The other sheep, resistant but forgotten: Archetypal characterisation of Linca sheep farmers in Argentine Patagonia

CARLOS REISING; MARIA ROSA LANARI; LADIO, ANA H

Ethnobiology and Conservation

Ethnobiology and Conservation

Lugar: Recife; Año: 2022 vol. 11

2238 4782

Identifying and understanding how resilience is generated in a local socioecological system is essentialfor the design of future conservation strategies. The Linca sheep represents one of the most important– but least known – biocultural legacies of the Mapuche people in Patagonia. These sheep, whicharrived in the region along with the conquistadors more than three centuries ago, have been almostcompletely displaced by the Merino sheep breed. In this work we analyse the principal components thatcharacterise the producers of Linca sheep. These components are the key for the conservation of thistraditional practice and takes a substantial part of local zoological knowledge (LZK). Interviews withartisans (n = 51) who know, require or use Linca wool, either know the breeders, enabled us to contactand interview 13 families who preserve these sheep. Based on an interpretative study we identified 3biocultural components and 11 analytical variables. Through this analysis of the archetypes, withinthis universe of producers, we recognized three profiles: Veteran, Tenacious, and Emotionally Attached.The families who have preserved this ancient practice were assigned to one of the three groups basedon the shortest Euclidean distance and information obtained from the interviews. Among the maincharacteristics of these producers the important role played by women stands out, as they preserve andtransmit knowledge of the textile language and maintain the diversity of the Linca sheep, transformingtheir family units into guardians of the biocultural inheritance of this local breed.