key is, on the one hand, in communication with the community and also in working in coordination with the ELCI, who have great knowledge in this regard. On the other hand, the need for curricular guidelines for the implementation of teaching is also highlighted.

(d)

Lack of curricular guidelines: This refers to the absence of curricular guidelines in Early Childhood Education for the teaching of value-based educational content. Moreover, the education professionals report that there are no guidelines in the national curriculum of Early Childhood Education for the implementation of intercultural education, but that the learning objectives of the BCEP must be adapted according to the contexts. This is a problem for the educational teams, because in the absence of curricular guidelines and the lack of Mapuche knowledge, teaching becomes difficult, having the ELCI as their only support, which ultimately makes the responsibility for teaching Mapuche educational values fall on them. This idea is supported by the following story:

I think there should be something well-focused for us. Sometimes you see a small part and ask, ‘How do I apply this here? How can I do it?’ You wonder how to achieve the objective in an activity. It is very difficult. How do I integrate mapunzugun into each objective? There should be a section for this, even if some objectives are already focused on other aspects.

(Head of Kindergarten, no. 3)

What the participant proposes constitutes a limitation in the teaching work, since, despite expressing the intention to incorporate Mapuche knowledge in the planning, she lacks the tools to do so, so that a curricular reference is a necessity for the level of Initial Education, since, for other educational levels they do exist, as the following interviewee mentions:

It would be very good because, as I said, it is the foundation, and now is the time to make these adaptations. Usually, it is done with older children in formal elementary and secondary education, but not in early childhood education.

(Kindergarten Educator no. 2)

The subcategory allows us to visualize the shortcomings and needs from the educational contexts for the teaching of value-based educational contents, so the need to work on guidelines for the teaching of these value-based contents in the light of the curricular requirements and Mapuche knowledge emerges

4. Discussion

The results of this research reveal a structural tension between the intercultural intentions of the Chilean educational system and the practices effectively implemented in Lafkenche kindergartens. Although progress has been made in the incorporation of Mapuche value content—particularly through the role of Indigenous Language and Culture Educators (ELCI) and situated pedagogical experiences—these actions continue to depend on the will of the teams and local conditions rather than on a robust institutional framework. This finding confirms what Gasché (2010) and Tubino (2005) have stated that Latin American intercultural education tends to remain at a declarative level, without altering the epistemological structures that sustain modern schooling.

From a theoretical perspective, the incorporation of kimün in Early Education implies recognizing that Mapuche knowledge cannot be reduced to a set of cultural contents or a didactic complement, but rather represents an ontology of knowledge and coexistence. Learning, from this perspective, is not acquiring information, but cultivating ethical and harmonious relationships with other beings. The empirical findings confirm that educators and ELCI try to embody this principle through concrete practices—such as traditional games, the use of epew, songs in mapunzugun, and rituals of gratitude or llellipun—that promote values of cooperation, patience, reciprocity, and respect. These practices reflect what Quilaqueo and Quintriqueo (2017) call a “küme mongen pedagogy”, oriented towards good living and collective balance.

However, the contrast between these practices and the current curricular framework shows a persistent distance between discourse and practice. The Curricular Bases of Early Childhood Education (Ministry of Education, 2018) mention cultural diversity as a cross-cutting principle, but lack methodological guidelines to incorporate indigenous epistemologies. In practice, kindergartens must adapt Mapuche knowledge to the evaluation formats and planning of the national curriculum, reproducing an assimilationist logic. In this way, as Walsh (2009, 2015) warns, interculturality becomes a device of symbolic inclusion that legitimizes the hegemony of Western knowledge. This finding coincides with De Sousa Santos’s (2010) critique of the “monoculture of knowledge”, according to which the epistemologies of the South are recognized only to the extent that they do not question the dominant paradigm.

The research reaffirms the value of mapunzugun as a means of cultural and ethical transmission. In the kindergartens observed, its teaching is not limited to the learning of vocabulary, but constitutes an act of identity revitalization. Expressions such as mari mari (greeting), pewkayal (saying goodbye) or ko (water) not only communicate meanings, but also build ways of relating based on respect and territorial belonging. In coherence with Nussbaum (2010), language shapes moral and affective dispositions; In this case, it conveys the ethics of Che, the person of integrity and respect. However, the lack of mastery of mapunzugun among educators and the dependence on ELCI for its teaching reflect the fragility of this practice. Without sustained policies of intercultural teacher training, the risk is that language will be treated as a cultural ornament rather than as a living epistemic matrix.

