Territory and women of native peoples: A view from the Mapuche - Williche women of the Aliwen community (present-day Chile)

Abstract

From a historical perspective, Mapuche territorial and autonomy claims have begun to emerge in the Ngulu and Puel Mapu (present-day Chile and Argentina) in the late 1990s. Since then, the Mapuche people have made themselves visible as a homogeneous group before Chilean and international society. In this context, the community with Williche identity and their experiences in the reductional and colonization processes of the territories under their domain, have been made invisible to non-Mapuche society. In this context, the research focuses on analyzing the territorialities of Mapuche - Williche women in the process of building the Wallmapu, based on work and study with women from the Aliwen community, in the Los Muermos commune, Los Lagos Region, current Chile. Thus, this research has political and academic relevance. From the political point of view, it seeks to make visible the construction of the Mapuche territory, from the perspective of the women of the community, since it becomes necessary to call attention to and analyze the contribution of the Mapuche - Williche women in the process of building the territory. Mapuche territory, from its practices. From an academic perspective, the works carried out from the social sciences have traditionally related the territory with ethnic identity, without taking into account that gender differences not only cross ethnicity, but also condition the way in which territories are constructed. Finally, this research seeks to contribute to the debate and reflection from the other subjects, as builders of realities, knowledge and epistemologies, from a daily practice marked by the worldview that builds the Mapuche - Williche territory.