Waterscapes in Wallmapu: Lessons from mapuche perspectives

Abstract

This article reflects on the worldings generated around waterscapes in the diverse Mapuche territory, Wallmapu we contrast the responses of three Mapuche communities to external interventions and water availability in the Chimehuin and Lepá riversin Argentina, and the Huenehue river in Chile. The comparison reveals the nature of Mapuche waterscapes, the tensions provoked by the global economy andits impacts on water management. Mapuche communities establish an intersubjective relationship with water, securing and protecting their water supply. Waterscapes are constituted as living entities where human and non-humanstories converge and on which biocultural memory is periodically enriched in its response to a changing environment. We conclude that coexistence between Mapuche and non- Mapuche worlds, however diverse the communities might be, is sustained through equivocal relations and partial connections. Established views of water management in Wallmapu could be greatly enriched by the Mapuche's views and practices.