Another contribution of the results is related to the observation of children’s autonomy and the resolution of conflicts among preschoolers. The practices described show that adults intervene minimally, encouraging children to regulate their interactions through dialogue, empathy and patience. This approach coincides with the Mapuche value of norche (rectitude and balance) and with the ethics of care proposed by Noddings (2002), although with a community rather than an individual emphasis. In the Mapuche perspective, emotional self-control is not oriented to personal achievement, but to the maintenance of group harmony. Thus, games, collaboration and shared decision-making in the classroom constitute spaces where a relational pedagogy of good coexistence is tested.

From a theoretical point of view, these findings dialogue with Vygotsky’s (1978) postulates on socially mediated learning, but expand them by situating mediation beyond human interactions. In kimeltuwün—the act of educating Mapuche—learning also occurs in the relationship with the natural elements and with the spiritual forces of the territory. This principle, absent in classical cultural psychology, reveals an epistemic potential to rethink education from an ecological and spiritual ethic. The articulation of these perspectives opens the possibility of an interepistemic dialogue between Mapuche thought and sociocultural theory, overcoming cognitivist reductionism and reintroducing the affective and community dimension of learning.

The connection with families emerges as a strategic opportunity to strengthen intercultural education in early childhood education. In the Mapuche context, the family constitutes a fundamental educational institution in the socialization of values, a process that involves the nuclear family, the extended family, and the community (Quilaqueo Rapimán, 2006). In accordance with the principles of critical intercultural education, the participation of families and the community allows progress toward processes of co-construction of knowledge, moving beyond paternalistic or symbolic approaches (Tubino, 2005; Gasché, 2010; Walsh, 2015).

However, the results reveal a persistent disconnect between the teaching of values-based educational content in the Mapuche family context and in preschools. Upon entering early childhood education, children encounter pedagogical practices that do not always align with Indigenous forms of socialization, which have their own distinct characteristics compared to Western socialization (Alarcón et al., 2018; Scrine et al., 2020). While there is institutional willingness to integrate Mapuche knowledge, a gap persists between intention and practice. This reflects the fragmentation of the educational ecosystem described by Bronfenbrenner (1987): the microsystems (family, kindergarten, community) operate in isolation, without a synergy that allows the continuity of learning. In Lafkenche contexts, this disconnection is aggravated by labor and institutional factors and by the historical wound of forced schooling that separated Mapuche families from their traditional ways of raising children. Research shows that when spaces for dialogue such as the trawün (meeting) are created, the bond is strengthened and the circulation of knowledge between generations is favored, reaffirming the community sense of education.

In this context, the figure of the ELCI stands as a bridge between knowledge systems, but also as a symptom of persistent asymmetry. While their role is fundamental in introducing kimün into school, the over-reliance on their presence reinforces a symbolic division of labor: ELCI represent “culture,” while educators embody “pedagogy.” This distribution, although well-intentioned, perpetuates the separation between knowledges. Overcoming it requires moving towards truly intercultural teams, where educators and ELCI plan, implement and evaluate in a co-participatory manner, recognizing the epistemic equivalence of both knowledges. As Smith (2016) points out, the decolonization of knowledge does not occur by inclusion, but by reconfiguration of the hierarchies of knowledge production.

In terms of teacher training, the results show the urgent need to incorporate intercultural education and the teaching of mapunzugun in Initial Teacher Training (FID). The educators express willingness and sensitivity, but they lack conceptual and linguistic tools to integrate Mapuche knowledge into their practice. Along these lines, we agree with Quintriqueo and Quilaqueo (2019) that interculturality should be conceived as a pedagogical competence, not as an optional transversal content, in the area of values, this situation interrupts the processes of building the Mapuche sociocultural identity, particularly in the first years of life, a key stage for cultural socialization (Quilaqueo Rapimán, 2006).

An intercultural education implies not only learning about “other cultures”, but also rethinking one’s own educational epistemologies and recognizing the place of territory and spirituality in the teaching-learning process.

