The contested rewe: sacred sites, misunderstandings, and ontological pluralism in Mapuche land negotiations

Sacred sites lie at the core of indigenous peoples' land claims and negotiations with the state. These sites are often subject to accusations of inauthenticity by state actors, which potentially lead to the delegitimization of claims over ancestral land. This article argues that misunderstandin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute Vol. 19; no. 3; pp. 527 - 544
Main Author:	Di Giminiani, Piergiorgio
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Oxford Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.09.2013 Blackwell Publishing Blackwell
Subjects:	Access to land Acculturation, contemporary social changes. (cultural action - rights of indigenous peoples ) Agricultural land Anthropology Ceremonial objects Chile Cultural anthropology Cultural identity Ethnology Identity Indigenous peoples Indigenous Populations Land Land claims Land rights Land use Liberalism Mapuche Mapudungun Miscommunication Multiculturalism & pluralism Native peoples Negotiation Negotiations Ontology Pluralism Political anthropology Principles Religious beliefs Religious places Religious rituals Rituals Sacred Sacredness South America Standardization Symbolism Transformation South America Chile Amerindian Refusal Relation with the State Site Mapuche Rights of Indigenous Peoples Strategy Sacred Identity Claim Indigenous peoples
ISSN:	1359-0987, 1467-9655
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	Sacred sites lie at the core of indigenous peoples' land claims and negotiations with the state. These sites are often subject to accusations of inauthenticity by state actors, which potentially lead to the delegitimization of claims over ancestral land. This article argues that misunderstandings in Mapuche land negotiations in Chile do not originate as strategic refusals to understand, but rather in a form of understanding which aims to make radical differences commensurable within the logics of statecraft and national society. In the process of cultural translation, the ontological principles that make certain places sacred in the Mapuche lived world are not recognized, resulting in the transformation of these sites into symbols of identity strategically employed for political ends. Les sites sacrés sont au coeur des revendications et négociations des peuples autochtones avec les gouvernements. Les pouvoirs publics mettent souvent en doute l'authenticité de ces sites, ce qui peut délégitimer les droits invoqués sur les terres des ancêtres. L'auteur affirme ici que les malentendus liés aux négociations sur les terres des Mapuche au Chili ne sont pas nés d'un refus stratégique de comprendre mais d'une forme de compréhension qui tente de rendre des différences radicales compatibles avec la logique du pouvoir public et de la société nationale. La transition culturelle ne reconnaît pas les principes ontologiques qui rendent certains sites sacrés dans le monde vécu par les Mapuche, sites qui se trouvent de ce fait transformés en symboles d'identité et employés stratégiquement à des fins politiques.
Bibliography:	Interdisciplinary Center for Intercultural and Indigenous Studies - ICIIS - No. CONICYT/FONDAP/15110006 Central Research Fund of the University of London istex:F18C5FDD1334E9488E30F2FB4D890EA5DDD9BC9B Abbey Santander Research Award Sutasoma Award of the Royal Anthropological Institute ark:/67375/WNG-Q6H4FJN3-X Dissertation Fieldwork Grant of the Wenner Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research The Institute of Sociology at the Catholic University of Chile ArticleID:JRAI12048 UCL Graduate School Research Projects Fund SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-1 content type line 14 ObjectType-Article-2 content type line 23 ObjectType-Article-1 ObjectType-Feature-2
ISSN:	1359-0987 1467-9655
DOI:	10.1111/1467-9655.12048