Geografías indígenas urbanas: el caso mapuche en La Pintana, Santiago de Chile

Abstract

RESUMENPara muchos pueblos indígenas, la ciudad se constituyó históricamente como un espacio de exclusión y dominación que los relegó en los confi nes de la idea misma de modernidad. Sin embargo, la construcción y reproducción de espacios colectivos permite hoy a estos pueblos resignifi car su presencia y renegociar su posición en el mosaico urbano. Este artículo apunta a entender las recomposiciones territoriales que derivan de esta situación, basándose para ello en un trabajo de campo (entrevistas, observación participante y revisión de archivos) realizado entre los años 2013 y 2014 con asociaciones mapuches de la comuna de La Pintana, ubicada al sur del Gran Santiago. Junto con describir el proceso migratorio mapuche en Chile y las modalidades de constitución de una territorialidad mapuche urbana, se analiza el surgimiento de rukas en el transcurso de los últimos quince años en La Pintana. Se concluye de este análisis que la ciudad participa plenamente de las dinámicas territoriales que animan el mundo mapuche contemporáneo. ABSTRACTFor many indigenous peoples, the city was historically constructed as a space of exclusion and domination that relegated them to the confi nes of the very idea of modernity. However, the current construction of collective spaces enables them to renegotiate their position within the urban fabric. This article aims at understanding the territorial reconfi gurations that have arisen in this context, using data collected through a fi eldwork (interviews, participatory observation and archival research) conducted between 2013 and 2014 with indigenous groups in La Pintana, located within the metropolitan area of Santiago. In addition to describing the processes of Mapuche migration in Chile and the modalities by which an urban territoriality is being formed, we also analyze the emergence of rukas over the last fi fteen years in La Pintana. We conclude that urban areas clearly form a portion of the contemporary Mapuche territorial dynamics.

Opportunities and tensions in supporting intercultural productive activities: The case of urban and rural Mapuche entrepreneurship programs

“…Thus, even though many authors have described the denial of the Mapuche people's culture in urban areas, it has also been proven that there are Mapuche families in large cities-such as the capital-who regularly practice their people's language, values, customs, traditions, and ceremonies, which contradicts the thesis of the "impossibility of cultural development" in urban areas (Kilaleo, 1992). This has been confirmed in recent studies (Sep� ulveda & Z� uñiga, 2015;Vergara et al, 2016), which also report the reconstruction and development of Mapuche identity and cultural discourses or practices in rural areas, despite difficulties and tensions. Authors have suggested that this identity strengthening is especially relevant in the Metropolitan Region, compared with other urban areas in the south of Chile, as it is geographically distant from most of the original communities.…”

“…The loss of the culture described, understood as the gradual and imperceptible disappearance of traditions (Thiers-Quintana, 2014), or the difficult reconstruction or recovery of Mapuche culture (Sep� ulveda & Z� uñiga, 2015;Vergara et al, 2016), can be dealt with through these projects which revitalize the culture through traditional occupations. Also, as shown in other studies (Cabezas, 2011;Lagos, 2012) it is possible to further promote Mapuche culture in urban contexts through these initiatives, which participants perceive as opportunities to express traditional aspects of their heritage.…”

La persistencia del “Vivir como mapuche”. Una aproximación a la identidad étnica de la Comunidad Mapuche Folil Mapu, en la Región del Maule.

“…En general, los procesos migratorios obedecen a factores estructurales que determinan las condiciones de vida y la toma de decisiones, entre estos el factor socioeconómico que, a fin de cuentas, impulsa a los mapuche a buscar opciones de empleo para suplir sus necesidades, hallando soluciones que los alejan de sus territorios de origen. La migración mapuche en tanto temática ha sido ampliamente abordada, y es posible señalar estudios enfocados en: 1) las migraciones mapuche fuera del territorio histórico (Bengoa, 2000;Bello, 2002); 2) en las recomposiciones identitarias en el contexto urbano, aunque principalmente centrados en el caso de Santiago, o ciudades como Temuco y Concepción (Aravena, 1998(Aravena, , 2002(Aravena, , 2007Gissi, 2004Gissi, , 2009Gissi, , 2010Imilan y Álvarez, 2008); y 3) en la recreación de espacios colectivos en el nuevo ámbito de vida (Sepúlveda y Zúñiga, 2015;Thiers, 2014;Imilan, 2014). El estudio de la población mapuche actual, señala Gissi (2010), implica reconocer aquella compleja movilidad socioespacial y socioeconómica constituida a partir de un proceso conformado por el momento en que las poblaciones migran desde sus comunidades de origen (en el sur de Chile), y por el momento en que intentan integrarse a las grandes ciudades receptoras, representadas especialmente por Santiago (la capital).…”

Mapurbe Identity and Admapu in David Aniñir's Poetry

“…Moreover, during these decades multiple Mapuche organisations established spaces of socialisation that allowed urban Mapuche to reaffirm their ethnic identities in Santiago (Sepúlveda and Zuñiga, : 144). These institutions encouraged public conversations with political leaders and traditional authorities such as werken (messenger), machi (shaman), lawentuchefe (healer and knower of plants), üllkantufe (singer), as well as the reappearance of the palin game (Carmona, : 11).…”

“…In spite of cultural stigmatisations that continue to lead many Mapuche to conceal aspects of their identities as a way of survival (Briones, : 111), in recent decades they have re‐elaborated their ethnic identities, negotiating a transformed relationship with the earth ( mapu ) and their ancestors through literature, music, performance, and visual art (Collins, : 25). During this time, a Mapuche cultural and political movement became increasingly visible in the urban scene (Sepúlveda and Zuñiga, : 135), leading to a transformation in Mapuche self‐representation and symbolic politics that are part of Mapuche cultural ‘renaissance’ (Boccara, ).…”