WATERSCAPES IN WALLMAPU: LESSONS FROM MAPUCHE PERSPECTIVES

AIGO, JUANA DEL CARMEN; SKEWES, JUAN CARLOS; BAÑALES-SEGUEL, CAMILA; RIQUELME MAULÉN, WLADIMIR; MOLARES, SOLEDAD; MORALES, DANIELA; IBARRA, MARIA IGNACIA; GUERRA, DEBBIE

Geographical Review

Taylor Francis online

Lugar: New York; Año: 2020 p. 1 - 19

0016-7428

ABSTRACT. This article reflects on the multiple worlds generated around waterscapes in thediverse Mapuche territory, Wallmapu. We contrast the responses of three Mapuchecommunities to external interventions and water availability in the Chimehuin andLepá rivers in Argentina, and the Huenehue River in Chile. The comparison reveals thenature of Mapuche waterscapes, the tensions provoked by the global economy, and itsimpacts on water management. Mapuche communities establish an intersubjective relationship with water, securing and protecting their water supply. Waterscapes are constituted as living entities where human and nonhuman stories converge and on whichbiocultural memory is periodically enriched in its response to a changing environment.We conclude that coexistence between Mapuche and non-Mapuche worlds, howeverdiverse the communities might be, is sustained through equivocal relations and partialconnections. Established views of water management in Wallmapu could be greatlyenriched by the Mapuche?s views and practices.