Kai: Restoration of the Native Forest for the Conservation of the Craft Tradition of the Pilwa of Lake Budi

Abstract

The Budi Lake territories are inhabited by Mapuche Lafkenche communities, where their artisans develop the pilwa -bag woven in Chupón fiber- as a traditional craft. The pilwa has been recognized by state organizations for its cultural and ecological value. However, its raw material, the “kai” or Chupón, is declared a vulnerable species. This condition has generated in institutions such as FIA Foundation for Agricultural Innovation, to allocate public resources for its conservation, introducing foreign concepts into the territory for the plant cultivation, which includes the inclusion of plastic in the Mapuche territories. The present paper investigates the cultural aspects of resistance to this vision, and in particular, to the elements of the Mapuche worldview attributed to the species and native forest. The study is based on interviews with Mapuche leaders, indigenous communities and families of Pilwa artisans, who in 2018 raised a project to restore the native forest, for the preservation of the Chupón species and the handcrafted tradition. This project was not funded by the Common Fund. Despite the Mapuche artisan families of the Pilwa, they have started a native forest conservation process in private estates to promote the sustainable land use and maintain the cultural relationship with nature. The findings are expected to support the future community presentation of a native forest restoration project around Lake Budi.