The "indigenous" notion in local state practices. The case of three township of Araucania, Chile

Abstract

This article presents an ethnography regarding the notion of the "indigenous" in the State practices in three townships in the Araucania region. Since 1993, the Chilean government has implemented several actions, including social and development programs, based on the "politics of difference" or "recognition", according with the Indigenous Law, 19.253. This has been incorporated in different expressions of recognition in several everyday social and local practices and interactions, among local state agents, indigenous and non-indigenous citizens. Some of them have been institutionalized, such as the celebration of Wetripantu ("Mapuche's New Year"), while others emerge in the everyday interactions between state and citizens living in the township. This article seeks to unravel these practices in the annual routine, its goal is to contribute to the understanding of how the indigenous-oriented state politics at a national level impact the social interactions at the local level.