Del Buen Gobierno en Territorio Mapuche. Notas acerca de una experiencia en salud complementaria

Abstract

In 2003, the Newen Pu Lafkenche, a Mapuche Organization of South-Center Chile, signed an agreement with several representatives of the Chilean Public Sector. This accord aimed at improving the conditions of life of eight indigenous communities. One of the Civil Services, the Southern Araucania Health Service, offered to design a new complementary health model along with the indigenous traditional healers and leaders. In this paper I present the principal results of this experience in intercultural health in which I participated. I then develop a reflection regarding the political mechanisms that allow the indigenous communities to cope with the heteronomy. Eventually I show how the Indigenous political institutions have been reactivated through the process of reterritorialization and how both phenomena are critical to explain the strength of the Mapuche mobilization in present-day Chile.