Learning with respect: a Mapuche cultural value ( Aprender con respeto: un valor de la cultura mapuche )

Abstract

This article examines the value of respect, as demonstrated towards non-human living beings by a group of Mapuche girls in Southern Chile, while attending a rural school. This work is an ethnographic study based upon systematic observations of daily life within an educational space. An example is presented in which the practices of care and social interactions in a spontaneous activity during recess, which involves protecting an insect, are described. The findings demonstrate that the cultural value of respect underpins the activities performed by the girls. The presence of synchronous, collective organization, flexibly assembled and coordinated through non-verbal forms of communication was observed. The findings are discussed taking into account the LOPI model and the Mapuche educational model, reinforcing the ongoing repertoire of cultural practices learned inside of the family and community space.