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The Pewenche people of the Chilean Andes

21.12.2016

Transhumance is the practice of moving livestock from one grazing ground to another in a seasonal cycle, typically to lowlands in winter and highlands in summer. In the lead up to International Mountain Day 2016, “Mountain Cultures: celebrating diversity and strengthening identity”, Professor Carla Marchant Santiago of the Austral University of Chile shared a case study about the transhumant practices of the Pewenche people, an indigenous people who are part of the Mapuche peoples that live in the Chilean Andes. In her case study, Santiago describes the relationship between the Pewenche people and their mountainous environment, asserting that their culture is reflected in the territory. Read her case study here:

“Summer and winter pastures (Walugtuwe – Pukemtuwe in Mapudungún, the language of the Mapuche people) correspond to a type of transhumant practice developed by the Mapuche-Pewenche people in the mountainous areas of Chile’s Bío Bío Region and the Chilean Araucanía. This practice seeks to coordinate the use of the mountainous territories, identifying the period of maximum grass production for each area. This makes it possible to avoid grazing in critical periods and to take advantage of the periods of maximum production and quality for each zone, both to secure animal fodder and to harvest non-timber forest products, such as pine nuts, medicinal herbs and the fruit of the Araucanía (Pewén), the sacred tree of the Pewenche.

The significance of transhumance for the Pewenche people transcends the economic sphere. This ancestral practice is a social and family activity that promotes the cohesion of the community and carries a great symbolic importance. According to tradition, the chief of the community, known as Lonko, offers a prayer to Mother Earth (Ñuke mapu), in order to thank her and ask for the well-being of the community. This ceremony allows for the transfer of local ecological knowledge between generations and helps to strengthen local identity.

The Pewenche community known as Pedro Currilem, located in the canyon of Lonquimay known as ‘Water of Araucanía’, is a good example of how the practices of indigenous communities are closely linked to the territory. Despite the obstacles that had to be overcome in order to carry out the transhumance – including geographic isolation, rural to urban migration of youths and problems tied to the use of land – the community was able to maintain and strengthen its traditions. One example of this is the creation of a cultural centre for ethno-touristic activities, including cultural celebrations such as the festival of the goat or the festival of the horseman, or the touristic horse rides to the summer pastures. These endogenous initiatives bear testimony to the profound relationship that indigenous peoples of the Andes of southern Chile have with their environment, and their concern for keeping their cultural heritage alive.”

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Case study and photo by Carla Marchant Santiago, Institute of Environmental and Evolutionary Sciences, Austral University of Chile