"Hilando en la memoria": First Anthology of Poetry by Mapuche Women Poets

Description:

This project was launched in November 2006 to create a collective and permanent space of contact between poets and universities — a multimedia, trans-generational and socially-integrated space that would include the political dimensions of Mapuche poetry written by wome-

The initiative responds to the need to generate spaces for poetry by Mapuche women poets that are broader, self-reflective and flexible in order to discuss memory, translation, the body and poetry as a written forms of resistance.

This is a unique initiative, not only because it is the first to spring from a meta-poetic and political understanding among and with these women poets but only because it launched permanent cooperation between the Humanities Institute of Diego Portales University (www.udp.cl), ESE:O (www.eseo.cl) and the Cultural Center of Spain (www.ccespana.cl) on the role of women in the public arena

The first "Meeting with Mapuche Women Poets" took place October 2 and 3, 2006 in the Cultural Center of Spain, gathering poets, academics, students others interested in poetry by Mapuche women and its contexts. On that occasion, a first "Hilando en la memoria" anthology was presented with the works of seven poets, accompanied by a poetry recital.

A second meeting featured the launch of a second volume, "Hilando en la Memoria, epu rupa," with the poetry of 14 Mapuche women.

Methodology: 

Discussion, selection and collective editing of poetry using online forums and exchanging texts on an internet platform.

The "Meeting with Mapuche Women Poets" project conducted discussion and work over a "virtual" campus (http://campus.eseo.cl) in order to plan and organize goals and activities, including editing and preparation of publications on poetry, book launches, poetry readings, round table discussions and workshops for children. The internet platform facilitated logistical coordination and was an indispensable tool to produce and organize material for the publication of the anthologies.

The process was repeated in the preparation of "Hilando en la memoria, epu rupa," fostering the process of organizing work through the exchanges in online forums between poets and editors to discuss topics such as "identity, names and generation," "gender and the body," "the oral, the visual and the word as a tool for struggle," "land, city and exile" and "the Bicentennial and the Mapuche nation." The forums provided spaces where all participants could express their ideas and opinions freely.

Seven Mapuche women poets are represented in the first edition of "Hilando la memoria" (2006) : Graciela Huinao; Adriana Paredes Pinda; Roxana Miranda Rupailaf; María Isabel Lara Millapán; Faumelisa Manquepillan; Maribel Mora Curriao and María Teresa Panchillo

Fourteen Mapuche women poets are represented in the second edition of "Hilando en la Memoria, epu rupa" (2009): María Isabel Lara Millapán; Graciela Huinao; Jacqueline Caniguan ; Faumelisa Manquepillan ; Roxana Miranda Rupailaf ; María Huenuñir; Adriana Paredes Pinda; Karla Guaquin; Alejandra Llanquipichun; Eliana Pulquillanca; Jeanette del Carmen Huequemán; María Elisa Huinao; Juana Miriam Lancapichun and María Teresa Panchillo.