Finally, the articulation between Mapuche knowledge and the national curriculum constitutes the critical axis of this discussion. The findings show that, although joint planning efforts are made, the curricular structure does not offer sufficient flexibility to incorporate local knowledge as a legitimate source of knowledge. The Curricular Bases prescribe standardized learning that is applied to all contexts, making invisible the diversity of training horizons. In response, educational teams develop adaptive strategies—translating objectives, incorporating stories, or symbolic activities—that, while valuable, remain subordinate to the institutional framework. This phenomenon reinforces the need to move towards a contextualized intercultural curriculum, which recognizes kimün as a source of pedagogical knowledge and not as a cultural ornament, this study provides contextualized empirical evidence for Early Childhood Education on how Mapuche educational content is incorporated and reinterpreted in Lafkenche contexts. Through discourse analysis of families, Mapuche elders, and educational stakeholders, the research reveals how Mapuche educational knowledge, historically transmitted within families and communities, engages with and challenges pedagogical practices and the national curriculum in the preschool setting, while maintaining coherence with its cultural and epistemological principles. In this way, the study contributes to building a well-founded diagnosis of the teaching of Mapuche educational values in Early Childhood Education, establishing a relevant empirical basis for future research aimed at deepening and developing contextualized pedagogical proposals.

Limitations and Projections

Although the research provides a situated view of the incorporation of Mapuche values in Early Childhood Education, certain limitations must be recognized. First, the study is limited to three kindergartens in the commune of Saavedra, which restricts the possibility of generalizing the results to other educational contexts or Mapuche territories. Each community has linguistic and cultural particularities that can modify the practices of teaching and transmitting kimün. Second, data collection was carried out in a limited period of time, so it was not possible to observe longitudinal changes or long-term institutionalization processes. In addition, the presence of the researcher in the educational spaces could influence the observed interactions, although it was mitigated by triangulation of sources and community validation of the results (trawün).

At the conceptual level, the main limitation lies in the translation between categories of Mapuche thought and the Western theoretical frameworks used for analysis. Although a dialogue between the two systems was sought, all linguistic and epistemic mediation implies a loss of meaning. As Walsh (2015) and Smith (2016) warn, the risk of translating kimün into academic categories is to neutralize its transformative power, subsuming it in the logic of modern scientific knowledge. Future research should move towards analytical frameworks co-constructed with the communities, incorporating participatory methodologies and Mapuche terminology in interpretation.

The results and limitations described open up multiple lines of action and reflection. At the level of public policies, it is proposed to move towards the creation of intercultural curricular guidelines for Early Childhood Education, built in dialogue with the communities and the ELCI, which define concrete guidelines for the teaching of Mapuche values and knowledge in early childhood. It is also suggested to strengthen the initial and continuous training of preschool educators in indigenous epistemologies, decolonial pedagogies and teaching of mapunzugun, promoting situated and critical intercultural competence.

From the community level, the development of collaborative models of intercultural teaching based on the joint work between kindergarten, family and community is proposed. Incorporating the trawün as a systematic space for planning, evaluation and pedagogical reflection would allow the role of the sages and kimche in formal education to be resignified. In the same way, it would be valuable to implement co-training programs between ELCI and educators, which favor the complementarity of knowledge and reduce the unidirectional dependence on Mapuche knowledge.

In terms of research, longitudinal and comparative studies are recommended in different Mapuche territories—Lafkenche, Pewenche, Wenteche, Nagche—to analyze the evolution of intercultural practices and their impact on children’s identity development. It would also be pertinent to incorporate participatory methodologies focused on the voice of children, exploring how they perceive, reproduce or transform the values learned in kindergarten. Finally, it is suggested to deepen the dialogue between the Mapuche kimün and contemporary theories of socio-emotional learning, generating an intercultural theoretical framework that combines the ethics of küme mogen with the approaches of well-being and school coexistence.

Finally, we consider that the teaching of Mapuche values in Early Childhood Education is configured as a fertile field for the construction of a situated, ethical and decolonial pedagogy. The Mapuche kimün is not peripheral knowledge, but an epistemic matrix that redefines the relationship between knowledge, territory and person. Fully incorporating it into the education system implies not only a curricular transformation, but a transformation of the way we conceive of education itself: not as a transmission of content, but as a collective act of care, reciprocity and reconstruction of the link between school and community.