Ecological Change and the 'Ecological Mapuche': A Historical Sketch of the Human Ecology of Chile's Araucania Region

摘要

The research presented here evaluates the human ecological history of the territory associated with the Mapuche indigenous people - the Araucanía region of southern Chile. While our discussion centers on empirical questions regarding resource use in the history of this territory, we understand this as a step towards evaluating the significance of the notion of the ecological "nobility" of the Mapuche, and of indigenous cultures more generally. We raise the question of whether or not the smaller ecological impact of the Mapuche is a result of a more healthy or "noble" set of values than those predominant in modern society. Hames (2007) argues that conservation arising from specific values is more likely to remain conservationist in the face of technological change, than conservation that is an "epiphenomenon" of lower population density, less efficient tools and, we would add, in contemporary times, the social marginalziation of indigenous groups.