Teaching indigenous languages in Chile: perceptions of Traditional Educators

ABSTRACT

Intercultural Bilingual Education has been public policy in Chile for more than 20 years. One of its key components is the emergence of the Traditional Educator, an indigenous person with the linguistic and cultural competencies necessary for teaching an indigenous language in a school context. Hence, this research is directed towards examining the perceptions of Traditional Educators regarding the teaching of indigenous languages. The contents of relevant documents and interviews with Traditional Educators from three groups of indigenous peoples (Mapuche, Aymara and Lican Antay) who participated in the study were analyzed using a qualitative methodology. Using the Critical Language Policies approach, the results were organized into three categories: (a) perceptions of Traditional Educators regarding the Intercultural Bilingual Education Program, (b) the relationship of Traditional Educators with other participants in the school system, and (c) teaching strategies declared by Traditional Educators for teaching in the Indigenous Language Class (Sector Lengua Indígena). We concluded that the work of Traditional Educators within schools is isolated and lacks the support of local communities and the Intercultural Bilingual Education Program.

KEYWORDS:

• Traditional Educator
• language policy
• intercultural education and teaching of indigenous languages

Acknowledgements

We are grateful for the knowledge and experiences that our participants shared with us during this study, and for the work of the reviewers; all errors are our own.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 This law recognizes the existence of nine indigenous peoples in Chilean territory, namely the Mapuche, Aymara, Rapa Nui, Atacameños or Lican Antay, Quechua, Colla, Kawashkar and Yagan peoples.

2 Decree 280. Amends Decree No. 40 of 1996, which sets forth the fundamental objectives and minimum mandatory content of primary school education, and general rules and regulations for their application. Chilean Ministry of Education, 2009.

3 A framework based on Critical Language Policies (CLP) was also used in a paper published for the first author ‘Revitalization of Indigenous Languages and Cultures: Critical Review of Preschool Bilingual Educational Policies in Chile (2007–2016)’.

4 The Mapuche language has more than a dozen written forms. However, there are at least three graphemic systems under consensus in Chile, namely; Unificado, Raguileo and Azümchefe. Regarding our work, we choose to use the Unificado Graphemic System.

5 Mapuche spiritual, social and political game.

6 Mapuche ritual dance.

7 Mapuche percussion instrument.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Grant CONICYT FONDAP 15110006 and CONICYT/FONDECYT/11160746.

Notes on contributors

Rukmini Becerra-Lubies

Rukmini Becerra-Lubies received her PhD from the College of Education at the University of Washington in Seattle. Originally from Chile, she earned a professional degree as a language teacher and a master’s degree in Linguistics, both from University of Chile. In 2015, she joined the Pontificia Universidad Católica of Chile, Campus Villarrica, and the Center for Intercultural and Indigenous Research in the same institution, where she is currently an Assistant Professor. Her main areas of research interest are intercultural and bilingual education, teacher education, indigenous language revitalization and applied linguistics.

Carlos Bolomey Córdova

Carlos Bolomey Córdova is a sociologist from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. His interests are rural development, public policies, intercultural relations and education. He has carried out several ethnographies in schools and rural contexts. Currently, he is pursuing a PhD in Rural Studies at Newcastle University, UK, to examine the public efforts that are trying to promote fruit production within La Araucanía, South Central Chile.

Daniela Meli Fernández

Daniela Meli Fernández is a Mapuche professional, psychologist graduated from Universidad Católica of Temuco. She belongs to a Mapuche community, located in a rural sector of the Araucanía region. Since a young age, she had the opportunity to listen to stories and teachings from her grandparents. When in college, she decided to work for the revitalization of Mapuche knowledge and culture. Currently she works in a rural school with children, mostly belonging to Mapuche communities.