Relational Ontology in the Mapuche Thinking: Possibilities for Indigenous Well-Being Amidst Colonial Settings

Abstract

The imposition of a colonial mindset over indigenous peoples and their relational understanding of life is a common experience in the Global South. Forced displacement and subordination are also part of history in which cultural manners to preserve balance with the environment were severely altered. This article delves into the case of the Mapuche people, an indigenous group from Latin America that faces old and new expressions of colonialism. Because of structural discrimination, the health outcomes of the Mapuche people have been affected, including mental health. In this scenario, intercultural health experiences have been implemented to address the needs of the Mapuche population. Intercultural health policy emerges as an arena in which indigenous understanding of well-being is once again subjugated. From the author’s indigenous position, possibilities for well-being come through the negotiation of meanings and power that complicate indigenous life in colonial settings. Moreover, the subalternization of indigenous perspectives within scientific spaces is acknowledged as an obstacle to achieving horizontality in academic networks and to constructing meaningful interventions.