Thinking and feeling Mapuche with the waters of Huenehue: Towards a political ecology and an anthropology on demand

Abstract

Biodiversity has been considerably devastated by extractive activities in territories inhabited by indigenous peoples. This article arises from the anthropological survey “demanded” by the LeufuWueneywue Association and carried out in Tralcapulli and Llongahue (Los Ríos Region, Chile) due to the installation of the Pullinque Hydroelectric more than 50 years ago. From a participative methodology and a theoretical approach based on a Mapuche political ecology, the articulation of sociecological memories and political practices for the recovery of the body of water of the Huenehue is presented. The devastation of the system of life linked to the river is verified and the thinking and feeling of the territory is characterized by means of representations, meanings and experiences that are articulated with processes of political selfdetermination. Finally, the relevance of the recovery of the river for a political ecology that arises from the dialogue of popular and technical knowledge is raised.