Community participation and learning: experiences of boys and girls from Mapuche families in Chile

Abstract

The research problem refers to the low visibility of education in indigenous contexts, together with the minorization of its importance in the formation of boys and girls. The participants were four Mapuche families with children under four years of age who did not attend school. The objective of this study was to describe the participation of children in Mapuche family and community activities as a means for boys and girls to learn. The methodology is qualitative and employs an ethnographic approach, based on a case study. The findings highlight that learning is built on activities in which the active participation of the family is promoted, where boys and girls have a leading role. It can be concluded that participation constitutes a means of learning for the Mapuche people. Furthermore, it is essential to understand their own educational methods, such as kimeltuwün, in order to facilitate meaningful learning.